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124 day/ echo s; ?> to the end of hurricane season
Hurricane Preparedness Week is May 21-27, 2006
Simple tips:
- Be sure you have adequate insurance coverage.
- Plan ahead to have a safe place to keep your boat. If you wait you may not be able to find a safe location.
- Remove all valuable items and secure all items so they don't shift during the storm and to protect from looters.
- Protect your boat against weather exposure, leaks, mold, mildew. Clean and dry immediately.
- Contact your insurance company immediately after the storm if there is any damage.
- If your boat is damaged DO NOT sign any salvage or wreck removal agreements, contact your insurance company to get approval and to assist you with arrangements.
Hurricane Observations and Precautions
Hurricanes are enormous cyclonic storm systems
covering thousands of square miles which usually develop in
the tropical or subtropical latitudes during the summer and
fall. To be a hurricane, the system must be producing winds
of 64 knots or more. Less intense storms are designated tropical
depressions or tropical storms. Tropical storms and hurricanes
are named to aid in identifying them. Each hurricane is, essentially,
an organized system made up of hundreds of individual thunderstorms.
The core of the hurricane is called the eye, an area of relatively
benign weather several miles across surrounded by turmoil.
All of the severe weather conditions produced by individual
thunderstorms (heavy rain, hail, lightning, tornadoes, downbursts,
etc.) are produced and magnified within the hurricane. Working
together, such storms generate tremendous tidal surges which
can decimate coastal areas.
Historically, individual hurricanes have
caused the loss of thousands of lives and billions of dollars
in damage as they ran their course over populated areas. If
you know a hurricane is approaching your area, prepare for
the worst. The important point is, GET OFF THE OPEN WATER
AS FAR AWAY FROM THE STORM AS POSSIBLE! If this is impossible,
keep in mind that the right front quadrant of a hurricane
usually, but not always produces the most violent weather.
With today's modern communication net to
warn them, people have a better chance to reach safety before
a hurricane hits their area. Even so, you may have little
more than 24 hours advance notice to get your boat secured
against the storm's full force.ailerable, store it ashore,
far from the danger of high water. Follow these tips:
- If you must move your boat, first
inspect the trailer to ensure it is in proper operating
condition. Check tires (including spare), wheel bearings,
tow hitch and lights.
- If you can, put your boat and trailer
in a garage. If they must be left out, secure them to strong
trees or a "deadman" anchor. Strip off everything
that could be torn loose by a strong wind.
- Increase the weight of your trailered
outboard boat by filling it with fresh water and leaving
in the drainplug (inboard boats must be drained to avoid
motor damage). Insert wood blocks between the trailer frame
and the springs for extra support with the added weight.
If your boat must stay in the water you have three
options:
Berth at a dock which has
sturdy pilings and offers reasonable shelter from open water
and storm surge. Double up all mooring lines but provide enough
slack so your boat can rise with the higher tides. Cover all
lines with chafe protectors (double neoprene garden hose cut
along the side) at points where the line is likely to wear
and put out extra fenders and fenderboards (the more the better).
Anchor your boat in a protected
harbor where the bottom can allow a good anchor hold. An advantage
to anchoring is that the boat can more easily respond to wind
and water changes without striking docks or other boats than
when moored. Heavy and extra anchors are needed for this option
and enough line should be on hand to allow a scope of at least
10:1 for each anchor.
Hurricane Holes are ideal
locations to moor your boat during a hurricane. These are
deep, narrow coves or inlets that are surrounded by a number
of sturdy trees which block the wind and provide a tie-off
for anchor lines. The best location for a hurricane hole is
one far enough inland to avoid the most severe winds and tides,
yet close enough to reach under short notice. You may want
to scout out a satisfactory hurricane hole ahead of time!
Remember:
- Never stay with your boat. Your
boat should be stripped of anything that can become loose
during the storm. This would include unstepping the mast
in sailboats. Boat documents, radios and other valuables
should be removed from the vessel prior to the storm, since
you never know how long it will take for you to get back
to your boat once the storm passes.
- Hurricanes are among the most destructive
phenomena of nature; their appearance is not to be taken
lightly. Advance planning cannot guarantee that your boat
will survive a hurricane safely or even survive at all.
Planning can, however, improve survivability and is therefore
certainly worth the time and money to do so.
General Weather Tips
Before Setting Out:
- Obtain the latest available weather
forecast for the boating area. Where they can be received,
the NOAA Weather Radio continuous broadcasts (VHF-FM) are
the best way to keep informed of expected weather and sea
conditions. If you hear on the radio that warnings are in
effect, don't venture out on the water unless confident
your boat can be navigated safely under forecast conditions
of wind and sea.
While Afloat:
- Keep an eye out for the approach of dark, threatening
clouds which may foretell a squall or thunderstorm.
- Check radio weather broadcasts periodically for latest
forecasts and warnings.
- Heavy static on your AM radio may be an indication of
nearby thunderstorm activity.
- If a thunderstorm catches you afloat:
- Put on a Personal Flotation Device (if not already wearing
one).
- Stay below deck if possible.
- Keep away from metal objects that are not grounded to the
boat's protection syste
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