BajaNomad

Tricks and tips for hurricane preperation

Santiago - 9-2-2009 at 01:05 PM

It might be too soon for this thread but I was impressed by a few things mentioned in the Jimena thread about what some folks do to prepare - things I hadn't thought of. For example, BMG's suggestion to put a icecube in a bag - then you know if the contents of one's freezer have thawed and refrozen. Maybe even develope a check-off list of dos and don'ts, similar to 'The List'.

lofty - 9-2-2009 at 02:34 PM

Growing up in far North Queensland Australia, we would often see 6-8 cyclones(southern hemmesphere)in a season. With an average rainfall of 4-5 feet . My mother used to keep all of our worldly treasures in a large "esky" (fish cooler) year round with a box of baking soda(moisture removal). They are water tight ,strong and have handles to pick up with. This esky was always put in the "ute"( pick-up truck) if a cyclone was emanate.To this day in Southern california I still practice this, more for earthquakes though.

shari - 9-2-2009 at 02:44 PM

one thing we wont do next time is use up all the plywood covering everyones south facing windows and then find out the hurricaine may do a loopty loop and his us from the north or east...this really sucks man...cant believe it...we thought we were so smart getting all the windows done yesterday and never thought about the storm coming from another direction..good thing we have beer and a new floor squeegie...gonna be a very long night looks like.

Cypress - 9-2-2009 at 03:47 PM

Yea, The wind direction changes as the storm moves through. Counter clock-wise. Depends upon which side of the storm or "eye" you're located in.:)

bajajudy - 9-2-2009 at 04:01 PM

You should always cover all the windows. If the eye passes over you, you will get 360 degrees of wind.

Always bring in your garden hoses. A loose hose doing over 100 miles per hour is lethal.

I wont go on but look around your house and garden and think about 140mph wind and you will make sure that everything is secure.

The thing about this storm was the scary cat4. You cannot ignore that. You HAVE to prepare for the worse.

You really have to remember that these forecasts are not written in stone and that the eye is only a point on the map and doesnt indicate what it going on around it.

We went to a lot of trouble for what turned into a nothing here. But I will always do the preparations and never regret doing it. You have to.

Bajahowodd - 9-2-2009 at 04:47 PM

There is a huge difference between 145mph winds and 85mph winds. The interval may very well be the difference between having a roof blow off, or your windows blow out. Not saying that 85mph winds is a picnic, but as Asuncion is far enough north, with cool enough water, and any storm that may loop back from the East, will have dissipated much of its intensity over land, you guys in Asuncion should be OK. Rain, however, will be a problem.
Stay safe, guys and gals.

Osprey - 9-2-2009 at 05:25 PM

I'm not very quick. I admit it. I get the thing with the ice cube but the posts weren't very explicit about the whole thing so it took me a while.

As a writer I'm always looking for new ideas for stories. How would the ice cube thing work if you wondered if your wife/husband/insignificant other took advantage of the madness of the storm? Is there an ice cube in the bag thing one might employ? My question is professional, not salacious so no weirdos need reply (except The New Kid or maybe about a thousand semi people who are no longer Nomads).

dtbushpilot - 9-2-2009 at 05:45 PM

Jorge, can you put that in terms that someone with a 5th grade education (like me) can understand? .......dt

Osprey - 9-2-2009 at 06:02 PM

Well, my assumption is the ice cube might melt. Then there would just be water in the baggie. Now here's the tricky part (and don't blame it on me, I'm just the explainer here). If the ice melts, becomes water in the baggie, then freezes again, it won't be a cube any longer. Took me a while so don't feel bad. I'm just wondering if your sweety drinks 5 fourths of some really good Tequile, to help her deal with the stress of the storm, goes screaming down the beach, you find her the next morning in your best friend's hammock, is there an ice cube answer to your questions about what might have happened during the storm.

BajaNuts - 9-2-2009 at 06:25 PM

Someone else posted to open your windows 1/2 " or so.

Something about when the winds and the eye of the storm pass over head and swirl around the house, there can be a huge atmospheric pressure difference inside to outside. Opening windows a tad lets the pressure equalize and saves the windows from blowing out.



Other emergency tips- hurricane or otherwise,

If power and water are out for a while, there is fresh water in the back of your toilet tank. I wouldn't drink it myself, but it's OK for pets. You can also drain your hot water tank. MAKE SURE TO TURN THE TANK OFF BEFORE DOING THIS! If the power comes on, the tank turns on and there is no water in the tank, it will burn out the elements. OD tanks may be different.

Full-size freezers can last up to 48 hours before starting to warming significantly or starting to thaw if they are kept closed.



[Edited on 9-3-2009 by BajaNuts]

[Edited on 9-3-2009 by BajaNuts]

dtbushpilot - 9-2-2009 at 08:20 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Osprey
Well, my assumption is the ice cube might melt. Then there would just be water in the baggie. Now here's the tricky part (and don't blame it on me, I'm just the explainer here). If the ice melts, becomes water in the baggie, then freezes again, it won't be a cube any longer. Took me a while so don't feel bad. I'm just wondering if your sweety drinks 5 fourths of some really good Tequile, to help her deal with the stress of the storm, goes screaming down the beach, you find her the next morning in your best friend's hammock, is there an ice cube answer to your questions about what might have happened during the storm.


Ummm....Well....uhhh....no, I don't know of any.

If Jill goes screaming down the beach I'm going to follow her, I know that whatever happens it's going to be better than staying at the house by myself.:lol::lol:....dt

Paulclark - 9-2-2009 at 08:43 PM

Find the eye of the storm --- turn your back to the wind and point your left hand to the side and you will be pointing at the eye.:bounce:

Geo_Skip - 9-2-2009 at 09:19 PM

Keep several larger blue ice packs in the freezer. They will keep the icebox portion colder for a time after the power goes out. Works for me with outages of half a day. in third world Nevada...can't say from direct experience about longer outages bit I think It should help more than water ice cubes alone. The Ice cube/melt idea is nice.

bajalorena - 9-2-2009 at 10:21 PM

Some might remember "Manana's" in Los Barriles. What Jim used to do is fill a cup with water, freeze it, then put a 10 pesos piece on top. If that coin moved to the bottom, you knew what to do with everything in the freezer. It is a good idea in theory, but ................ one year when we were gone, and after three days of power out, our friends that had our keys distributed the whole shootin match to the (Mexican) neighborhood. Thanks for that. The power ended up being out for 2 weeks. What a disaster that would have been. The family that got the turkey thanked us later.

BajaNuts - 9-2-2009 at 10:26 PM

excellent idea on the pesos also. Same principle as the melted/refrozen ice cube.