[KKRace]

Thinking I should at least put the roof on the 328 in case another tree branch comes through the garage roof?
Right now I have it sitting on the 4 post lift but since I'm not in an area prone to flood and my garage is surrounded by huge trees I'm thinking of putting it under the lift tomorrow?

Anyone else doing any prep besides going to the liquer store?

[barcheta]

Getting gas for the generator. Some good beer and with any luck my beloved Sophia back in the garage.

[cribbj]

Jim / Kevin, FWIW, here's my usual prep for "big" storms that are headed for Houston. We usually don't get too excited about anything unless it's Cat3 or greater, or unless it's coming right at us, however if we lived in some other areas around Houston, it would be different:

1. Make sure all the cars have full tanks, and I move the expensive hotrods from the house garage to my company's high rise parking garage where there's 24 hour manned security and cameras. Then we usually park our SUV on the street, rather than in the garage. Some would say this is foolish and exposes the vehicle to more potential damage than in the garage, however during the last hurricane, I had four trees go down that did a very neat job of blocking access to my garage, and it took me several days with my chain saw to cut my way through.

2. Fill up all jerry cans with gasoline (the last major hurricane that came through caused an extended power outage, and most gas stations weren't equipped with generators and couldn't pump gas.)

3. Stock up on flashlight batteries, portable radio batteries, etc.

4. Make sure the generator runs OK

5. Ditto for the portable AM/FM radio. At one point during the last hurricane it was about all that worked for news updates because our TV cable service was out, and there were no phones (mobile or land lines) and of course, no internet. (I suppose I could've rigged up some rabbit ears for the TV's; remember those!?)

6. Throw all the loose patio furniture into the pool, except cushions, umbrellas, etc. and move all the outdoor plants into the garage. You'd be amazed at what can get lifted up and blown around during one of these big storms.

7. Pick up some military MRE's and other food that won't spoil and is ready to eat out of the package (beef jerky, etc.).

8. Get some drinking water. I don't believe in stocking hundreds of gallons of drinking water as some do. I have a big pool in the back yard, and plenty of chlorine and a camp stove to purify the water. Last hurricane knocked out our water plant for a few days, so we all took baths in the pool. Bath soap does not lather well with pool water!

9. And of course the obligatory trip to the liquor store

We have never boarded up windows, however some of our neighbors do. We usually crack all the windows open a tad, and put towels in the cracks to soak up the rain. Never had one broken.....yet (knock on wood).

Major storms are real eye-openers and make you realise just how dependent we are on electricity, computers, and gasoline.

[360 Modena]

Great ideas, thanks for posting.

I especially like the liquor store suggestion.

Oh, and I updated my avatar.

[KKRace]

I already got gas for the generator. My neihbor and I where talking about putting the cars in a parking garage somewhere? My lot here is heavily wooded with exceptionly large tall trees. I just had a tree company come through and remove any they thought were at risk a couple months ago but I've already had one through the roof of the garage and one on the house in the 14 years I've been here.

We were thinking maybe a Metro parking garage since they are usually empty on the weekends? Anyone in the Rockville area know of a good spot you'd park nice cars?

[KKRace]

Since my generator is not big enough to run my dryer I think I'll be doing laundry today!

[4RE4ME]

Generator good to go, plenty of food, water, candles, flashlights, Tequila, and grand prix tickets for next weekend.

Be safe everyone.

Barbara

[Boxer]

Originally Posted by cribbj

Jim / Kevin, FWIW, here's my usual prep for "big" storms that are headed for Houston. We usually don't get too excited about anything unless it's Cat3 or greater, or unless it's coming right at us, however if we lived in some other areas around Houston, it would be different:

1. Make sure all the cars have full tanks, and I move the expensive hotrods from the house garage to my company's high rise parking garage where there's 24 hour manned security and cameras. Then we usually park our SUV on the street, rather than in the garage. Some would say this is foolish and exposes the vehicle to more potential damage than in the garage, however during the last hurricane, I had four trees go down that did a very neat job of blocking access to my garage, and it took me several days with my chain saw to cut my way through.

2. Fill up all jerry cans with gasoline (the last major hurricane that came through caused an extended power outage, and most gas stations weren't equipped with generators and couldn't pump gas.)

3. Stock up on flashlight batteries, portable radio batteries, etc.

4. Make sure the generator runs OK

5. Ditto for the portable AM/FM radio. At one point during the last hurricane it was about all that worked for news updates because our TV cable service was out, and there were no phones (mobile or land lines) and of course, no internet. (I suppose I could've rigged up some rabbit ears for the TV's; remember those!?)

6. Throw all the loose patio furniture into the pool, except cushions, umbrellas, etc. and move all the outdoor plants into the garage. You'd be amazed at what can get lifted up and blown around during one of these big storms.

7. Pick up some military MRE's and other food that won't spoil and is ready to eat out of the package (beef jerky, etc.).

8. Get some drinking water. I don't believe in stocking hundreds of gallons of drinking water as some do. I have a big pool in the back yard, and plenty of chlorine and a camp stove to purify the water. Last hurricane knocked out our water plant for a few days, so we all took baths in the pool. Bath soap does not lather well with pool water!

9. And of course the obligatory trip to the liquor store

We have never boarded up windows, however some of our neighbors do. We usually crack all the windows open a tad, and put towels in the cracks to soak up the rain. Never had one broken.....yet (knock on wood).

Major storms are real eye-openers and make you realise just how dependent we are on electricity, computers, and gasoline.

Only other recommendation is to fill all the bathtubs. Helpful as you can use the water for flushing toilets and washing hands.

[wetpet]

I have never lost my water or gas. only electric. testing the generator today.

don't know if it was mentioned, but water is usually the big problem. Check your roof, gutters and drainage. Particularly outdoor drains. getting large amounts of water away from your house quickly is a good idea.

[Neonzapper]

Originally Posted by barcheta

Getting gas for the generator. Some good beer and with any luck my beloved Sophia back in the garage.

That's a great name- Italian beauty - says it all!!!

[Killer58]

In preparation, I flew Celeste out to San Diego.

We'll weather the storm today golfing at Torrey Pines.

[355dreamer]

Also, if you have a sump pump, don't forget to run generator power to it.