Hurricane advise?

[Big_steve]

Have a 26 ft TT. We will most likely get a not too bad glancing blow from this current hurricane. That said, a slight shift, and we could get hit with CAT 1 winds. What do y'all do to get your trailer ready? It's close to one side of the house. But I don't know what to do about protecting the windows, or anything else.

Any experiences or knowledge would be appreciated.

[Sam_Spade]

the e-man wrote:
If tropical storm or hurricane force winds are expected, would putting the stabilizers down make any difference?

Thanks.

I certainly would.....but highly likely that it will make NO difference in your ultimate safety.
Might make a bit more comfortable.....up to the point that it turns over. :E

[the_e-man]

If tropical storm or hurricane force winds are expected, would putting the stabilizers down make any difference?

Thanks.

[2112]

Our local RV dealer parks their trailers as close together as possible, not to protect them from high winds but to protect them from water damage caused from wind driven rain. The windows leak from hours of high velocity, horizontal driven rain.

[patperry2766]

MarkTwain wrote:
Make sure you have a good National Weather Radio. make sure you set the stations for the areas you are traveling in. As soon as I get a weather warning of a hurricane or tornado heading towards my direction/location, I immediately start driving in a direction away from the weather and keep driving until I am out of the area. I do not wait.
I was coming out of Texas near the border Fort Stockton. I pulled into the nearest RV park for cover and protection. In 15 min. the tornado did $16K damage to my truck and trailer. :(:(
I will never drive through Texas again and especially Tornado alley:(

There is no way you can drive E-W without driving thru tornado alley. It stretches all the way up to North Dakota. I've lived in Texas almost 50 years and never had damage from one. Just bad luck that you got hit.

Each region of the country has their own natural disasters to deal with.

[ken56]

Leave.

[time2roll]

I would fill the water tanks and make sure the propane and battery is full.

[MarkTwain]

Make sure you have a good National Weather Radio. make sure you set the stations for the areas you are traveling in. As soon as I get a weather warning of a hurricane or tornado heading towards my direction/location, I immediately start driving in a direction away from the weather and keep driving until I am out of the area. I do not wait.
I was coming out of Texas near the border Fort Stockton. I pulled into the nearest RV park for cover and protection. In 15 min. the tornado did $16K damage to my truck and trailer. :(:(
I will never drive through Texas again and especially Tornado alley:(

[westend]

I've read where some owners use ground-attached anchors to keep their rig upright. I believe those anchors are current building code in certain areas of Florida.

[Sam_Spade]

Jebby14 wrote:
for what its worth category 1 wind speed is only a bit more than highway speeds.

Not really. Cat 1 is SUSTAINED winds from 74 to 95 MPH.
Gusts may be higher.....and usually are.

Hurricane straps used to be popular with trailer owners.
Haven't heard much about them lately.

[DutchmenSport]

If you can position the RV facing the wind head on, the RV (of any type) can take some pretty substantial winds. After all, you can drive them down the highway at 80 mph and nothing blows off or falls apart. However, a side wind doesn't take much to tip them over.

More than just driving wind and rain, is the concern for flying derbies. I live in tornado alley, not hurricane row. We have danger every time a storm brews with junk flying in the wind. That's why we have insurance.

Best advise has already been stated above .... time for a few days vacation. Head out and take the camper with you.

Take your queue from the US Navy, when hurricanes brew, the ships go out to sea and out of port until the hurricane passes.

[wanderingaimles]

It's largely guesswork. You say it's likely to only be a glancing blow.
From which direction should you expect the strongest winds? Trailers are designed to handle it best on the front, not the sides or rear. Can you turn the trailer to help with that? Will your house shelter it from predominant winds?
I Sat out Andrew on SW155th st. The eye passed just a couple miles south. I had my vehicles pointed to face into the wind, and they were both still there the next day, with damaged glass, and one was slid about 50' but it was still on my street.
If you have the option, take advantage of the wheels under the trailer, and take the family up to Charleston for the weekend. If that's not an option Tape the windows, expect the roof vents and skylights to be damaged, tape them as best you can, and have your insurance companies phone number handy. Remember Cell service may be spotty for the first week or two after a storm, so have those numbers available beforehand.

[afidel]

dockmasterdave wrote:
I would say, if you are expecting winds you wouldn't drive it in, move it.It is on wheels.
If the winds here are predicted at over 50 MPH my trailer will be safely locked in a commercial building. If I didn't have that option I'd take a long weekend trip to the panhandle or maybe AL/TN.
We did for Irma and we live in south Naples near Marco Island.
We got hammered here, and had no power for 2 weeks when we got back. Fired up the generator and lived in the trailer. Really glad we protected that trailer. YMMV

Not the panhandle, some of the current models show Dorian going through Orlando, into the Gulf, restrengthening and hitting again in the middle of the panhandle. It's too far out to know the accuracy of those models but it's a definite possibility.

[2oldman]

Good advice above.

[Jebby14]

for what its worth category 1 wind speed is only a bit more than highway speeds. chock and block it, stow everything and close it up. id be more concerned about the shingles on your sticks and bricks.