BajaNomad

Preparing For A Major Hurricane (Tips)

DavidE - 9-24-2012 at 07:40 AM

Direct From The School Of Hard Knocks




Park the car on a solidly packed drive. When sand gets saturated even a 4WD will bog down to the frame if you try and move it. Fill medicine lists, get extra batteries for flashlights. Make sure you know where the flashlights are. Searching for one in pitch black can be a bummer.

Telephone friends and relatives up north and tell them that you are preparing for the hurricane. This seems to lessen the amount of worry they may have when they cannot contact you for days and days afterward.

Hang extra towels and sheets over curtains and drapes. When windows shatter they become razor shards that can fly across a room. The towels will help lessen their velocity. Stay away from windows and doors to the outside. A door can be sprung so violently it can break bones.

Pick a room with the least amount of windows (even the bathroom) if the wind gets so bad it threatens to break windows. Flying debris is much more likely to break glass than the force of wind however.

Shut off the gas at the tank by closing the valve. One less thing to worry about. A gas leak with wind screaming outside is hard to deal with.

Put at least one set of bedding sheets inside a plastic trash bag and tie it. Ideally all clothing and bedding should be bagged. Nothing is more miserable than wet clothing. If you have a tarp cover your mattress. A soaked mattress can take days to dry out.

The temperature near the eye of a hurricane can be thirty degrees less than what it was before the hurricane arrived. For instance during hurricane Henriette 1995 in San Lucas, I measured 66 degrees Fahrenheit during the passage of the eye. It became downright chilly with everything being wet when the winds started to pick up again.

Unplug appliances. Merely shutting off the circuit breaker is not enough. Extremely high voltage faults can travel up a neutral wire which is not fused or switched and toast electrical and electronics. Turn off fluorescent lights before things get too violent. They too can blow out from freaked out power lines. Off grid inverters must be shielded from water.

A category 4 hurricane will make the best made house leak like a sieve. Water will be everywhere. Wear your most slip resistant pair of shoes.

Stuff towels under front and rear doors. Not only to impede water but to stop migrating scorpions, centipedes, mice and other vermin.

Hurricane winds do not wind down suddenly, except in the eye. Don't be fooled. Perform whatever tasks you can, then get ready for winds coming from the opposite direction.

Large and powerful hurricanes can contain cells that many meteorologists believe are actually tornadoes (!) Don't become complacent, thinking ("well this is as bad as it can get"). If things get bad wedge up against a wall not facing a window behind a mattress removed from a bed.

The military will arrive sooner (to towns and villages) or later after a bad hurricane. They will be carrying drinking water and food staples, and have medics to perform basic primer auxilios (first aid) if needed.

After every bad hurricane came the bugs. Most of the time mosquitoes, but sometimes jejenes, no-see-ums. I always have bug repellent on hand.

Scorpions and spiders will have no doubt moved into your home before and during the storm. Be aware of this as you handle clothing, bedding, shoes and reach for stuff up on shelves.

J.P. - 9-24-2012 at 07:46 AM

As a Hurricane Vetran from the Gulf Coast of Texas, The best advice I can give Is Get the Hell out of Dodge If you have enough advanced warning.

DavidE - 9-24-2012 at 07:49 AM

They are no fun at all. Some of us cannot Dodge this one :(

But pile on the suggestions if you are a veteran. I'm going to go fill the extra tinaca now that the water is on for the day.

bajaguy - 9-24-2012 at 08:01 AM

Use duct (or duck) tape on your windows, make an "X", helps with broken glass.

Use solar garden lights for interior lighting.....not real bright, but does provide light

If you have a pet, make provisions for water, food and medications, don't forget a leash....keep pets leashed or in a crate or travel kennel.

Fill the car/truck with gas.

Have a "bug out" bag for yourself and pets with clothes, food, water, medications (don't forget eyeglasses), a flashlight and important papers.

Be prepared to survive for at least 3-6 days without outside assistance (water/propane/electricity).

Cell phones probably will not work during or after an event

Help your neighbors

J.P. - 9-24-2012 at 08:12 AM

The one I should have run from was Alicia in Aug of !983 We lived about 65 miles inland so I thought we were safe. When it passed over our house the winds were still 90 to 100 mph. If that wasn't bad enough the The Two Tornados that followed really ripped it.


Good luck Down there I know you guys dont need another one.

[Edited on 9-24-2012 by J.P.]

Eli - 9-24-2012 at 08:17 AM

To help with water run-offs coming in thru the windows; Duck tape scrunched up towels or sheets on your window sills with one end that goes down to form a"wick" into a bucket or pot sitting on the floor.

bajaguy - 9-24-2012 at 08:36 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Eli
To help with water run-offs coming in thru the windows; Duck tape scrunched up towels or sheets on your window sills with one end that goes down to form a"wick" into a bucket or pot sitting on the floor.





Get a "bunch" of 5 gallon "Home Depot" type plastic buckets......:lol:

shari - 9-24-2012 at 08:40 AM

thanks for all the suggestions...i had forgotten about some of these...

redmesa - 9-24-2012 at 08:50 AM

Hi J.P. I am also a Texas Gulf Coast hurricane survivor. The big one for my town was Carla. We had a tremendous flood afterwards and lots of damage. The terrain is so very different in Baja that it is hard to image how the town of Bahia Asuncion would handle a full blown Cat 4 or 5. I remember as a child I had hurricane mapping charts and would track all the hurricanes in the Gulf. I agree if it looks like a big hit for a given area .... anyone who can, should get out. I know for the folks in Baja this is almost an impossibility but the town sure empties out of Semana Santa.

