To Board or Not to Board..

Katmoo,

No one on this board will make that call for you. There are just too many variables--strength of the storm, when it will hit and where it will hit. The size of the storm will determine how far away from the eye that the strong winds will be felt.

As you know (since your house is one street over from mine) except for the beach access, we had no damage from Ivan. However, there is no way of telling about this storm. Just keep watching. I think the locals won't decide until Friday night/Saturday morning. We'll let you know. I know many people who have come down, boarded up and then gone straight back to Birm. or Atlanta. When we evacuated for Ivan we didn't leave until early Wed. morning and the storm hit later that afternoon. We had absolutely no traffic on 331 and very little slow down on I-65. So, there is something to be said for waiting until the last minute. You probably could wait until Saturday to come down if you need to and you'd have plenty of time.

Then again, if the storm picks up speed, the bridges may close early and you might be staying in SoWal to ride it out.

yeah, i don't think we'll be driving down. we're prepared to flow with it, whatever happens. we actually have more of a sense of calm about this one than Ivan, not sure why. one thing Ivan (and this forum) taught me is that houses can be rebuilt, and ultimately, the beach will prevail. if we let it. No matter what. And that's the real issue.

I guess what i was really trying to get at was more of a structural question on how smaller/older houses like mine tend to fare in Category 3 and above. Historically speaking that is. But you're right, CCK, there's too many variables. I mean, who knows which house that [lampost, palm tree, Golf Cart] is going to hit. No matter what size or shape, it's not doing well... :blink:

As we left today after boarding up, it really was surprising to me how few people had boarded up. However, the first thing a contractor asked me when I called about getting help with boarding up was, "Do you have anything to board up to?" Our neighbor has stucco surrounding his windows - putting screws in that type of surface would cost him a fortune to repair.

Sorry if this is a stupid question...but has anyone tried wrapping their house in plastic? Or at least just around the windows? I could envision a huge roll of Saran wrap...and winding it around and around the house, covering up the windows. Maybe I have been hanging out in Costco too long, seeing all the shrink wrapped pallets.

Interesting idea, but I don't think saran wrap will do much good when there is a projectile 2x4 going 100mph aiming for your window.

Interesting idea, but I don't think saran wrap will do much good when there is a projectile 2x4 going 100mph aiming for your window.

CCK is right. A 2"x4" board can go through a quarter inch piece of plywood, and your window too, so plastic wrap may not be the best choice (nor is duct tape). However, you win the prize for thinking outside of the box. Keep up the good work. Johnny, tell Dusty what he/she has won.

A NEW CAR! Just kidding Bob, Dusty has won a nice and shiny SoWal sticker which would look lovely on a new car. The sticker can be collected in person at select locations around SoWal. :clap_1:

Thank you! I'll pick one up the next time I visit. 🙂

Still thinking about what would be easier than plywood...

OK, if heavy duty plastic wrap is not sufficient, what about the rubber type of stuff they put down on play grounds to cushion kids' falls or the rubber stuff they put under basketball courts? Maybe so that the flying 2 x 4' s bounce off the stuff instead of penetrating? Seems like whoever figures it out could make a mint!

P.S. I did not mean literal Saran wrap but some kind of heavy duty stuff they use to shrink wrap pallets of stuff that gets shipped...but sounds like that would not be resistant enough.

If memory serves me correctly (anyone watch Iron Chef?) there was talk about plastic wrapping homes after 911. Wasn't it Tom Ridge? There was the thought that plastics would prevent toxic poisons from a dirty bomb from entering a house. Then the media came back and said not to do it because there is the chance of making it too airtight and the risk of suffocation. :bang:

I think hurricane shutters will be a big seller down here. If anyone needs and idea for a business . . . There are just a few companies that do them, they are really backed up, and shutters are expensive. However, after going through this for the second time in 10 months, I think shutters are the way to go. The expense is well worth avoiding the stress and physical exhaustion of boarding up with plywood.

Thank you! I'll pick one up the next time I visit. 🙂

Still thinking about what would be easier than plywood...

