RVing and Severe Weather - Are You Really Prepared?

[Colliemom]

Birdie posted a few days back about having Severe Storm and Tornado Warnings flying around where she was in TX and mentioned she had her backpack ready by the door in case she had to head for shelter. I queried about that backpack and what she had in it. After we talked for a bit, it got me to thinking, how many of us are REALLY PREPARED in the event of a weather situation wherever we may be. We watch the news and weather and see more and more disasters occurring on a much larger scale these days and are at risk every time we head out anyplace and anywhere. And there are those of us who have had to seek shelter at GTG's from storm and tornado warnings, have had storms hit us that almost blew over our rigs or others near us have theirs blown over. Fortunately none of us has suffered any big damages or been hurt, but what if.,... You are sitting and relaxing or even sleeping, supposedly keeping a weather radio or cell phone alert turned on if bad weather is around. Then a warning comes. What's your reaction? Grab a pair of shoes, the fur babies if you have some, maybe a cell phone and wallet and head for shelter provided you know where shelter is? What if, heaven forbid, something does happen to that home on wheels, what would you do? Everything you have is in that MH, TT or 5er and it can be blown to the far corners of the earth in a second or flipped in a wind. There you are, a cell phone and nothing. Your on medications, they are heavens knows where, you only have the clothes on your back, who knows when help will arrive or what is going to happen after that, it's dark you can't see etc. etc. Or in the case of the couple who's 5er got toppled at the campground I was at in a bad storm that almost flipped mine, walking around inside it the next morning, trying to clean out what they could salvage from the pile of personal belongings, broken dishes, glasses, bottles and what not piled on the one side of the trailer from the cupboards on the other which came tumbling out when the rig flipped. And having to enter and exit from the large rear window that was broken out to rescue them the night before.

So putting together an emergency backpack and putting it where you can grab it, is a good sound idea. In that backpack you could have a change of clothes, shoes, a raincoat, hat maybe, jacket, gloves, towel, washcloth, soap, Toothpaste, toothbrush, Meds, Cell Phone charger, IPad/Tablet and their charging devices, your computer if you want, First Aid Supplies, Flashlight and batteries and grab a bunch of those $1.00 ones at Walmart. There are always those running around without. Snack bars and some water, couple of small bags of kibble or canned food for the furbabies etc. Money, might need cash for something. Wallet, Keys. These are the basic needs of all of us. If you wind up staying in a shelter, at least you have something to start with. We've all seen pictures of people who are wandering around after tornadoes or severe storms looking for whatever they can salvage and only the clothes on their backs while rescuers are overwhelmed with search and rescue. Sure this sounds survivalist, but that's what you have to do, survive for the moment. Like the Girl and Boy Scouts, be prepared. There's other things you could throw in there too if you want or feel like adding. Doesn't mean that things like the cell phone, tablets, meds etc. have to stay in there all the time, but only when the weather looks ready to threaten. Even if you never have to use it, at least that security blanket is there.

Be aware of your surroundings. What do you do when you get to a campground? Do you pull in, park, hook up and then plop for the rest of the day or evening after a long days drive or do you get out and explore. If not, do it. Find out where the storm shelters are, what the parks procedures are in case of bad weather. If you are in a tornado prone area, ask when you check in, where to go if..... Make sure you have a weather radio in your rig or another means of warnings. I know some of you use your cell phones, but remember, those phones are going to run down, be sure to keep them up just in case. If the power goes out, do you have back up lights? And I don't mean the house or trailer batteries, Those can run down too. Better to keep a couple of emergency lanterns handy and save the batteries for running the pump and other things you might need.

These things can apply to home too. If you have a storm shelter, you probably have it stocked, but if not, a "Go Bag" as I call it, can be grabbed on the way to wherever you are headed for shelter. Heaven forbid if you home is blown away or damaged, at least you have that. I keep one in my hall closet just in case. Have never had reason to use it, but never know. It doesn't even have to be a storm, can be some other reason to evacuate too.

