Hurricane Prep

Having went thru a strong cat 2 and 60 miles from the coast, I anchored mine down to a concrete drive with a chain hoist across the axles and hitched to the truck. It survived but did rock hard. If it is a strong cat 3 or above, I do not think it will survive. That will be winds above 110 mph and many homes will not survive. Your life is worth more than any possession. Leave if it is that strong.

If you decide, after careful consideration , to leave the area rather than "ride it out" please leave as early as possible. Our first evacuation several years ago was started late and we ended up making thirteen miles in three hours between Raleigh and Winston Salem. really a mad house and loads of fun, especially the part where lots of 4 wheelers ride the shoulder then pop in front of your (heavy) RV thinking you can stop on a dime.
Good luck on whatever you do.
P.S. We left Newport (near Morehead City) for Houston just in time to get into the deep stuff with Harvey. Now we have to stay near Houston for family medical reasons, can't leave and the next big one may hit our home area.

Howdy!

We are fulltime RVer's and in Port Charlotte, FL area now. I have a Mobile RV repair guy coming tomorrow to do some repair work and after that we are more than likely on our way out of Florida. We are from the Gulf Coast of Texas in fact Houston and have been through our fair share of these events. I can not believe the folks in Florida that have little to no respect for the devastation a hurricane can cause. Even if you are not in the direct path of the storm the damage from the tornadoes which they can pawn are something to be mindful of. Harvey was still spawning tornadoes all the way up into Arkansas, Alabama and Tennessee.

"Happy Trails"
Chiefneon

I've lived in the Houston area all my 66 years. I've run from storms and rode out storms.
The motto is...run from the wind and hide from the rain.
I'm not sure I understand what about your jobs will force you stay. Don't be a hero.
I'd be chilling out at Clemmons Tanglewood campground myself.

If the wind is blowing from one direction only, a TT or 5er can withstand some pretty strong head-on winds. After all, they are designed to travel down the road at 60-90 mph without blowing apart.

If you can park the camper facing directly into the wind, that is your best protection.

But, if the wind changes, and it shifts to blowing on the side, it doesn't take much to tip one over. With hurricanes, and all storms for that matter, the winds rotate, come in one direction and exit the opoposite direction. In between, you get all the sideways winds.

Still, if you can anticipate the wind direction, facing directly (nose of the camper) into the wind, is the best protection, should withstand some awful winds, just like driving down the road.

To anchor it down correct, you'd need anchors in the ground, and then some way to strap the camper to them. Most campers (none I know of) are equipped for anything like that.

To protect the camper, you are probably best to get it out of there to safe ground. Any chance you could move the camper ahead of time, to a relative that lies more inland, and leave it there a few days? Then you could return back home and tend to all those "animals and critters" that need attention till the very last moment?

If not, find a storage facility 200 miles away, and rent space for a month. Park the camper then until the storm passes over!

Inspiration for you and my prayers with you: Click here.

The campground that I stay at in Florida requires hurricane anchors to tie trailers down. I don't know if they actually work, but for $100 to install them seems like good policy. When a tornado or hurricane actually happens, they also require everybody to leave their trailer and take refuge in a proper shelter.

We have never been in a situation where we had to evacuate. My 2 cents: Make sure you have a plan. Us, Valuables, including insurance papers in one easy to get spot, pictures in some boxes, Grab those, store them in the tow vehicle, get your trailer ready with full water food etc, just as if you were getting ready to go on an extended trip. Take your items you need to survive, tools, electronics, etc. that you can realistically use to maintain a quality of life. When the time comes for evacuation or just before, get out of harms way, camp out for a bit, and when the time comes to return, you will have a place to be while you rebuild etc. Ma Nature will do what she wants and personally, i don't believe that securing in place is the best option. Good Luck & Be Safe ! ! !

If you need to stay, I think I would fill all the tanks for the extra weight, get away from any big trees. Ensure propane is topped off, won't be any electricity. We are watching it close also here in East Central Fl.

I live 8 hrs from the gulf coast, and when Harvey came through it drove limbs into my house roof.
I would get a large 600 gallon water container with a 12 volt pump for the house if you stay or leave to have a back up for survival, and load up the rv to be ready to depart.

Dave H M wrote:
So if you are a teacher and the wife works, why can't you get the hey out of Dodge?

School would be closed and unless you are raising hogs, why stay.

I teach Animal Science. Yes, we do raise livestock. I am not a room & desk teacher.