J.P. - 9-24-2012 at 08:51 AM

In a early Reply I said Run. That might not be a good idea down there because of the rain's that come with the storm the Vados will be runnig full and not only close off the escape route but pose a real danger

redmesa - 9-24-2012 at 08:54 AM

As a child, the biggest fear for me after a hurricane was the snakes. We had so many poisonous snakes swimming in the flooded waters around our house and town.

bajalinda - 9-24-2012 at 08:59 AM

Fill up containers of water and freeze them - then transfer from freezer to fridge and/or ice chests as needed to help keep food as cold as possible. Also can be used as back-up drinking water when it starts to melt.

Stock up on non-perishables (rice, pasta, beans, canned tuna etc.)

If you have a generator, now is the time to make sure it runs properly if you haven't done so already. Even if it's not safe to run it during the height of the hurricane, it will run the fridge, fans, etc. after the storm.

Eli - I like your "wicking" towel idea. We have our own home-made hurricane shutters, but some water still seeps through in some places and we end up wringing out heavy water-laden towels. Will give it a try. As of this writing, we seem to be far enough south of Miriam's track to be out of range of a direct hit, but we are keeping a close watch on it nonetheless.

Make sure you have a good supply of batteries and candles too.

J.P. - 9-24-2012 at 09:00 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by redmesa
Hi J.P. I am also a Texas Gulf Coast hurricane survivor. The big one for my town was Carla. We had a tremendous flood afterwards and lots of damage. The terrain is so very different in Baja that it is hard to image how the town of Bahia Asuncion would handle a full blown Cat 4 or 5. I remember as a child I had hurricane mapping charts and would track all the hurricanes in the Gulf. I agree if it looks like a big hit for a given area .... anyone who can, should get out. I know for the folks in Baja this is almost an impossibility but the town sure empties out of Semana Santa.








I was there when Carla hit. I lived out in the Aldine. area. When Alicia hit I was working downtown on a High Rise, it blew all the Glass out of two multi story buildings down the street abt there was glass two feet deep in the streets afterwards

bajaguy - 9-24-2012 at 09:15 AM

Check your evacuation routes/safe places BEFORE you need to Bug Out........and also have secondary locations

Osprey - 9-24-2012 at 09:40 AM

If you find yourself without enough bug spray at a time when you most need it, cover your open skin areas with shampoo. Caveat: every couple days wash or peel it off and do it again.

Mulegena - 9-24-2012 at 12:56 PM

My experience with both wind & rain and floods is to prop open all your doors, open all your windows and take down from the sill and glass that can be removed.

Get you and all your animals and foodstuffs to a safe place 'way ahead of time to wait it out. Return home when and if its safe.

desertcpl - 9-24-2012 at 01:25 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mulegena
My experience with both wind & rain and floods is to prop open all your doors, open all your windows and take down from the sill and glass that can be removed.

Get you and all your animals and foodstuffs to a safe place 'way ahead of time to wait it out. Return home when and if its safe.




I am not debating this advise, but doesn't this really apply to a Tornado and not a Hurricane

micah202 - 9-24-2012 at 01:37 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by desertcpl
Quote:
Originally posted by Mulegena
My experience with both wind & rain and floods is to prop open all your doors, open all your windows and take down from the sill and glass that can be removed.

Get you and all your animals and foodstuffs to a safe place 'way ahead of time to wait it out. Return home when and if its safe.




I am not debating this advise, but doesn't this really apply to a Tornado and not a Hurricane


I dunno about the first part,,but certainly the 2nd part applies allround.........better safe-early than sorry,late

desertcpl - 9-24-2012 at 06:17 PM

was talking about opening the doors and windows

Bajatripper - 9-24-2012 at 09:17 PM

Excellent tips, David. Thanks.

DavidE - 9-25-2012 at 09:02 AM

I've seen lashing rain (horizontal at 100 mph +) strip leaves off of trees and bushes, and a total soaking of anything other than an empty concrete cube can be a disaster. Clothing, linens, towels, any fabric can easily get moldy in the steamy climate after a hurricane passes. I don't know how to remove mold and mildew stains; I've tried everything from powdered bleach, to vinegar and it seems like the least amount of dampness causes the stains to erupt with new growth. One white Dickies shirt underwent five washings with different detergent, and finally submergence for 10 minutes in boiling water. It all failed. It is especially depressing to lose a precious mattress this way as they are not too common or inexpensive in Mexico.

It has been suggested that staying in a warm moldy environment can dramatically increase the chances of a person susceptible to pneumonia getting it again. So keeping stuff dry during a hurricane is pretty high on my list of objectives.

I also try and dose my tinaca with a healthy slug of chlorine bleach because if I don't the water seems to turn green a lot faster.

Larger homes. I go around with bleach and dose seldom used sinks, shower traps, and toilets. Mosquitoes can enter and breed like crazy even in a shower trap. Same for garden hoses. Anything that can house standing water will be a mosquito breeding ground. This is especially true of discarded automotive tires and trapped rooftop water. Tinacas that slowly drop in level with no refill (like when water delivery is disrupted for days on end) can hatch regiments of mosquitoes. A good shot of water to the septic tank will stop breeding there if the tank is unused.