Tag: emergency vehicle tips

New Hampshire’s Worst Roads to Drive on During a Disaster

On By The.Daily.ChristianIn New Hampshire, New Hampshire's Worst RoadsLeave a comment

New Hampshire’s Worst Roads to Drive on During a Disaster: A Survivalist’s Guide to Driving Out Alive

I’ve been around the globe, traversing jungles, deserts, mountains, and urban jungles alike. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the terrain and road conditions during a disaster dictate your survival chances behind the wheel. New Hampshire, with its rugged landscapes, winding roads, and unpredictable weather, poses unique challenges when disaster strikes.

From flash floods washing out highways to ice-covered mountain passes, the Granite State’s roads can turn from familiar routes to survival trials in moments. When everything’s at stake, your ability to drive smart and resourceful is a life-saving skill. Here’s my rundown on the worst roads to navigate in New Hampshire during a disaster—and how to survive them, including survival driving skills and some off-the-grid hacks to keep you rolling.

The Worst Roads to Drive in New Hampshire During a Disaster

1. Kancamagus Highway (NH-112):
This scenic byway is stunning in good weather but deadly when disaster hits. Narrow, winding, and surrounded by dense forest, this road is prone to landslides, fallen trees, and flash flooding during storms. Snow and ice in winter only add to the peril.

2. Route 302 through Crawford Notch:
A vital corridor through the White Mountains, Route 302 is a rocky, narrow path with steep cliffs. Rockslides, avalanches, and ice can turn this route into a nightmare, cutting off escape routes.

3. Route 16 in the Ossipee Mountains:
Often used as a major north-south artery, this highway gets slick and treacherous with heavy rain or snow. Flooding can easily wash out sections, stranding drivers.

4. Bear Notch Road:
A steep, unpaved, and narrow mountain road often used for hiking access. It’s the kind of place that’s beautiful but unforgiving if you get caught during a disaster—mudslides and falling rocks are common.

5. Mount Washington Auto Road:
Though mostly for tourists, this road is the epitome of danger in bad weather—extreme weather can come fast, and the road has sheer drops with no guardrails in many spots.

Survival Driving Skills to Drive Your Way Out of Disaster

You might think just knowing how to drive is enough. It isn’t. You’ve got to be adaptable, calm, and technically skilled. Here are 15 survival driving skills I rely on:

1. Situational Awareness: Constantly scan the road, weather, and surroundings for hazards like falling rocks, sudden flooding, or stranded vehicles.

2. Controlled Braking: Avoid sudden stops. Use gentle, consistent pressure on brakes to maintain control, especially on slippery roads.

3. Threshold Braking: When emergency stopping, brake just before the wheels lock, maximizing stopping power without losing traction.

4. Off-Road Maneuvering: Know how to safely drive through mud, gravel, or dirt if roads are washed out or blocked.

5. Controlled Skid Recovery: When you lose traction, steer into the skid to regain control rather than overcorrecting.

6. Defensive Driving: Anticipate what other drivers or obstacles might do and plan escape routes.

7. Hill Climbing and Descending: Use low gears to control speed on steep inclines or declines, avoiding brake overheating or loss of control.

8. Tire Pressure Management: Lowering tire pressure slightly can increase traction in mud or snow but be cautious not to go too low.

9. Emergency Lane Usage: Be prepared to use shoulders or off-road areas to bypass blockages.

10. Night Driving in Poor Visibility: Use fog lights and low beams, avoid high beams in fog, and reduce speed.

11. Water Hazard Navigation: Know how to cross shallow floodwaters safely; avoid fast-moving water deeper than six inches.

12. Vehicle Weight Distribution: Understand how cargo placement affects handling, especially on slippery or uneven terrain.

13. Maintaining Momentum: When stuck in mud or snow, avoid spinning tires; gentle, consistent throttle helps keep traction.

14. Manual Transmission Mastery: Knowing how to control your vehicle without relying on automatic transmission aids in tricky spots.

15. Emergency Evacuation Route Planning: Always have alternate routes mapped out and avoid relying on GPS alone, which can fail or reroute dangerously during disasters.

3 DIY Survival Driving Hacks When You Run Out of Gas

Getting stranded without fuel is a worst-case scenario. In a disaster, help might be hours or days away. Here’s how to keep moving:

1. Use a DIY Gravity Fuel Feed:
If you have any extra gasoline in a container, you can rig a gravity feed line from the container to your fuel tank filler neck. Elevate the container above your car’s gas tank and use a flexible tube (like a cleaned-out garden hose). Open the fuel cap, insert the tube, and let gravity slowly feed the fuel into your tank. This is a slow process but can give you enough to limp to safety.

