Securing TT for hurricane Harvey

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

Maybe a little off subject,,,
but how do Tornadoes seem to know where Mobile Home parks are ???

I guess I am with the people that say if you can,,, hook up and head out !!!
2 or 3 days ahead of the storm !!!

Most often warnings come less than 30 minutes of a tornado. May be hours on a watch but less than 5% of watches turn into a tornado. A watch means to find a safe space (not with the liberal idjits~) to go to if a warning is issued. We often have a watch hours before a warning.

[mphill9929]

Over 2,000 views and 60+ comments. With over 2,000 views it is OBVIOUS to me this is information many people are interested in!

Because of the storm and potential high winds, the original question was "We are new to the TT world and not sure the best way to secure the trailer. Is it best to have the slides in or out?".

4...FOUR responses addressed the question.

So I looked elsewhere for answers. Might be too late now for some, and it may not be totally accurate but this is what I think will help.

Your awnings are at risk, even rolled up. Either tie them or bungee them every 12 inches to keep the fabric compressed so it will not loosen and flap in the wind. Slides in and stabilizers down. If concerned it can blow over, either move it next to a strong building that will offer protection from direct wind and / or use the largest screw in the ground hold downs you can find and screw them close to your rv. Use large and high strength rated ratcheted tie down straps to connect to the hold downs being careful not to damage to edges of your rv. If the pressure and the angle looks too sharp - like it will cause damage the edges, move the screw in tie downs farther away from your rv to increase the angle. If you want a little more security, let the air out of the rv tires and reset your stabilizers.

These are suggestions based on what I found from other sources. If you have actual information to add to this, please do. If you feel the need to comment on evacuating, flood rescues or anything other than the original question - please start a seperate thread.

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by mphill9929

Over 2,000 views and 60+ comments. With over 2,000 views it is OBVIOUS to me this is information many people are interested in!

Because of the storm and potential high winds, the original question was "We are new to the TT world and not sure the best way to secure the trailer. Is it best to have the slides in or out?".

4...FOUR responses addressed the question.

So I looked elsewhere for answers. Might be too late now for some, and it may not be totally accurate but this is what I think will help.

Your awnings are at risk, even rolled up. Either tie them or bungee them every 12 inches to keep the fabric compressed so it will not loosen and flap in the wind. Slides in and stabilizers down. If concerned it can blow over, either move it next to a strong building that will offer protection from direct wind and / or use the largest screw in the ground hold downs you can find and screw them close to your rv. Use large and high strength rated ratcheted tie down straps to connect to the hold downs being careful not to damage to edges of your rv. If the pressure and the angle looks too sharp - like it will cause damage the edges, move the screw in tie downs farther away from your rv to increase the angle. If you want a little more security, let the air out of the rv tires and reset your stabilizers.

These are suggestions based on what I found from other sources. If you have actual information to add to this, please do. If you feel the need to comment on evacuating, flood rescues or anything other than the original question - please start a seperate thread.

If you new which the wind was going to come from,,, you could face your unit in that direction,,, and not let the wind hit the unit from the side !!!

We had a storm go thru here 5 or 6 years ago,,, our local dealer had there unites parked North & South next to 131,,, wind as it normally does here came from the West,,, dumped about 12 units on there side,,, a couple on there roofs !!!

[eye95]

Anywhere near the eye of a hurricane, the winds will go through two rapid 90-degree changes in wind direction.

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by eye95

Anywhere near the eye of a hurricane, the winds will go through two rapid 90-degree changes in wind direction.

I understand that,,, same with a Tornado,,,
I was speaking of Thunder Storms & Straight line winds !!!
The storm that hit us a few years back was packing winds between 80 & 90 miles an hour !!! Quarter size hail stones,,, Blew over a flat bed truck on 131 that was carrying some 90K lbs of steel !!!

[CedarCreekWoody]

Dollop, now that the flooding has moved to your area I hope that you high and dry. It appears the winds have eased up so hopefully that didn't become an issue. I'm wishing you well.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by mphill9929

Over 2,000 views and 60+ comments. With over 2,000 views it is OBVIOUS to me this is information many people are interested in!

Because of the storm and potential high winds, the original question was "We are new to the TT world and not sure the best way to secure the trailer. Is it best to have the slides in or out?".

4...FOUR responses addressed the question.

So I looked elsewhere for answers. Might be too late now for some, and it may not be totally accurate but this is what I think will help.

Your awnings are at risk, even rolled up. Either tie them or bungee them every 12 inches to keep the fabric compressed so it will not loosen and flap in the wind. Slides in and stabilizers down. If concerned it can blow over, either move it next to a strong building that will offer protection from direct wind and / or use the largest screw in the ground hold downs you can find and screw them close to your rv. Use large and high strength rated ratcheted tie down straps to connect to the hold downs being careful not to damage to edges of your rv. If the pressure and the angle looks too sharp - like it will cause damage the edges, move the screw in tie downs farther away from your rv to increase the angle. If you want a little more security, let the air out of the rv tires and reset your stabilizers.