OK, if heavy duty plastic wrap is not sufficient, what about the rubber type of stuff they put down on play grounds to cushion kids' falls or the rubber stuff they put under basketball courts? Maybe so that the flying 2 x 4' s bounce off the stuff instead of penetrating? Seems like whoever figures it out could make a mint!

P.S. I did not mean literal Saran wrap but some kind of heavy duty stuff they use to shrink wrap pallets of stuff that gets shipped...but sounds like that would not be resistant enough.

Yes, I know what you mean. The stuff that they wrapped the condos above Beach Java in for both Ivan and Dennis. What the heck is that?

And Camp Creek Kid, we're about to come to the same conclusion as you. It will take an architect to do some redesign, and it will cost a boatload of money, but it'll probably add ten years to our lives to not have to worry about boarding up.

I think hurricane shutters will be a big seller down here. If anyone needs and idea for a business . . . There are just a few companies that do them, they are really backed up, and shutters are expensive. However, after going through this for the second time in 10 months, I think shutters are the way to go. The expense is well worth avoiding the stress and physical exhaustion of boarding up with plywood.

Kid, I think you are dead on regarding the shutters. After enough storms, people will soon remember that convenience is often more important than asthetics. Who cares if Hurr. Shutters are ugly, it is a beach house.

The rubber windows has great potential, Dusty. Get on it.

Just to be clear, Smiling Joe, it's rubber window covers, not rubber windows. 😉

On the heavy duty plastic wrap idea: maybe you wouldn't wrap the whole house, but just around the midsection where the windows are... maybe that would avoid the toxicity thing. You aren't trying to keep air out, just trying to protect the glass. Now all we need is a wind tunnel to test it out!

Please be safe. 125mph is giving me the heebie jeebies!

Grand Isle condos (above Beach Java & Cowgirl Kitchen) have hurricane screen curtains that hang from ceiling hooks and are secured with floor hooks. They withstand 135-150 mph winds. I am not sure if they withstand water (such as that from a storm surge) but they are probably a safe bet for buildings off the beach. They can be stored much like you would store a large blanket.

The stuff that they wrapped the condos above Beach Java in for both Ivan and Dennis. What the heck is that?

Grand Isle condos (above Beach Java & Cowgirl Kitchen) have hurricane screen curtains that hang from ceiling hooks and are secured with floor hooks. They withstand 135-150 mph winds. I am not sure if they withstand water (such as that from a storm surge) but they are probably a safe bet for buildings off the beach. They can be stored much like you would store a large blanket.

Thanks for the info. Nothing can withstand water, I assume. But if these screens are placed right in front of a window (as opposed to several feet from a window, like on a balconies at Grand Isle), my guess is they wouldn't help much due to there being no buffer between the screen and the window. Is that correct?

The ones at Grand Isle hang on the outer perimeter of the balconies. You can actually go sit on the balcony when the hurricane curtains are up, since they are not directly in front of the windows, but out a few feet. If you don't have a covered porch/balcony, they would likely be of new use.

Here's a good one... Apparently our "management company" closed our oceanfront hurricane shutters, but left the furniture on the patio and better yet did not close the shutters on any of the east side windows.

Here's a good one... Apparently our "management company" closed our oceanfront hurricane shutters, but left the furniture on the patio and better yet did not close the shutters on any of the east side windows.

Somehow that doesn't surprise me. I'd be really ticked off at them! And thanks, Everytime, for the info about the screens.

Sorry if this is a stupid question...but has anyone tried wrapping their house in plastic? Or at least just around the windows? I could envision a huge roll of Saran wrap...and winding it around and around the house, covering up the windows. Maybe I have been hanging out in Costco too long, seeing all the shrink wrapped pallets.

Bubble wrap!!! :lol:

One of the news stations interviewed a woman riding out the storm beachfront in Destin in a building with kevlar screens. Said they withstood winds up to 150 mph...and the bottom of the building had a garage made of concrete with breakaway windows so the storm surge can flow right through.