FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- For Fort Campbell workforce development program manager, Duane Soumis, having his car prepared for bad weather saved his life. Although he always took preparedness as serious business, a briefing on the subject just before he left for an 800-mile road trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan spurred him to update the emergency kit in his car.
"I already carried emergency items in my car such as a blanket, water, first aid kit, jumper cables and a few little things," Soumis said. "The briefing included items such as a bright orange panel, a hand cranked powered radio, a non-battery style flashlight, dry food and other nonperishable food items and a small collapsible shovel."
There also was a little Sterno cook stove, a small tool kit and tire traction devices on display at the briefing. Soumis realized his kit did not even have a lighter or matches let alone tools or traction devices, so he went home and purchased several additions for the car kit.
"I left Clarksville early in the morning on a warm and dry day," Soumis said. "I planned for a two-day drive as I knew that the area near the last portion of my trip had received more than normal snow fall. During the evening of the first day, it started to snow. When I woke up on Saturday morning, the snow was still coming down, but the main roads had been plowed. I had traveled far enough that I expected to make it to my destination by dinner on Day Two."
Soumis said his first mistake was not checking the weather forecast before he began driving the second day.
"By time I hit the two-lane roads between Wisconsin and Michigan, visibility decreased significantly," he said. "The roads were starting to fill with snow as the wind began producing blizzard conditions."
He said his second mistake was not listening to his basic common sense. He said by the time he reached a stretch known as "40-plus miles to nowhere" he realized it had been a while since he had seen another car on the road.
"I was now doing 15 to 20 miles an hour and was slowing as the snow was building and the visibility continued to diminish," Soumis said. "Being mid-January, the snow banks along the road were already 8-to 10-feet high, depending on the surrounding hills, so I could not even see over them at that point. I knew I was in trouble when the car started plowing snow in front of me."
Another mile and his car stopped dead. Although he had a cellphone, there was no signal for him to call out for help, so he couldn't let anyone know where he was stranded.
"I thought through the situation and started doing what I had been taught," Soumis said. "I shut off the car and got out the blanket and warmer clothes. Instead of wearing down the car battery, I pulled out the radio. The first thing I heard was a weather report -- roads were impassable and people were to stay where they were. No issue there -- I was not going to be moving. I knew that the road department would conduct clearing operations once the blizzard ended."
As darkness approached, he got out to clear his car's exhaust pipe so he could safely turn the car back on long enough to warm it up. He took the opportunity to eat from his emergency kit. Since he couldn't keep the car running, he bundled up as best he could and soon fell asleep.
"Unknown to me, the wind was blowing the snow off the nearby hills which added to that which was falling," Soumis said. "I do not know how long I slept but it was dark when I woke up. I realized it was 9 in the morning -- but dark which didn't make sense. It was about that time that I needed a restroom. No big deal as I just had to go out into the snow. When I went to open the door, it would not budge. I started rolling down the window, but saw nothing but snow."
He tried to push open the passenger side door, but it would not budge either. He quickly realized the snow had buried his car while he slept.
"That was the first time I noticed just how cold it was," Soumis said.
He knew not to start the car because the exhaust had likely been reblocked by the snow.
"I thought about the emergency kit and found the shovel and flashlight that I had recently bought," Soumis said. "I started slowly packing the snow from around the window and created a space large enough to twist the shovel upwards hoping to break through."
Finding about 2 1/2-feet of snow over his car, he was thankful that he was not to be buried under one of the 8-foot snow banks. He realized he had to enlarge the hole as well as pack down the snow so he could climb out.
"I do not know how long that took but when I was out I realized I still had to get up to the top of the snow banks," Soumis said. "That took some time, as I had to dig some foot holds, but when I finally reached the top I had no idea of where the road was and definitely no idea on how I was going to get out of there."
Once he was at the top, he said his first thought was to enlarge the exit hole from the car and find a way to draw attention to his location in case someone did pass by.
"I took out the orange panel and crawled to the nearest tree," Soumis said. "With snow still falling, I decided the tree was the best approach to visibility. I crawled instead of walked because the snow was very loose and I sank at every step."
He had also noticed an air pocket in the snow in front of his car caused by the snow drifting off the banks. That concerned him because he was certain there would be more riddling the area between the banks.
"If I hit a covered air pocket, I was sure I could not get back out without help," he said.
He made it to the tree and tied the panel in such a way that it would be visible from either direction of someone traveling on the road. Then he crawled back to his car and waited.
"From then on, it was trying to stay warm, keep the tunnel to the car accessible and maintain a pattern of eating, sleeping and monitoring," Soumis said. "I ran the car periodically to keep warm but only for a minimal amount of time because of my concern with carbon monoxide. I lost track of time, but knew I had been there at least two days."
On the third day the snow stopped, but Soumis assumed it would take at least another day before anyone came looking for him. Much to his surprise, he heard the sounds of an engine later the same day. He made it to the top of the bank and saw a small plane approaching.
"It appeared to be traveling by using the road as a guide," he said. "As it came near I tried to get to the panel, but the snow was too loose. As the plane passed, I gave up hope but heard the engine sound change and noticed it was turning back. I waved and tried to get the pilot's attention but was not sure I was successful."
He waited what felt like hours before he heard another mechanical noise he did not recognize.
"I finally realized it was snow blowers making their way down the road," Soumis said. "I could not see them but the snow flying over the banks was unquestionable."
He found out later he had been stranded for three-and-one-half-days, but the plane had spotted the panel and directed rescue workers where to find him.
"That time seemed like a lifetime," Soumis said. The predicament reinforced the idea "a little preparedness makes a big difference when needed."
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