Finding critical storm information at the right time can be difficult when your days and nights are
spent in the cab and sleeper of your rolling office.
As of Friday afternoon, Aug. 29, Hurricane Gustav was approaching Gulf Coast states. To help truckers prepare, Land Line put together these tips for truckers to keep handy in case they get caught in the storm’s path.
Stay tuned
The best way to be prepared is to know about a storm system in advance of your travels through an affected region. National, regional and local broadcasts can keep you up to date. XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio both carry emergency weather channels.
The XM emergency alert channel is XM Channel 247. The Weather Channel is available on XM Channel 125. Traffic and weather in major cities are available on XM Channels 210 through 230.
The Sirius Weather and Emergency Channel 184 is also a source, and Sirius offers traffic and weather information for major cities on Channels 148 through 158. The Canadian Weather Network is available on Sirius Channel 138.
Evac routes
State departments of transportation post storm evacuation routes and traffic updates. Click on the following states to find pertinent information, including maps of evacuation routes.
- Louisiana – Call 877-4LA-DOTD (877-452-3683) for road conditions
- Texas – Call 800-452-9292 for road conditions
- Mississippi – Call 866-521-MDOT (866-521-6368) for road conditions
- Florida – Dial 5-1-1 for road conditions, tune into CB Channel 19, scan the Florida Public Radio Network for news updates, and check the Florida Department of Transportation contraflow maps.
- Alabama – Call 888-588-2848 For the latest news from the state DOT, click here.
It’s a good idea to set up weather alerts on your computer or cell phone for when you travel to particular regions affected by hurricanes, tropical storms or tornadoes.
Always carry a first aid kit, a flashlight with fresh batteries, and bottled water. It’s also a good idea to keep your fuel tanks topped off.
– By Land Line staff
