^^^ im with metalhead on this one

shotguns are a piss easy to use

thats if youre really paranoid the gment folks want yer elvis collection.


seriously mate, stay safe. sounds like you need some metal window covers which are fixed on with w12 inch wall bolts.

Quote from: Dave^^^ im with metalhead on this one

shotguns are a piss easy to use

Good job too for the territorial army  :mrgreen:

/cheap joke...

Quote from: redseriously mate, stay safe. sounds like you need some metal window covers which are fixed on with w12 inch wall bolts.

Plywood is cheap and for some reason preferred in Florida to proper permanent window protection. My preference would be metal shutters, you buy once and use forever. There were some pics of a group of houses on a news site last year, those with metal shutters were hardly damaged while those who had used plywood were trashed.

If for whatever reason you dont have time to get yourself some metal shutters/wooden boards then put thick black tape in diagonal crosses on all windows - wont stop them from breaking but should prevent large ammounts of glass flying about if they shatter.

Houses built of blocks or bricks would also help id imagine ?

In a lot of instances it might but not necessarily. The only Hurricane proof house in existance is a round concrete one. Design matters almost as much as the materials.

What metal shutters do is prevent the windows being sucked out, once that happens your house is in real trouble and if wood then its going to be blown to bits.

Brick has the disadvantage in that its heavy, waterlogged soft soil can cause subsidence and collapse so you would need to put in deep foundations.

I have 3 shotguns in 12, 20 and 410 gauge.  I also have a few .22s and a .50 caliber muzzle loader.  I use them for hunting and target shooting.  Since I have no intentions of ever using my guns on a human, I am not going to buy any special ammunition or add any "tactical" equipment to them.  If I ever had to use my guns in self defense, I have a variety of hunting rounds that will do the job just fine.

Here in Orlando, most of our homes are made of concrete block.  They are very sturdy.  My house went through 3 hurricanes in 2004 and only sustained damage to the roof.  Hurricane shutters are extremely expensive and almost impossible to find once the hurricane season gets started.  Plywood works well here because the hurricanes have had some time on land and are not quite as strong when they reach here.  You just need something in front of the windows to stop flying debris.  Our soil is basically sand so the water just drains right through.  There are no mountains here so mudslides are not a problem.  

As far as moving away from here:  That is not an option for a couple of years.  Even if I did move, I cant say that I would move far from here.  It is awesome down here.  The winters are very mild, I am extremely close to some of the best fishing in the world.  I can be at the beach on either coast within an hour.  Hurricanes are just a part of life here.  Before I moved here I was always dodging tornadoes.  There are natural disasters waiting for you anywhere you live.

It looks like the track has shifted east again.  Now it looks like a direct hit on Miami and then a path up the Florida Peninsula with another hit possibly on the Carolinas.  This is good for me since it will put me on the weaker side of the storm and it will have spent some significant time on land by the time it gets here.  Right now I am anticipating sustained winds around 50 mph with higher gusts but this storm is constantly changing.  I dont know if I am going to have to board up the windows or not.  I will say this has been a great opportunity to test my preparation plan.

more important than the windows, the guns, food and water supplies.... what will you do about Internet access if the phone lines go down ?

Quote from: knightymore important than the windows, the guns, food and water supplies.... what will you do about Internet access if the phone lines go down ?

When the internet goes down, what is left of my world will come crashing down around me.    

*big red lights* PANIC NOW! PANIC NOW! *big red lights*

You should buy shutters *after* the hurricane season when there is plenty of suppliers gasping for business, you should get them cheaper then.

Quote from: asmithAs far as moving away from here:  That is not an option for a couple of years.  Even if I did move, I cant say that I would move far from here.  It is awesome down here.  The winters are very mild, I am extremely close to some of the best fishing in the world.  I can be at the beach on either coast within an hour.  Hurricanes are just a part of life here.  Before I moved here I was always dodging tornadoes.  There are natural disasters waiting for you anywhere you live.

What sorts of fish?....

ones which live in water.


you could just build your own if you had a power drill, a mig welder. you can even house them in twee wooden shutters which makes them less prison like

I looked into metal hurricane shutters and if I wanted to pay several thousand dollars for them now, I MIGHT be able to get them installed a year from now.    I know people who paid for them last year and are still waiting for them to become available.  After last year the supply has totally dried up.  Plywood works well and can be installed in an afternoon.  I already have the plywood cut and drilled and cement anchors are installed around the windows.  I just have to bolt the plywood to the side of the house.  It goes really fast when the neighbors help each other out.  I dont think I am going to even have to board up for this storm.  I bought gas for the generator today just to be on the safe side.  I am expecting a few hours of 40-50 MPH winds.  Now I just have to wait and see what happens.

Best of luck with it all

you need to use more of these smiles:
 :0hnoes:    :0hnoes:    :0hnoes:  

Looks like its curving over the centre of florida so it shouldnt be that bad, didnt pick up again either which helps.

One year delay on shutters? I could get them fitted in a couple of weeks in the UK!  :shock: I would expect new firms to be filling the gap.