2. Create a Charcoal Briquette Starter for Emergency Heat:
When stuck and cold, keep charcoal briquettes in a small metal container inside your car, along with a small amount of dry kindling. This can be ignited carefully (outside the vehicle, with ventilation) to provide heat or help you start a small fire to melt snow for water, which could indirectly help you survive until rescue.

3. Convert Household Alcohol to Emergency Fuel (With Extreme Caution):
If you’re desperate and have access to high-proof alcohol (like ethanol-based hand sanitizer or spirits), it can be used as a fuel additive or emergency fuel in some vehicles. This requires careful mixing and knowledge of your engine type. Not ideal, but in a pinch, this can keep a vehicle running enough to escape immediate danger.

Additional Survival Tips for Driving New Hampshire’s Disaster-Prone Roads

  • Keep a Comprehensive Survival Kit in Your Vehicle: Include extra fuel, food, water, first aid, flares, a multi-tool, tire repair kit, and a portable air compressor.
  • Use All-Wheel or Four-Wheel Drive if Possible: New Hampshire’s roads during disaster demand the traction these provide.
  • Practice Off-Road Driving: Before disaster hits, get familiar with how your vehicle handles off-road conditions; many escape routes won’t be paved.
  • Learn Basic Vehicle Repairs: Knowing how to change a tire, fix a broken belt, or jump-start your battery can be the difference between life and death.
  • Stay Informed: Use weather radios and disaster apps to stay ahead of road closures or hazards.
  • Travel During Daylight: Visibility is critical; avoid night driving when possible.
  • Drive with a Buddy: If possible, travel with another vehicle for mutual aid.

Final Thoughts

New Hampshire’s natural beauty can quickly turn into a survival gauntlet during disasters. The roads that twist through the White Mountains and winding byways demand more than just a steady hand—they require knowledge, skill, and preparation. Driving yourself to safety isn’t just about having a reliable vehicle; it’s about mastering survival driving techniques and being resourceful when things go sideways.

I’ve driven in deserts where sand swallowed cars, jungles where mud dragged tires, and mountains where ice shattered vehicles. What’s common everywhere is this: preparation plus skill equals survival. Equip yourself, train yourself, and respect the roads—because in a disaster, your vehicle might just be your last lifeline.

Maine’s Worst Roads to Drive on During a Disaster

On By The.Daily.ChristianIn Maine, Maine's Worst RoadsLeave a comment

Driving Through Disaster: Survival Skills for Navigating Maine’s Worst Roads

When the sky darkens over Maine and the wind howls like a beast straight outta the North Woods, most folks hunker down. That’s fine for the average Joe with a flashlight and a backup generator. But if you’re reading this, odds are you want more than fine. You want out. You want survival. You want the ability to drive your way out of hell, should disaster strike. And I’ve seen that hell—fires out west, floods in the south, and ice storms that left a whole town without power for weeks. Maine, with its jagged coastlines, dense forests, and twisty back roads, presents its own unique set of driving nightmares when nature decides to throw a tantrum.

I’ve driven through avalanches in Alaska, hurricanes in the Carolinas, and dust storms in Arizona. But few places make me grip the wheel tighter than rural Maine when it’s gone sideways. Especially on roads like Route 9 (aka “The Airline”), sections of Route 201, or the old County roads in Aroostook when the snow hits sideways and cell service is a fantasy.

So, let me lay it down. These are the 15 survival driving skills that can mean the difference between dying in a frozen ditch and sipping hot coffee at your bug-out cabin an hour later.

