Seems a little late to be talking about preparing for Hurricanes, with Sandy knocking on the east coast's door. But this late season hurricane reminds me of an interesting article about hurricane preparation I read in BoatUS's Seaworthy. Below is an exerpt and the hyperlink to the article:
"Seaworthy’s “Hurricane Warning: A Guide to Protecting Boats and Marinas for Hurricanes” notes that the probability of damage can be reduced considerably by “choosing the most storm-worthy location possible” and making a plan before a hurricane warning is posted. (Sound advice, so far.) The Guide goes on to note that a boat in the water should only be secured in a well-protected marina: “A seawall or sandy spit that normally protects a harbor may not offer any protection in a hurricane.”
May not offer any protection? After spending a considerable amount of time driving to various marinas after Hurricane Isabel, Seaworthy can now safely say that the last sentence is an understatement—a HUGE understatement. Of the thousands of words that have appeared in Seaworthy concerning hurricane preparation, “choosing the most storm-worthy location possible” are the most critical. Does having a boat in a well-protected harbor guarantee safety? Of course not. But the choice of locations is the single most important decision a boat owner has to make before a storm. It dwarfs all others.
In this issue, Seaworthy looks at three marinas that were in Isabel’s path. All are well run marinas; well respected and popular with local boaters. All three have management that clearly had given considerable thought to hurricane preparation. All three, thanks to their staffs and boat owners, had been carefully prepared for Isabel. That’s where the similarity ends, however. By the end of the storm, the outcomes at the three marinas were completely different. And the difference was their location."
For the rest of the story and some amazing pictures go to this link:
http://www.boatus.com/hurricanes/preparation.asp