| SolveYourProblem
Article Series: Hurricanes
Hurricane Facts, Tips and Safety Protocols
Boater's
Hurricane Checklist
When
a hurricane threatens to make a hit in your area, there are
many precautions you need to take. You have
to gather emergency supplies for your family, make arrangements
for pets, secure your home, and consider evacuating. If you
are a boat owner, then you have even more to worry about. You
need to make some important decisions about how and where to
keep your boat to give it the best chance of surviving the
storm.
Some
of what you need to do to get your boat hurricane ready
should be done well before a storm is even a possibility. If
you keep your boat in a marina, you should learn the marina’s
hurricane plan. Don’t assume you can keep your boat there through
a storm; many marinas insist that all boats leave the premise
when a storm threatens. If your marina allows boats to stay,
make sure you have extra lines that can cope with the storm
surge on hand. Make sure you have up to date marine insurance
and that you know where your policy information is (keep a
copy of you policy off the boat in addition to the copy you
have on board). Keep a current inventory of all items on your
boat for insurance purposes. A videotaped list is even better
when it comes time to process a claim. You should also do a
little research into the hurricane history in your area. Know
the elevation of the place you keep your boat, storm surge
patterns, tide patterns, and the history of storm flooding
in your area. If you’re new to town, talk to your fellow boaters
about their hurricane action plans. If you do a little homework
in advance, it will save you from a great deal of last minute
panicking down the line.
One
other thing you should know in advance is where you are
going to take your boat in the event of a storm, if you can’t
leave it in the marina. One option is to find a so-called “hurricane
hole” in some inland water area. Hurricane holes are paces
where you can anchor or moor your boat where it will likely
be safe from storm surge and where environmental barriers like
tree cover and hills will over some protection from wind damage.
Keep in mind that these hurricane holes fill up quickly with
boats. You should know where your first choice to leave your
boat is, and also have two or more back-up plans. Don’t assume
you can just hitch your boat to a trailer and drive it out
of town with you. In the case of mass evacuations, where shelters
are full and inland hotels are struggling to keep up with demand,
parking a boat in the parking lot is simply unreasonable. Further,
it can impede other people’s evacuations. For this reason,
if you boat needs to move out of town, you should know a location
in advance where you can take it.
If
you boat is kept on a trailer by your home, when a storm
threatens, move the trailer as close to the home as possible.
You should secure it to the trailer with extra ties, and then
weight the whole thing down as much as possible. Let the air
out of the trailer’s tires.
Whatever you do with your boat, remove any valuables you can
as a storm approaches, and make sure you have the legal documents
for the boat. Above all else, keep yourself safe first! Don’t
attempt to board your boat once the storm begins, and is an
evacuation is ordered; never stay behind to keep an eye on
your boat.
Emergencies and disasters can happen anytime, anywhere without warning. Protect yourself and your family. Click to see valuable emergency preparedness supplies and information. Be ready. Be prepared. I love this website. It's my SolveYourProblem recommendation.
# # # # #
by SolveYourProblem.com
: 2007
> Home > Hurricane
/ Emergency / Disaster Articles
: Main Page
|