These are suggestions based on what I found from other sources. If you have actual information to add to this, please do. If you feel the need to comment on evacuating, flood rescues or anything other than the original question - please start a seperate thread.

How would one go about tying the awning fabric every 12"?

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by 5picker

How would one go about tying the awning fabric every 12"?

I think a rolled up awning would be the last thing I would worry about !!!
Even if there was a way to tie it up ???

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by 5picker

How would one go about tying the awning fabric every 12"?

Rope going all the way over the top and around the bottom of the unit. Lots of rope.

Make the TT look like packages we used to send through the mails, wrapped in brown paper and lots of string

[NMWildcat]

I like the rope comment. I picture the scene from Gulliver's Travels where the Lilliputions tie him down

I see no way to ever actually secure an RV from a hurricane or tornado. High winds.... some of the ideas might possibly help.

As far as this thread drifting, that's what threads do when there is no realistic solution.

If you can't take it with you when you evacuate, that's what insurance is for.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

I think a rolled up awning would be the last thing I would worry about !!!
Even if there was a way to tie it up ???

I agree but we were chastised for not giving pertinent information to the OP.

So, I'm just asking... if someone gives advice to 'tie or bungee a rolled up awning every 12" to compress the fabric'... how does one go about it?

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by 5picker

I agree but we were chastised for not giving pertinent information to the OP.

So, I'm just asking... if someone gives advice to 'tie or bungee a rolled up awning every 12" to compress the fabric'... how does one go about it?

.... Uh.... Poke a hole in the fabric next to the mounting rail and run rope through it. Duct tape fixes anything

[Iwannacamp]

Last year we had a freak storm that blew large trees down come through our area. It was estimated at 90-100MPH winds. My 5er was in a perpendicular path of the storm and didn't blow over....wouldn't have wanted to be in there. They are tougher than I thought.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

I like the rope comment. I picture the scene from Gulliver's Travels where the Lilliputions tie him down

I see no way to ever actually secure an RV from a hurricane or tornado. High winds.... some of the ideas might possibly help.

As far as this thread drifting, that's what threads do when there is no realistic solution.

If you can't take it with you when you evacuate, that's what insurance is for.

I agree... some of the best information, dialogue and diagnosis comes from discussion that has drifted from the original question. Some folks frown heavily on that though. Especially so on this R/V forum.

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

.... Uh.... Poke a hole in the fabric next to the mounting rail and run rope through it. Duct tape fixes anything

[D W]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

I hope everyone survived this storm !!!
I am sorry but I do not understand the people that refuse to evacuate,,, when they have know for days that this storm was coming,,, now the cost of rescuing them will be covered by the taxpayers !!!

X2! All one needs to do is to take a look at Rockport, TX RV Park. There was ample time for those folks to pull chocks and get out of the path of the storm. Instead, they stayed, right on ground zero! News-Flash folks: Your RV is no match for a hurricane with 130 MPH sustained winds and rain! For those folks, their RV season is over. Yes, many will say "I'm insured", but you know as well as I do that the Insurance Companies will get their money back in terms of skyrocketing premiums that will cost us all!

As of right now, Hurricane Irma is headed across the Atlantic and models predict that it could reach a level 5 status and hit the southeast Atlantic coast of the US, i.e. FL, GA, SC and NC. We'll see if there are any lessons learned.

[timfromma]

If Irma does indeed head for the U.S., pack up and get out before it arrives. Don't wait for a catastrophe that you need to be rescued from.

[MHManning]

Originally Posted by D W

X2! All one needs to do is to take a look at Rockport, TX RV Park. There was ample time for those folks to pull chocks and get out of the path of the storm. Instead, they stayed, right on ground zero! News-Flash folks: Your RV is no match for a hurricane with 130 MPH sustained winds and rain! For those folks, their RV season is over. Yes, many will say "I'm insured", but you know as well as I do that the Insurance Companies will get their money back in terms of skyrocketing premiums that will cost us all!

I am close friends with the couple who owns the RV park you are talking about. Most, if not all, of those people who did not leave with their RVs before the hurricane are permanent residents and had no way to move their RVs. I know some people don't understand that some of those who choose to live in RVs do not move them around and may not even own a vehicle that is capable of doing that. We can second guess situations all we want, but we really need to know facts before we assume we know all the answers.

My friends also lost a lot of the buildings and huge oak trees in the park and are now trying to clean up the mess and figure out how to fix or replace everything. Please send good thoughts their way and pray for them and their residents if you are so inclined. There is a Go-Fund Me account if you are interested in helping those in the park who were not able to leave and incurred damage. I will be glad to give the link if anyone wants it.

Thanks

[timfromma]

For me, its not the loss of property, that was unavoidable. It's those who had the ability to evacuate but didn't and now require rescue.

[eye95]

I love all the judgmentalism.

Not everyone who has to be rescued was under evacuation. Hurricane damage and danger is near impossible to predict in size AND location.

[MHManning]

Originally Posted by eye95

I love all the judgmentalism.

Not everyone who has to be rescued was under evacuation. Hurricane damage and danger is near impossible to predict in size AND location.

I totally agree!!!