Anytime a hurricane approaches the coast you’re likely to see scenes of people wasting their time and energy “preparing” for the storm. In fact, you might have seen these images so often that you think the folks shown are doing the correct thing.
If a hurricane is approaching, forget about:
- Rushing to a building supply store to buy plywood for your windows
- Taping up your windows
If your house is in danger of being hit by a hurricane, protecting windows and sliding glass doors is almost always the number one thing you can do to ensure you’ll have a livable house if the worst happens. But, if you wait until a hurricane watch is posted, you are almost surely too late.
Taping up windows is a waste of time, because tape isn’t going to keep your neighbor’s garbage can – which he should have stashed in a place where the wind can’t grab it – from breaking your window when a 100 mph wind flings it at your house. True, the tape just might keep the glass from flying around the room when the garbage can hits it, but an important rule for any windstorm is to not be in a room with windows that can be broken. If your house doesn’t have a windowless room, you should at least do something like cowering behind an overturned table or a heavy sofa in case glass starts flying. If you waste time taping your windows, about the best you can hope for is that the storm will miss your house and the tape won’t be too hard to remove.
While tape doesn’t do much, heavy plywood or metal shutters are vital. But you can’t wait until a storm is bearing down to go buy the plywood, because by then it’s probably too late. This is because the plywood must fit the windows and it must be firmly attached to the surrounding walls. Experts recommend using 3/4 inch plywood and drilling screw holes 18 inches apart all around it. Are you going to have time to do this after a watch is posted? This is the kind of thing that should be done well ahead of time, so the window covers will be stored with screws started, and everything you’ll need to install them, such as a ladder and the correct size screw driver handy. The big question you must answer ahead of time is: Who’s going to install the plywood covers, maybe with 20 mph wind gusting to 30 mph, as a storm approaches? It’s probably a sure bet it’s not going to be your 70 year old mother, by herself.
Why is protecting windows so important?
Once a window is broken, the wind blows inside , to not only wreck the interior, but also to apply upward pressure on the roof, which might be enough to send it flying. If this happens, the walls will collapse, and your house is gone. Protection can include impact-resistant glass or other permanent materials that have passed the state of Florida or Miami-Dade County (FL) impact standards tests, sturdy shutters or pieces of marine plywood, marked and cut to fit each window and glass door.
Here are some other things you should do before a tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning is posted:
- Remove weak and dead trees or tree limbs on your property.
- Know whether your home is in a zone that could be flooded by storm surge, meaning you have to evacuate.
- Have plans for where you will go if you evacuate, when you will leave (maybe early to avoid traffic jams), and how family members will contact each other.
- If you might have to evacuate, have a”go bag” ready with important papers, such as your homeowner’s insurance policy and prescription drugs.
- If you live outside possible storm surge zones, and your house is sturdy, you should plan on riding out the storm in a “safe room” inside the house.
- Have an evacuation or survival kit ready with nonperishable food, water, a first aid kit and other things you’ll need.
- Have a battery-powered radio, maybe a battery-powered television set for keeping up with the latest advisories.
After a watch is posted, you should have done all the things listed above. You should stay tuned to forecasts and possible warnings. If you are in an area that could be flooded, you should be ready to evacuate. Of course, if you live in a mobile home or a house that isn’t sturdy enough to stand up to the wind, you should evacuate early and avoid the rush.
Source: Protect Your Home Against a Hurricane, Without Wasting Time – blog post – Jack Williams – USA Today, June 2, 2005.
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