FredT
Guest
Several of the moderators suggested I dig this up, add what Katrina taught us and repost this for those who haven't seen it before on other boards.
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A tip for those in hurricane country: NEVER throw away a 5-gallon bucket, or it's lid!
For those who have never been though one of these things or others in hurricane or winter storm areas here are a few things we've learned from hard experience after seeing the eye wall of 5 hurricanes, above and beyond what the media will tell you. We are also still recovering from the effects of a direct hit by Katrina, but I didn’t hang out for that one. With luck and a good contractor we may have a roof and 4 walls again by Christmas ’06, and able to move back in by Easter ’07. As a side note we are blessed to have one of the 10% of the pre-Katrina houses in Pass Christian that is even repairable. 85-90% of the homes there on August 28th, 2005 are slabs or steps now, if the storm left that much.
Things to add to your emergency supplies:
1. Hurricane lamps with spare WICKS! Fuel enough to run them for a month.
2. Citronella oil for the hurricane lamps. Mosquitoes thrive after a ‘cane! Mixing citronella into the hurricane lamp fuel 1:3 will keep most of them out of your sleeping area if you keep a minimum light going all night.
3. Lots of extra Coleman lantern mantles and the adapter to run them off the large 20-lb. bottles if they're the propane type. Spare generators for liquid fueled ones and ¬globes.
4. A spare chain saw bar, at least two spare chains, a backup pull rope assembly, and a spare carb/air cleaner assembly. Electric chain saws are pretty much worthless in an emergency situation!
5. Gloves. Heavy leather ones that fit. The canvas ones won't last long.
6. Steel-toed boots with puncture liners in the soles. Vietnam era jungle boots with punji and mine protection is about the best. A good quality work boot runs a close second. There will be wood with protruding nails _everywhere_ hidden in the debris.
7. Visqueen or other heavy plastic sheeting in roll form.
8. Machete and ax, SHARP!
9. An alternate power source enough to run a fan all night. This should be either photovoltaic or internal combustion.
10. Mosquito netting to fit both your bed and your backup bed.
11. Your cell phone should NOT have the same area code as your house. When Ma Bell’s switchboard goes underwater all your communications will be hosed if they depend on the same switchgear. My cell is now based out of Houston, TX.
12. Drum liners (really big & heavy wall plastic trash bags) are right handy after the storm. They work for containing wet insulation, wet sheetrock, and other storm debris. Cut 3 slits in one an you have an instant poncho. They can be used to collect rain runoff from what’s left of the roof for potable water. They also are large enough that 2 of them can be used (with the universal supply of duct tape you need to have at all times) to contain once living things until the morgue can show up or you can dig a hole.
13. Listen to the forecasters advising how high the surge could be, then double it. If you are within this elevation range, abandon chattels as necessary and RUN UPHILL! A high percentage of those who stayed in this zone during Katrina died!
Steps to do up front:
Several months ahead of storm season:
1. If you don’t have dedicated premounted hurricane shutters get pressure treated plywood cut to cover all windows and all but one door (your heaviest). Rig an internal brace to hold that one door shut even if the frame splits.
2. Put hanger bolts in to mount all of these and do a test fit by putting them all up.
3. Paint all these with a good primer and topcoat, and mark each one clearly as to where it goes, and which side is out and up. This marking should be large enough and of sufficient contrast to be legible by moonlight or a single candle.
4. Remember the goal is to be able to completely board up the house in LESS THAN AN HOUR! It takes 5/8" plywood or thicker to stop a 2x4 thrown by 150 MPH winds. If handling equipment is needed to help lift the boards into place mount the pulley hangers NOW! A battery operated drill works great for installing the board fasteners, but keep a couple of spare batteries charged for taking them off later when you're whupped, there is no power, and you have to get the boards off to get light and ventilation in the house after the storm. There are going to be a LOT of things to do in the last 6-12 hours before the storm hits. If it takes more than an hour to board up these other important things will not get done because you'll flat run out of time.
5. Collect 5 to 7 gallon buckets with lids. 10 is a minimum for two people but 20-30 is even better. Clean and nest them, and then store them in a plastic bag. You're not going to have time to be both washing and filling buckets later.
6. Have a long head to head talk with your insurance agent(s) to determine coverage, and the documentation needed to actually collect on a claim assuming you come home to a beach where your house was. DO NOT assume during this discussion the insurance company will actually “do the right thing” and pay what is covered without a fight from you. Then get the documentation need to support the claim. This includes listing all books, albums, CDs etc. by unique identifier (ISBN if a bound book, the others vary) in a spreadsheet, with dated digital photograph showing it in your possession. This also goes for furniture and sporting equipment. Receipts are better but few maintain detailed receipt files for decades. It’s amazing how well the adjusters lowball contents damage unless you can back it up. If you don’t have flood insurance, GET IT even if you are not in a “flood plain!” Homeowners no longer pays for damage caused by a broken pipe, they’ve passed that liability on to the Federal flood insurance. Strange how I don’t remember my policy rates dropping when that happened. Flood insurance pays fairly well, homeowners or renters insurance is paying about $0.30 on the covered $1 in damages from Katrina so far in Mississippi. I expect that the total payout will increase by 2016, but only after the lawyers have taken a large cut of it.