15 Survival Driving Skills for Disaster Scenarios

  1. Terrain Reading: Know how to “read” the road ahead—mud ruts, snow drift patterns, or changes in elevation—can predict where your tires will lose traction before it happens.
  2. Off-Road Navigation: Don’t trust GPS when the grid’s down. Learn to navigate with a paper map and compass or just by reading the sun and terrain.
  3. Vehicle Positioning: Always drive with an “out”—space on one side of the road in case you need to bail fast or avoid a fallen tree, wild animal, or stalled vehicle.
  4. Throttle Control on Ice/Snow: Light on the gas, lighter on the brake. Sudden moves will spin you out faster than a buck in rut.
  5. Emergency Reversing: Practice backing up fast and straight down narrow dirt roads or forest trails. You may not have time to turn around.
  6. Brake Feathering: Ride your brakes gently to maintain control, especially on declines where full braking would cause a slide.
  7. Engine Braking: Use lower gears to slow your descent instead of relying solely on brakes. Keeps them from overheating and maintains traction.
  8. Tire Patch Know-How: Know how to patch a tire with a plug kit and air it up with a 12V compressor—or even use a lighter and a can of brake cleaner in a pinch.
  9. Water Crossing Judgment: Don’t just charge into a flooded road. Use a stick to test depth and current speed. Never cross water more than knee-deep unless you have a snorkel installed.
  10. Underbody Awareness: Know your clearance and where your drivetrain sits. That old tree stump hidden under snow might take your axle clean off.
  11. Fuel Management: Keep your tank over half full at all times. In Maine, the next station could be 60 miles and closed.
  12. Weight Distribution: Store gear low and center to keep your center of gravity manageable when navigating backroads or inclines.
  13. Spotting Techniques: In tough terrain, get out and walk ahead to scout. Use a buddy as a spotter when possible.
  14. Manual Transmission Proficiency: Automatics can’t always crawl out of bad spots. Manuals give you torque control—learn how to drive one.
  15. Push Start Skill: If your battery dies and you’ve got a manual transmission, know how to push-start your ride solo or with help.

The Worst Roads in Maine for Disaster Driving

Now, let’s talk terrain. In a perfect world, you’d avoid these roads in a disaster. But the real world doesn’t play fair.

  • Route 9 – “The Airline”: Long, remote stretches with sparse services and little shoulder room. In ice storms or snow, it’s a death trap.
  • Route 201 through The Forks and Jackman: Gorgeous, but isolated. Landslides and washouts have occurred here in heavy rains.
  • State Route 11 (Aroostook County): If the world ends, this area won’t find out for days. Blizzards cut this route off like a guillotine.
  • Old Logging Roads near Millinocket: Unmaintained, overgrown, and not on most maps. Floods turn them into rivers.
  • Acadia National Park Loop Road: Beautiful, but one way in and one way out. A fire or storm surge and you’re boxed in.
  • Route 27 near Stratton: Subject to black ice, moose crossings, and rockslides. Bad news in a rush.
  • Route 232 in Oxford County: Steep descents, poor cell reception, and frequent erosion.
  • Route 4 from Rangeley to Strong: Narrow, twisty mountain road with limited guardrails. Avalanche risk in winter.
  • Route 3 on Mount Desert Island: Easily flooded and jammed with evacuees during a coastal emergency.
  • County Roads in Franklin and Somerset: When not paved (and many aren’t), they dissolve into muddy chaos after a storm.

DIY Survival Driving Hacks When You Run Out of Gas

Even the best plans fail. You might find yourself with an empty tank in the middle of nowhere. Here’s how to stretch your luck.

1. Siphon with a DIY Kit

Keep a clear plastic hose (6–8 feet long) in your kit. If you find an abandoned vehicle, you can siphon out usable gas. Never use your mouth—use a squeeze pump or gravity flow.

2. Alcohol Stove + Siphoned Fuel for Signaling

Build a small alcohol stove from a soda can, and burn a tiny bit of fuel to create visible smoke. Add pine needles for black smoke. It’s not a signal fire, but it can be spotted by low-flying aircraft.

3. Gas Can Heat Trap

In cold conditions, create a heat barrier around your spare gas can using Mylar, wool blankets, and your vehicle body. This prevents the gas from thickening or separating in extreme cold, especially if it’s a lower-grade ethanol blend.

Final Words From the Road

Maine is a gorgeous state, but beauty and brutality often come hand in hand. The same forest that gives you peace today might trap you tomorrow. Disasters don’t RSVP. Storms don’t follow schedules. So you drive smart, you stay sharp, and you respect the roads.

I’ve driven out of burning wildlands with my tires half-melted, slept in my truck with wolves howling outside, and crossed washed-out bridges with nothing but a prayer and a winch line. And every single time, it came down to preparation. Your vehicle is more than a mode of transportation in a disaster—it’s your lifeline, your escape pod, and your mobile shelter.

You can’t control Mother Nature. But you can damn well outdrive her if you know how.