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We recommend the National Weather Service website at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ for the information you need to know about hurricanes, tornados, wildfires and fire warnings, flooding conditions, including flash floods, river floods, and coastal flooding, small craft advisories, and much more
While Floridians were monitoring the path of Hurricane Ernesto in late August, the National Weather Service website was also indicating flood situations in west Texas, high winds in Colorado, and critical fire conditions (wildfire) situations in several western states.
Pay particular attention to any "red flag warnings" in any areas you are visiting, driving through, or staying. Red flag warnings refer to any of the problems in the paragraph above that have a high potential of damage, and risk of injury or possible danger of death…
While hurricanes wreak most of their damage along the nation's coastlines from Texas to New England from June through November each year, the tornados and flooding effects can be felt far inland far up the Appalachian Mountains Valley, into north Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. RVers and people in a swath from Oklahoma, through the entire mid–west, to the east coast from Florida to Pennsylvania have to be on the lookout for tornado warnings for a good part of every year.
Speaking of Hurricanes…
RVers interested in tracking hurricanes on their desktop or notebook computers can download the shareware GenCode Technologies Windows–based Tracking the Eye.NET computer software from http://hurricanesoftware.com/download.aspx. The program from provides hurricane tracking using data and satellite imagery downloaded from weather databases on the web. The free download will work after it is installed and the developer request an initial payment of $35 for the first 12 months of access to the Internet storm data, along with follow–on annual fee of $20/year after the first year.
If you don't have access to the Internet, GenCode Technologies provides hurricane information via cell phone for cell phones that support the wireless web and have wireless web access. The website for current tropical storm and hurricane information is wap.hurricanesoftware.com.
Mac owners will find a shareware storm tracking software for Macintosh computers at http://www.cmhurricane.com. McHurricane is a shareware hurricane/tropical storm tracking utility covering the Atlantic Basin and Eastern Pacific, including Hawaii. The last software update to the program appears to have been done in 2003, and the McHurricane shareware fee is $30.
On the Road during Bad Weather
If you are RVing during bad weather periods, we recommend you consider the following suggestions to stay current on weather events:
- Carry an emergency radio with the 7 NOAA weather channels and keep the radio on while driving (see note below):
- Only stay at RV resorts and campgrounds that have TV cable service that includes the Weather Channel (satellite service might not be available because of trees or heavy clouds).
- Carry a cell phone and charger, road atlas and maps, flashlights, batteries, campground directory, and rain gear (ponchos, umbrellas. coats, etc.).
- Carry a laptop computer that can connect to the Internet (both Wi–FI and modem), with DeLorme Streets Atlas or Microsoft Streets and Trips mapping and trip routing software installed and GPS unit.
- If you travel in hilly areas with a computer, consider installing Delorme Topo USA 6.0 which provides both mapping and trip routing functions, along with topographical maps showing the terrain in a 3–d format.
- Make sure you have plenty of fuel, water, and propane in the event you wind up in a dry–camping situation.
Carry adequate maps and a good road atlas to find alternate routes. If you travel with a computer, we strongly recommend a good mapping and routing computer program such as DeLorme Street Atlas, and a GPS device to track and determine your actual location.
Call 9–1–1 if you are caught in dangerous conditions on the open road. Tell them where you are and request their assistance to get to the closest safe place or shelter. Most cell phones now provide automatic GPS positioning assistance when calling 9–1–1 to assist authorities in determining your location.
We recommend selecting an emergency radio that can run on 12–volt DC power, 120–volt–AC power, batteries, and hand–crank generator for maximum availability inside and outside of the RV.
In the RV Resort
If you anticipate or expect bad weather while in a campground or RV resort, ask the staff about the location of any nearby shelters for RVers and evacuation routes out of the campground and area.
We also recommend the following for all RVers:
- Do not set up an RV site in canyons or next to creek or streambeds subject to flash flooding. If you can see nearby hills all around you, you may be in a potential flood area.
- Make sure you know at least two ways out of your RV site in the event of downed trees, downed electrical lines, or flooding.
- Leave your NOAA emergency radio turned on and set to sound the alarm for severe weather conditions.
- If you anticipate severe weather, stay in campgrounds and RV resorts with cable–TV for access to the Weather Channel (even if you have a satellite dish)
Remember, Safety First, and Happy RVing!!!
| Alan Lidstone is a freelance author and writer living in southwest Florida. Barbara Collyer Lidstone, his wife and co–editor, is an abstractor. The Lidstones co–authored RVs – Getting Out and STAYING Out, from Fulcrum Publishing of Golden, Colorado, and they write and publish Roads 'n Toads – RVing in Florida, a newsletter providing timely information on activities and products that can help RVers get the most from the RV lifestyle. |
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