What's Your Top 10 List?

[Swimdude]

Top 10 things to secure before a storm. If you had time to make sure only TEN items would stay intact during the storm, that usually lay around outside, what would they be?

In no particular order:

1. Our largest of two trash cans
2. The garden hose
3. Lawn chair #1
4. Lawn chair #2
5. My little brother
6. The grill
7. Propane tank [definately.]
8. That rusty shovel that no one ever puts in the garage.
9. The garage
10. Our lightest weight car. [Now, if only that were possible to secure easily.]

[HurriCat]

This one is goofy, but out back we have the remnants of one of those kids' wood play forts. It came with the house, but was way too old to let kids on (even if we had any). So I cut most of it away, leaving a good framework to convert into a gazebo or similar structure. Anyways, I still have this 2x6 board, about five feet long. Just left over, couldn't nail it anywhere that really made a difference. So here's the thing: Charley comes along, and this board is one of the things I put in the garage. Later, I put it back out on the gazebo, sitting kitty-corner where two of the side boards would hold it as sort of a diagonal bench seat. Here comes Frances, and back inside goes the board. We return to find house okay, so out goes the board (same location). HERE COMES IVAN. You know the drill. So I start calling this thing the "hurricane board" as if it is somehow attracting them. After Ivan passed, I said "Eh, so much for superstition or whatever" as I put the board back out. Enter Jeanne, which does come right by us. Maybe I should put this board on eBay or something . Anyways, this gazebo thing has a chunk of roofing shingle flung by Charley still embedded in one of the posts. It stayed put through Frances and Jeanne. Now, after the scare of Dennis, I'm taking that board and dumping it somewhere - hopefully ending its' reign of calamity!

[KeyLargoDave]

1. Coconuts removed from nearby trees.
2. Flower pots
3. garbage cans
4. The dog (kidding!)
5. Garden tools
6-10. Boat and all the boat-related gear

[HurriCat]

Wind Chimes & Hanging Items - During Charley, we heard the chimes going like (Heck), but no way was I going out there to save them. They survived, but were tangled, big-time.

Rooftop "Turbine" Spinners - I didn't even think about these things (had 2 at the time) Anyways, they roared like motorcycles during Charley (I still didn't think about them), but all was well. We evacuated for Frances and when we came back, one spinner had blown it's ball-bearings and locked-up. In came the rain and we got two big stains on the ceiling (but no sagging or anything). I then used HEAVY DUTY lawn bags and a ton of duct-tape (gray) to wrap-up both spinners when Ivan was approaching. They were then fine as Ivan missed and Jeanne cruised by. For our re-roof, we had the spinners yanked, the holes patched and full length "ridge-over" venting put in. House is cooler, quieter and no big holes just asking for it!

[tampastorm]

Top 10 things to secure before a storm. If you had time to make sure only TEN items would stay intact during the storm, that usually lay around outside, what would they be?

In no particular order:

1. Our largest of two trash cans
2. The garden hose
3. Lawn chair #1
4. Lawn chair #2
5. My little brother
6. The grill
7. Propane tank [definately.]
8. That rusty shovel that no one ever puts in the garage.
9. The garage
10. Our lightest weight car. [Now, if only that were possible to secure easily.]

............................

[Dionne]

In the event that another Cat 5 storm enters the northern GOM........we are not securing anything outside. Why bother? It's going to end up in the next county anyway. We will never again ride out another hurricane.