1-3 days before the storm:
1. WASH CLOTHES! You won't be doing any laundry for a while after the storm hits, and a clean change of clothes will do wonders for your morale after working the clean up for a day or so.
2. Dead branches, weak trees, and other garden debris etc should be removed now and burned. Ashes won't hurt you later.
3. Any other prep work you can do now will save you that much more time for the important stuff later.
4. Start packaging dried foods and ammunition in waterproof and impact resistant containers. Pick containers that nest well and can also be used to shore up the weakest wall of your interior shelter. Surplus military ammunition cans work well. I have several 10 gallon open head steel drums that make a very strong crush resistant package, and can be stacked and lashed to form a penetration barrier.
5. TEST THE CHAINSAW! Change the fuel and tune it now. Install a new sharp chain, or sharpen the one you have on it. It may be necessary to cut through the roof or wall to make an escape route. Many Katrina victims drowned in their attics. There may be a worse way to die than drowning in the dark, but I don’t think the Apache women are allowed to do that any more.
6. FILL the freezer(s) with water to freeze. Ziplocks ½ full of water work well to flow into any unused spaces. This will stretch the edible window of your frozen food supply by a few days, and provide clean cold potable water after the storm.
Just before it hits:
1. Bag some clean clothes and bed linen in several layers of plastic bags, as well as about half your towel stock. That way even if you loose a part of your roof you'll have a dry place to sleep and dry clothes to wear later.
2. Fill everything you can with potable water. If you have nothing else wash the tub, dry it, and then tape the drain shut with a good grade of duct tape (drain valves leak and this is the water that may keep you alive) before filling it. Distribute the water you can’t get into your interior shelter about the place so a single tree through the wall won’t destroy the entire amount.
3. Bring weapons, some ammunition, as much food and water as you can, and bedding into your interior shelter. Do NOT bring fuel or batteries other than what is needed for minimal light into this area. The risk of damaging other vital supplies is too great to put that stuff inside your strong room with you. What's in here may be all you have to survive with for a week or so. Do NOT forget the weapons! Wildlife is forced out of the low-lying areas by the water. Wildlife and abandoned pets start to think of people as food after eating bodies for a while. Dog packs are particularly nasty. Defensive weaponry is necessary both for these things and the 2-legged snakes that seem to appear to "share the wealth". Police protection is non-existent right after the storm. Plan on at least 2 weeks of no effective police protection, and 3 weeks of no potable water or power. If the storm is a class 4 or 5 triple that estimate.
4. PRAY!!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A tip for those in hurricane country: NEVER throw away a 5-gallon bucket, or it's lid!
For those who have never been though one of these things or others in hurricane or winter storm areas here are a few things we've learned from hard experience after seeing the eye wall of 5 hurricanes, above and beyond what the media will tell you. We are also still recovering from the effects of a direct hit by Katrina, but I didn’t hang out for that one. With luck and a good contractor we may have a roof and 4 walls again by Christmas ’06, and able to move back in by Easter ’07. As a side note we are blessed to have one of the 10% of the pre-Katrina houses in Pass Christian that is even repairable. 85-90% of the homes there on August 28th, 2005 are slabs or steps now, if the storm left that much.
Things to add to your emergency supplies:
1. Hurricane lamps with spare WICKS! Fuel enough to run them for a month.
2. Citronella oil for the hurricane lamps. Mosquitoes thrive after a ‘cane! Mixing citronella into the hurricane lamp fuel 1:3 will keep most of them out of your sleeping area if you keep a minimum light going all night.
3. Lots of extra Coleman lantern mantles and the adapter to run them off the large 20-lb. bottles if they're the propane type. Spare generators for liquid fueled ones and ¬globes.
4. A spare chain saw bar, at least two spare chains, a backup pull rope assembly, and a spare carb/air cleaner assembly. Electric chain saws are pretty much worthless in an emergency situation!
5. Gloves. Heavy leather ones that fit. The canvas ones won't last long.
6. Steel-toed boots with puncture liners in the soles. Vietnam era jungle boots with punji and mine protection is about the best. A good quality work boot runs a close second. There will be wood with protruding nails _everywhere_ hidden in the debris.
7. Visqueen or other heavy plastic sheeting in roll form.
8. Machete and ax, SHARP!
9. An alternate power source enough to run a fan all night. This should be either photovoltaic or internal combustion.
10. Mosquito netting to fit both your bed and your backup bed.
11. Your cell phone should NOT have the same area code as your house. When Ma Bell’s switchboard goes underwater all your communications will be hosed if they depend on the same switchgear. My cell is now based out of Houston, TX.
12. Drum liners (really big & heavy wall plastic trash bags) are right handy after the storm. They work for containing wet insulation, wet sheetrock, and other storm debris. Cut 3 slits in one an you have an instant poncho. They can be used to collect rain runoff from what’s left of the roof for potable water. They also are large enough that 2 of them can be used (with the universal supply of duct tape you need to have at all times) to contain once living things until the morgue can show up or you can dig a hole.
