Trying to Reason with the Hurricaine Season

[hhuber]

It can't be good that my biggest worry last week when we were threatened with devastation was my Airstream. The house is just a thing and can be replaced. The kid and dogs go with me and "out of here!" I just knew my little trailer would be crushed to bits if we even got a gust of wind.

I had been trying to find an indoor storage facility for months with no luck since the door has to be 9'8" high. Stepped it up and called everyone on Mon. when it was apparent we'd at least get alot of wind. No luck. Sadly driving home through the New Orleans CBD Mon afternoon I spotted a large, old masonry warehouse housing a business and it's employee garage. Big door!
In desperation I rang their bell, went in, and told the receptionist my problem. She called the owner (who was younger than the Airstream)
to the front and I did my thing. After everyone had left for the evening he helped me back her in to the safest corner where she stayed for the rest of the week.

Fortunately we didnt get much activity this time but I was able to evacuate without worring. She was tucked away in an old masonry building that had survived 75 years or so of hurricanes.

[overlander63]

Heidi, one thing your Airstream is, is a place to sleep, and keep dry if your home gets blown away. So, no, I don't think your priorities are wrong. You were trying to secure a shelter for yourself and your family in the best way you could, if the worst happened. Even if that isn't the real reason you stashed the trailer, that can be the "official" story to anyone outside of this forum that asks. If they don't believe you, have them ask us!
Glad you made it through okay, hope your home is likewise undamaged, and you do as well with the second bout of Ivan. That name is starting to sound like the flu, or something...maybe there could be a vaccine, anti Ivanitis.
Terry

[Condoluminum]

Terry's right about having backup place to stay with wheels in an emergency! (and I hope his pink-curtained Argosy made it through storms OK )

Out here in California where the ground can start vibrating any minute and shake down your house (literally..) we keep Airstream charged and tanks ready and generator with gas adjacent, with clothing and dry food inside. If an earthquake were to total the house, we'd be good for a while next door in side yard waiting for power and other services to come back, or if problem were not in our area it's an option to extend to friends or families affected.

When significant earthquake hit in 1989 here during World Series, we were without power for a while, and water was questionable, and relative 30 miles away had home "Red-Tagged" within a few hours, and couldn't get back in for a week. Took sheriff and contractor with permits to reclaim personal items within 60 minute window before house was flattened as un-salvageable.. (Fortunately it was a rental, and she lost only some furniture..)

John McG

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by JBMcG

Terry's right about having backup place to stay with wheels in an emergency! (and I hope his pink-curtained Argosy made it through storms OK )John McG

I left town with an hour to spare for Charley, and stayed on the East coast, watched my neighbors' homes flattened in living color on cable...in my Argosy. Frances caused light damage to the barn it sleeps in, but nothing else happened. We will see what happens with Jeanne, as my new job forbids me from evacuating while there is a dollar to be made...
Terry

[maxandgeorgia]

Best wishes from all of us to you living in the paths of these storms. Every Spring we here in the midwest go on tornado alert, but your hurricane alerts this late summer and now fall are horrendous. Who can believe a revisit by Ivan? We hope everyone there is safe aand all Airstreams are protected as yet another storm heads up the coast.

[hhuber]

I did consider hitching her up and going to north Louisiana but we were in Pensacola for Labor Day and there was a hurricaine threat then. I left Mon am and was almost blown off of the road. Talk about white knuckles!
Not to mention I had a rather full house with a teenager, a Rottweiller, and a Catahoula! (The other car had the two cats!)
Next time I probably will do that though and turn it into a little vacation.
Glad we all are OK so far. Here's to houses on wheels!!!

Heidi

[RivetED]

Glad you, the A/S, & New Orleans made it through O.K...that's a great 'town' to visit with our A/S!!!

[85MH325]

Good call, Heidi!

Natural disasters are always an issue and how to protect your Airstream is always a question! We in the midwest deal with tornadoes and high speed straight winds with thunderstorms. The quandry with winds are always that they blow debris that damages exposed trailers. Trees, tree branches, utility poles, and lines fall on exposed trailers. On the other hand, roofs and walls of buildings cave in and damage trailers... what to do, what to do?

Glad you found something that worked!

Roger

[silver suz]

Did anyone notice the airstream in a devastated FLA park, on CNN? It looked as if it was buried up to it's floor and the airconditioning unit had a corner damaged but that was it! Everything around was flattened. I was impressed!!! silver suz