Four Tips for Evacuating from a Hurricane Zone in Your RV

The Atlantic hurricane seasons tends to heat up in late August and early September, and this year is no exception. As Hurricane Florence bears down on the Carolinas, ready to make landfall by the end of this week, residents up and down the East Coast will be evacuating the area to get out of the storm’s path. Among the evacuees will likely be RV enthusiasts in their rigs. Fleeing from a hurricane in your RV is certainly not the same as evacuating by plane or car, and it requires some extensive (albeit potentially last-minute) planning to execute properly. Here are a few tips to help:

• Plan your route – It’s best to decide which evacuation route you’re going to take as soon as you can. Avoid rural backroads, because it will be difficult to find gas in those areas. As you plan your route on highly traveled roads and highways, it’s a good idea to map out stops for gas stations, too, that way you’ll know exactly where you can stop when you need to.
• Leave several days before the storm hits or as early as possible – If a storm is serious enough to prompt mandatory evacuations and you wait until the last minute to hit the road, it’ll be you and potentially hundreds of thousands of other people on the highways at the same time. Do yourself a favor and get away from the impact zone as early as you can. This will also help ensure that you’ll probably be able to find gas as you go, whereas the risk for not finding gas anywhere increases the longer you wait to evacuate.
• Move as far away from the impact area as you can – Along with leaving well in advance, you’ll want to get as far outside of the projected cone of the storm as possible, as the cone is where the strongest effects of the storm will be felt.
• Be prepared to secure your rig – If you do end up stopping somewhere that will be impacted by heavy rain and/or high winds, make sure you’re prepared to properly secure your RV. Some options include to park away from trees that could succumb to the storm, anchor the rig to the ground using heavy-duty cargo straps, and place plywood over large windows.

With an RV, you can get out of harm’s way relatively easily and can weather out a storm. But, you should always do whatever is necessary to make sure you and your loved ones are safe during a hurricane, even if that means leaving your RV behind. Monitor the weather situation closely and make the decision about how to evacuate that’s best for you. Want to learn more? Contact us today!