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Over in the KKTV 11 Weather Center, the radar's showing the snow moving in.  Chief Meteorologist Brian Bledsoe says this storm has the potential to bring the most snow we've seen in 5 and 1/2 years, so it is "all hands on deck" and "batten down the hatches", as the newsroom makes its own preparations for this Groundhog Day Storm.

That means arranging to have our videographers, producers, reporters, and other production staff within close proximity of the station, in case roads get impassable.  One videographer lives in Simla, so we want to make sure he has a place to stay overnight. 

Our producers are working on setting up interviews with all the key players who have information our viewers need, such as the Department of Transportation, CSPD, tow companies, etc. We've also plotted out various strategies, depending on where the trouble spots pop up. 

Usually, the managers also make plans to order in food for everyone.  Pizza's a popular choice, but two days of that and people aren't in the mood anymore.  Sub sandwiches seem to please everyone, whether they're eating them at night or for the AM crew's breakfast.   If you're part of a crew in the field, you try to plan a strategic time to go back to the station for extra batteries; if you don't get there right after the pizza delivery guy does, you might miss out!

All of us in the newsroom chip in to help when it comes to posting information on the web or on any of our social networking sites.  When we get updates, we'll be posting as fast as we can, so be sure to check these sites:  www.kktv.com, www.facebook.com/#!/kktv11newsand my own www.facebook.com/profile.php and twitter.com/#!/search/users/ShannonBrinias.

Our field crews (reporters and photographers) all have their winter bags packed, with everything they need to survive frigid conditions, should they be stuck in a certain location for a long period.  Hats, gloves, heavy coats and boots are just the start of it. 

During my time in the field, I also added the following to my packing list:  ice crampons (crucial in ice storms), breakfast bars, hand/foot warmers, thermal underwear, bottled water, packets of cocoa/tea, plug-in water heater, toilet paper, hip-waders (in case of ice rescues)... you get the idea!  

If a storm is bad enough, and you're in the thick of it, you can't count on any stores being open so you'd better have what you need in your bag.   Many times, a bad storm will be accompanied by power outages, so making sure all the station's fleet vehicles are gassed up is another check-off item.

But the best thing you can "pack" along with you as a reporter or photographer in the field is a sense of humor.  You will spend long hours feeling like you're frozen, with your fingers, toes and face slowly getting numb, as a news anchor in the comfortable studio asks you, "It looks pretty bad out there?"  From this news anchor, I apologize in advance!  

As a reporter for many years in Colorado and other states, I've experienced my share of snow coverage.  In 2006, I was part of a Denver news team covering the blizzard that shut down our state for days. 

I was fronting the live coverage from Denver International Airport as it shut down, with no way to leave the airport, by plane OR car. 

For the next 56 hours, hundreds of us who were left stranded figured out the best way to "camp" at the airport.  (Hint: tip over 2 sets of seats so that the rigid backs form a "V" on the ground; that's your bed and you might as well get comfortable, because you're not going anywhere.)  I'd brought along toothpaste, deodorant, and such, but next time, I'll remember to bring a towel.  Paper towels just didn't cut it when I washed my hair in the sink!

Earlier in my career, I remember being assigned to many, many live shots on mountain passes:  Donner Pass, Snoqualmie Pass, Loveland Pass, Columbia Gorge...  That last one isn't really a mountain pass, but the wind that whips through there gets so cold, it might as well be at 12,000 feet! 

The common theme that I've experienced as a reporter covering any big storm, is how the sudden interruption to our busy lives tends to bring neighbors and families together.  It even seems to make all of us friendlier and more concerned for the people around us. 

Here's a story:  My all-time favorite hat is one that was provided by a viewer who once saw me covering a storm on TV, and thought the hat I had on wasn't adequate enough.  She was so worried, she sent her son down the hill with a warmer one.  It made me smile with gratitude then, as it does even now.  

Say what you want about the inconvenience of a storm ... when it comes down to it, being forced by bad roads and Mother Nature to call a temporary halt to the roller coaster of life, isn't entirely a bad thing.     

So bring on the snow, and the hot cocoa, let this storm roll in!