Preparedness Questions for an Apartment in Houston

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bellpepper
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Preparedness Questions for an Apartment in Houston

#1 Postby bellpepper » Mon Sep 18, 2017 1:00 pm

Since Harvey I’ve been wanting to prepare myself better in case a stronger storm hits Houston. I always thought that Houston would evacuate in the case of a really bad storm, but the mayor said Houston wasn’t evacuated during Harvey because there was no way to get 6.5 million people out of the city in that amount of time. Fair enough, especially given the number of people who died while trying to evacuate from Rita. But I guess this means that if a full force Hurrican came Houston’s way, we would have no choice but to bunker down. So, presuming I can’t drive out of Houston, what can I do?

First, I think it would help to know what kind of storm I’m preparing for. I rode out Ike in Houston which was a category 2. I was living elsewhere at the time, but I feel like my apartment would probably be okay even in a category 3? There are no trees around taller than my windows so that helps. What about a category 4 or 5? Storms weaken when they hit land, so could such a thing as a Cat 4 or 5 maintain its strength all the way into Houston?

Also, is there a way I can get around having to stay in Houston? I thought about trying to get a flight out, but I’m not going anywhere without my dog and all the airlines I checked that take dogs won’t accept her because she’s a mix of a restricted breed (American Staffordshire). Is there an airline I may have missed? Anyone have experience flying out pre-hurricane with a large(ish) dog?

Okay, so accepting that my dog and I would remain in my apartment, what can I do to better prepare. Obviously, keep food and water for a week and turn my refrigerator to the coldest setting. I have a power bank for my cell phone so I can stay informed. Unfortunately, I can’t board my windows though (no way to get up there to do it) and I can’t get a generator. I was thinking of getting a solar power bank, but not sure how much power that would give me. Certainly not enough to keep the refrigerator running or run the stove (I don’t think?) so not sure if it would really be useful? What else can I do? Is there anything I can do from the inside to help reinforce my windows or be a little safer?
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WeatherGuesser
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Re: Preparedness Questions for an Apartment in Houston

#2 Postby WeatherGuesser » Mon Sep 18, 2017 1:38 pm

How high up? What floor?

In a total power loss, can you use the stairs?
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bellpepper
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Re: Preparedness Questions for an Apartment in Houston

#3 Postby bellpepper » Mon Sep 18, 2017 3:10 pm

Second Floor. There is no elevator in my building and there are two sets of stairs to my floor, both of which are outside.
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