13. Listen to the forecasters advising how high the surge could be, then double it. If you are within this elevation range, abandon chattels as necessary and RUN UPHILL! A high percentage of those who stayed in this zone during Katrina died!
Steps to do up front:
Several months ahead of storm season:
1. If you don’t have dedicated premounted hurricane shutters get pressure treated plywood cut to cover all windows and all but one door (your heaviest). Rig an internal brace to hold that one door shut even if the frame splits.
2. Put hanger bolts in to mount all of these and do a test fit by putting them all up.
3. Paint all these with a good primer and topcoat, and mark each one clearly as to where it goes, and which side is out and up. This marking should be large enough and of sufficient contrast to be legible by moonlight or a single candle.
4. Remember the goal is to be able to completely board up the house in LESS THAN AN HOUR! It takes 5/8" plywood or thicker to stop a 2x4 thrown by 150 MPH winds. If handling equipment is needed to help lift the boards into place mount the pulley hangers NOW! A battery operated drill works great for installing the board fasteners, but keep a couple of spare batteries charged for taking them off later when you're whupped, there is no power, and you have to get the boards off to get light and ventilation in the house after the storm. There are going to be a LOT of things to do in the last 6-12 hours before the storm hits. If it takes more than an hour to board up these other important things will not get done because you'll flat run out of time.
5. Collect 5 to 7 gallon buckets with lids. 10 is a minimum for two people but 20-30 is even better. Clean and nest them, and then store them in a plastic bag. You're not going to have time to be both washing and filling buckets later.
6. Have a long head to head talk with your insurance agent(s) to determine coverage, and the documentation needed to actually collect on a claim assuming you come home to a beach where your house was. DO NOT assume during this discussion the insurance company will actually “do the right thing” and pay what is covered without a fight from you. Then get the documentation need to support the claim. This includes listing all books, albums, CDs etc. by unique identifier (ISBN if a bound book, the others vary) in a spreadsheet, with dated digital photograph showing it in your possession. This also goes for furniture and sporting equipment. Receipts are better but few maintain detailed receipt files for decades. It’s amazing how well the adjusters lowball contents damage unless you can back it up. If you don’t have flood insurance, GET IT even if you are not in a “flood plain!” Homeowners no longer pays for damage caused by a broken pipe, they’ve passed that liability on to the Federal flood insurance. Strange how I don’t remember my policy rates dropping when that happened. Flood insurance pays fairly well, homeowners or renters insurance is paying about $0.30 on the covered $1 in damages from Katrina so far in Mississippi. I expect that the total payout will increase by 2016, but only after the lawyers have taken a large cut of it.
1-3 days before the storm:
1. WASH CLOTHES! You won't be doing any laundry for a while after the storm hits, and a clean change of clothes will do wonders for your morale after working the clean up for a day or so.
2. Dead branches, weak trees, and other garden debris etc should be removed now and burned. Ashes won't hurt you later.
3. Any other prep work you can do now will save you that much more time for the important stuff later.
4. Start packaging dried foods and ammunition in waterproof and impact resistant containers. Pick containers that nest well and can also be used to shore up the weakest wall of your interior shelter. Surplus military ammunition cans work well. I have several 10 gallon open head steel drums that make a very strong crush resistant package, and can be stacked and lashed to form a penetration barrier.
5. TEST THE CHAINSAW! Change the fuel and tune it now. Install a new sharp chain, or sharpen the one you have on it. It may be necessary to cut through the roof or wall to make an escape route. Many Katrina victims drowned in their attics. There may be a worse way to die than drowning in the dark, but I don’t think the Apache women are allowed to do that any more.
6. FILL the freezer(s) with water to freeze. Ziplocks ½ full of water work well to flow into any unused spaces. This will stretch the edible window of your frozen food supply by a few days, and provide clean cold potable water after the storm.
Just before it hits:
1. Bag some clean clothes and bed linen in several layers of plastic bags, as well as about half your towel stock. That way even if you loose a part of your roof you'll have a dry place to sleep and dry clothes to wear later.
2. Fill everything you can with potable water. If you have nothing else wash the tub, dry it, and then tape the drain shut with a good grade of duct tape (drain valves leak and this is the water that may keep you alive) before filling it. Distribute the water you can’t get into your interior shelter about the place so a single tree through the wall won’t destroy the entire amount.
3. Bring weapons, some ammunition, as much food and water as you can, and bedding into your interior shelter. Do NOT bring fuel or batteries other than what is needed for minimal light into this area. The risk of damaging other vital supplies is too great to put that stuff inside your strong room with you. What's in here may be all you have to survive with for a week or so. Do NOT forget the weapons! Wildlife is forced out of the low-lying areas by the water. Wildlife and abandoned pets start to think of people as food after eating bodies for a while. Dog packs are particularly nasty. Defensive weaponry is necessary both for these things and the 2-legged snakes that seem to appear to "share the wealth". Police protection is non-existent right after the storm. Plan on at least 2 weeks of no effective police protection, and 3 weeks of no potable water or power. If the storm is a class 4 or 5 triple that estimate.
4. PRAY!!!!
Since I have satellite for TV, I was cut off from the rest of the world.
