Hurricane season is here and meteorologists are predicting it to be very active this year. Hurricane are, quite possibly, the most destructive force of nature with high winds, massive amounts of rainfall and flooding that can very easily cripple a community. Just take a look at Hurricane Katrina a few years back. Southern Louisiana will never be the same. There were billions of dollars worth of damage and way too many lives lost. With that being said, I still hear of RVers wanting to ride out hurricanes, if they ever are in the path of one. Of course, I cannot recommend ever staying in the path of destruction. Your RV is not designed to withstand high winds and could easily topple over in the middle of a hurricane. If you are far enough inland and you are certain you will not be receiving the brunt of the storm, you should certainly be prepared and take as many precautions as possible. Here are a few that I’ve come up with.
1. Get a good generator. There’s no telling how well the electrical wires in the RV park you are stationed will hold up. Once a heavy gust of wind rips through the park, you could be out of electricity for days.
2. Stock up on water and food. Hurricanes have a tendency to down trees and cause plenty of damage to roads and bridges. If it happens to cause a ruckus, you’ll be prepared and can live off of your stored food and water for a few days while cleaning up the roads and such.
3. Bring your slides in. If you’re traveling in an RV with slides, you’ll definitely want to bring them in to make your RV less wind resistant. You want to make your RV as small as possible so you’ll have less likelihood of a gust of wind knocking it over.
Again, I cannot stress enough, if you are in the path of a hurricane, you need to get out of it. Your RV is not a safe place to ride out one of nature’s most destructive forces. Always check the weather report before you head out and plan accordingly. Even if you are forced to leave your RV behind, you should get out of there the second you know it’s coming. You can replace an RV, but you can’t replace your life.