Anyway, these are things I will be doing before I roll this spring. Just throwing it out there. You can take it for what it's worth or leave it. Anybody got any other suggestions or ideas, throw them out there. Stay safe and travel on.

[Cudedog]

Excellent, well thought-out post, Sue.

Thanks for taking the time to write it.

Anne

[JudyJB]

Good points. I would also suggest that if you have a few minutes, put your slides in. The wind has less to catch with no slides. Also, I never, ever go to bed with my awning up, so no worries about that. I was in a storm last spring in Kansas around 9 pm. It came up very suddenly so there was no time to go to a shelter. After putting my slides away, I put on my jacket and grabbed my purse and then buckled myself into the driver's seat. I figured it would be safer there if the wind rolled us over.

ALso, I recently bought a small safe--not to keep valuables or cash, but to put in it my laptop backup and some family things that I would not like to lose. My thinking was that if my RV turned over, at least I could easily find a safe and not have to look for things that might have blown away.

[Tonic]

Wow, good info ladies, thanks! I used to keep what I called a 'burn bag'. For some reason I don't think I thought about weather issues as much as I was concerned about fire after seeing different videos of rigs burning. I had extra clothes, shoes and important personal information on a flash drive as well as an extra set of keys to the toad. I would put it on the picnic table overnight. Fortunately I never had to use it and I don't have a toad anymore but I can recycle that idea and transfer the stuff to a new 'go bag'. Now that I will be traveling alone (plus my dog) and doing all the driving weather watch has become vitally important to me.

[Redetotry]

Good ideas. I think we should all have some type of preparation both in the RV or our 'sticks bricks'. We had storms come through here yesterday in the late afternoon. There had been storm warnings out most of the day but my friend and I met for coffee. We had been there about an hour and I happened to look outside and realized a storm was fast approaching.The coffee shop is in a very old brick building with no basement. We decided to try and get home before it started to rain. I got home and had time to get one dog out to potty before it hit. We were fortunate to receive only MORE rain but a community about 14 miles away had several structures and trees damaged from a tornado. We have so many warnings here I tend to not pay much attention, this has been such an unusual spring though I should probably get an attitude adjustment.

[Colliemom]

UPDATE 5/31/19. We all know that Mom Nature has really been dishing it out this spring all over the country. I think it’s time to bring this post back to the forefront again. Stay n your toes whether you are on the road or at home.

[BarbaraRose]

I hadn't read this thread before. Great information!

I need to pack up an earthquake kit for both my new house and my car since I will be only a half mile from the San Andreas fault. If the "big one" hits, I probably won't need to worry about a kit tho! . But they occasionally have smaller quakes out there that rattle things pretty good. I also need to use earthquake putty on any nic nacs I have on the shelves, etc. Oddly, I don't think my new house has earthquake bracing, so I need to get that done ASAP. I would think that would be standard in that location.

High winds and tornadoes can come up quickly even before warning alerts are sent out. Always watch the skies and be alert to changes in the weather. If you are towing, you would be safer in your car than in the trailer. Also, if you are on the road and see a tornado, do NOT park or run under a bridge for safety. A tornado will suck everything out from under a bridge as it passes over. Get into a ditch and lie flat, face down with your arms over your head.

Sue, thanks for bringing this back up. With all the bad weather going on around the country lately, this is a great reminder for all of us.

[JudyJB]

Very good idea bringing this up again. I had not thought about a raincoat. Next time I am somewhere like Walmart, I will get one of those ones that come in a plastic pocket and toss it in my bag, since I do not own a raincoat.

