Like many folks, I'm carefully reviewing my disaster preparedness. Where I live in Vermont, the biggest threat is an immobilizing blizzard, either at home or on the road.

Years ago, my parents pulled off a Vermont highway in a severe storm, and checked into a motel. The people who remained on the highway, though, weren't rescued until after three days. How many of us could shelter in our vehicles for 72 hours in below-zero weather?

I'm collecting advice from people who've survived winter storms. Here's what I've heard so far:

• Don't mess with Mother Nature; she's bigger than you are. Get off the road, out of the mountains, and out of the line of danger before the storm starts.
• Keep cold-weather camping gear in your car. At a minimum, you need a shovel, blankets, a winter sleeping bag, hats and gloves. Ideally, make sure you have access to full winter gear (see below). If it's 20-below outside, you can't survive more than a few hours without the right gear.
• Make sure you own polypro long underwear (amazing stuff), wool socks, pants and tops, and serious hats and gloves. Cotton kills. Layers are your friend. Beware sweat; you can drench yourself with sweat even at 20 below, which will suck when you finally stop moving.
• If you lose electric power, you'll probably lose your furnace, freeze your plumbing, and crack your pipes. Learn how to drain your pipes beforehand, or you'll be out tens of thousands of dollars.
• The leading cause of death during a blizzard is carbon-monoxide poisoning. This can happen indoors (gas stoves, generators, kerosene heaters), or in your car (typically because your tailpipe got buried in snow). Keep all generator and auto exhaust pipes shovelled out, and remember: warmth makes you fall asleep quickly and uncontrollably, and you may not be able to turn that gas stove back off.
• Before you lose power, fill up all your pots, pans and bottles with drinking water. Fill your tub with water for flushing the toilet; it's going to make your life vastly more pleasant.
• You can develop hypothermia in under 10 minutes, especially when wet. To treat hypothermia, you'll need an external heat source. The traditional approach is to put the victim under lots of blankets with a warm body of either side. It's a bit like jump-starting an engine.

Blizzards are basically a shelter-in-place scenario, with two complications: extreme cold, and the possibility of sheltering in a vehicle.

In your experience, what should be added to or removed from this list?