[MandysMom]

Good to bring this back up. Here in m part of CA, we make earthquake bags. Also known as 24 hour kits, however these days authorities warn, one needs to be able to take care of self and family for at least 72 hours, as it may take that long for emergency personnel to get through initial stuff of rescue and road clearing. I'll look through all the prepper lists I have and see what else I can come up with. Small cans of food that do not have to be heated come to mind. Things like tuna, canned chicken, and don't forget water. a pair of work gloves in case you have to sort through your own or someone else's rig.
Velda

[monik7]

Good information. I don’t remember seeing it before. As a native Californian, I’ve always had a backpack with supplies in my house and my car in case of an earthquake. But the current weather conditions in the Midwest with flooding and the terrible outbreak of destructive tornadoes have reminded me of when this California girl was in the Kansas City area EXACTLY five years ago in my RV with my two dogs and cat in the middle of thunder storms and tornado warnings/alerts. That kind of weather was completely foreign to me, and I remember thinking I would take an earthquake any day instead. I had a good weather radio that constantly went off with tornado alerts, but had to quickly put together a bag with essentials for the animals and me, decide how I would transport my cat, and figure out where to go for shelter if needed. Scared the heck out of me!

Being back on my home turf and beautiful California weather has made me somewhat lax again, so thanks for the reminder and great information. I realized I shouldn’t be complacent thinking we only have earthquakes here. Remembering the wildfires of 2018, emergency bags are a necessity no matter where we are - traveling or at home we need to be ready for just about anything. Let’s all make sure we’re prepared.
Sandi

[Pooker]

Really good to discuss this issue. Most of us in earthquake country have some sort of emergency kit(s) - in our homes, our cars, at work. Back in my working days I had a nylon backpack in my trunk with a sweatshirt, jeans, sneakers, flashlight, hand sanitizer, water, towel, energy bars, etc., etc. I figured roads would probably be torn up or clogged and I'd have to start walking. Right now I also have in my trunk a large size coffee can with cover. In it is a half roll of t.p., a handful of zip lock baggies, and sealed wipes - for those times crossing the desert when the nearest rest area is 100 miles away.

It's really hard to have everything you might need handy at all times, tho. Things need to be recycled from time to time, and it's almost impossible to get extra medicines to have a supply on hand, batteries die, etc. I figure I'll probably be at Home Depot or the supermarket when the big one hits and my nicely packed emergency box will be sitting in my garden shed at home! LOL

Pooker

[asirimarco]

If you are traveling, know what COUNTY you are in as weather reports in the Midwest often give the warnings by county. Ask when you check in or make note on your travel itinerary.

[OregonLuvr]

VERY true Carol. When I was traveling to N Carolina I stopped in Oklahoma City as the winds were terrible and tipping over the semi's so decided I should get off the road. I was in my Tahoe not the RV. I checked in to the hotel, turned on the tv and they were issuing a tornado warning in xxx counties. I had to call down to the desk to see what county I was in. YUP I was in one of the warnings and I was on the second floor. I was instructed where the best place to shelter in the hotel was. Scary stuff. This girl is staying west of the Rockies LOL Give me an earthquake any day.

[Pooker]

So true about the news only mentioning counties and not cities or towns during storm warnings! We once checked into an RV park just after dark - something we rarely did - and I spotted a notice on the wall that stated the storm shelter was at that building. We wound our way through the wooded paths following the map to our site. Later that night all H--- broke lose on the t.v. with dire warnings of tornadoes in the county. None of the paperwork we received mentioned a county! I followed the storm's track trying to figure if we were in the path and whether it was smart to walk the mile or so back to the office and try not get lost; unhook everything, pack up everything and try driving a high profile vehicle in a storm(?) or hunker down and hope for the best. My DH, who promised to love, honor and protect me, went to bed! I stayed up all night knowing my sheer will was keeping us alive! When we left the park the next day we found the tornado's path about 1/2 mile from the park's entrance! All the trees were 4 ft. toothpicks and debris everywhere. My knight in shining armor's comment? See, I told you we'd be okay.

I sure do miss that man. His laid back, nothing to worry about attitude balanced my freak out panics when my mind goes directly to the worst possible outcome!

Pooker

[Bethers]

Evie, I have more of the laid back attitude you're dh had. Drives lots of people nuts. I'm just more fatalistic, I guess.