Hurricane preparation

[Natnem]

So we are expecting this possible category 4 hurricane and are evacuating tomorrow morning. What do I do to the pool? I am a nervous wreck!
gotta love the New Orleans are during hurricane season!!

 

[mknauss]

Precautions and Procedures During Floods - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[markayash]

Hey some tips a friend taught me from that area. Freeze gallons jugs of water and move to the fridge if you lose power. She also said full fridges and freezer stay cool Longer. I follow weather for my job and several folks who i trust are concerned so listen to the warnings and news. Still a little early but a pool can be fixed or replaced you can’t!
Stay safe

 

[Donldson]

Obviously everything I'm saying is supplemental to the link Marty posted. Read that first.

If you're leaving (and I think it's a good plan) then I'd say just leave things running and bring your water to SLAM level, let the water circulate for an hour, and then shut it all down. If you come back and a green pool even registers as a concern then things have gone much better than expected. Shutting down the filtration system increases the odds of it still working after possible power surges or flooding.

Essentially my opinion is that the pool is the least of your concern, but 100% do NOT drain it or wind will almost certainly collapse it. A normal water level and chlorine level when you leave is about the best you can do, spent the rest of your time getting to safety.

 

[Natnem]

Precautions and Procedures During Floods - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Thank you for the article but I’m not going to be home to do whatever they were trying to explain when trying to drain the water level. I was planning on bringing the pump in because I’m not sure if we will have severe flooding. So I’m guessing just get chlorine in tonight and cross my fingers? Never mind I didn’t refresh and see the other reply!

 

[Natnem]

Obviously everything I'm saying is supplemental to the link Marty posted. Read that first.

If you're leaving (and I think it's a good plan) then I'd say just leave things running and bring your water to SLAM level, let the water circulate for an hour, and then shut it all down. If you come back and a green pool even registers as a concern then things have gone much better than expected. Shutting down the filtration system increases the odds of it still working after possible power surges or flooding.

Essentially my opinion is that the pool is the least of your concern, but 100% do NOT drain it or wind will almost certainly collapse it. A normal water level and chlorine level when you leave is about the best you can do, spent the rest of your time getting to safety.

This is exactly what I was hoping to hear. Thank you! I’m not really nervous about the pool I’m just a nervous wreck in general because we never know what to expect!! Thank you again for your time and help!

 

[Natnem]

Hey some tips a friend taught me from that area. Freeze gallons jugs of water and move to the fridge if you lose power. She also said full fridges and freezer stay cool Longer. I follow weather for my job and several folks who i trust are concerned so listen to the warnings and news. Still a little early but a pool can be fixed or replaced you can’t!
Stay safe

Thank you for the tops I’ve been telling my friends that are staying the same!! I appreciate your reply!

 

[markayash]

You have insurance for stuff like this, take pictures and get the heck out if needed. Lately seems they follow every tropics event but this may be different ( more serious ). Should know more tomorrow.
The joke is if the weather channel shows up in your town leave

 

[Katodude]

If you have a floater I would put a few pucks in as well.

A Cat4 is serious business. Get your shutters up and take care of your family.

 

[markayash]

Heard it may hit in the anniversary of Katrina

 

[zea3]

Were you in this same home during Katrina, or do you know if your street had major flooding? Does your pool have any visible rust? I would stock up on bleach/liquid chlorine and get an extra pool rake. You will probably be without power for several days at a minimum once the storm has passed. There will be debris in the pool to scoop out, and you can also use the pool rake to mix in chlorine. Have an extra pool rake on hand in case your current one breaks. After Ike my pool went from TFP clear to black in 3 days without power and full of debris. We evacuated so it was black when we returned.
If you can disconnect the pump and bring it inside and put it up on a counter or table that will protect it from damage. I would put it in the house or garage. I would not put it in a portable storage shed.

Take photos of every room in your house, garage, and yard from every angle before the storm. Be sure to include a couple of distance shots including the height of trees on your property. This will help document what you had should there be major damage from the storm.

Most importantly evacuate as soon as you can. We evacuated for Rita which was supposed to hit Houston a month after Katrina devastated New Orleans. We left at 2:00 in the morning after my sister reported it took them 6 hours to make the normally 3 hour drive to Nachadoches. It took us 27 hours of bumper to bumper traffic at a top speed of 15 miles an hour. The traffic didn't let up until we got to Lufkin. 18 hours in our journey the storm had turned east but we could not go back because the southbound lanes were full of northbound traffic. I was traveling alone with my young kids since my now ex thought it was important to get his boat to safety and drove towing it through back roads and joined us 48 hours later. I was afraid we were going to be stuck in traffic surrounded by easily uprooted pine trees before we reached my mom's house. We didn't have much food on hand for the trip and everything was closed on the route we were on, since they were all evacuating too. Cell phones were terrible too. You could text but getting a call to connect was next to impossible. It was terrifying.

 

[newdude]

****PSA for everyone in the storms path****

go into settings on your phone. Click cellular for IOS and then turn on WiFi calling if it’s off.

There are a dozen ways to do it in android depending on the cell brand so if you have an android, search ‘WiFi calling’ and enable it.

either way will prompt you to add your home address because 911 can’t track you though the internet.

once active you will be able to make calls and texts if the cell network is down and you can find internet somewhere.

All cells come with this disabled and it *should* be the first thing the kid at the store does before sending you on your way but they rarely even know about it.

 

[markayash]

Were you in this same home during Katrina, or do you know if your street had major flooding? Does your pool have any visible rust? I would stock up on bleach/liquid chlorine and get an extra pool rake. You will probably be without power for several days at a minimum once the storm has passed. There will be debris in the pool to scoop out, and you can also use the pool rake to mix in chlorine. Have an extra pool rake on hand in case your current one breaks. After Ike my pool went from TFP clear to black in 3 days without power and full of debris. We evacuated so it was black when we returned.
If you can disconnect the pump and bring it inside and put it up on a counter or table that will protect it from damage. I would put it in the house or garage. I would not put it in a portable storage shed.

Take photos of every room in your house, garage, and yard from every angle before the storm. Be sure to include a couple of distance shots including the height of trees on your property. This will help document what you had should there be major damage from the storm.

Most importantly evacuate as soon as you can. We evacuated for Rita which was supposed to hit Houston a month after Katrina devastated New Orleans. We left at 2:00 in the morning after my sister reported it took them 6 hours to make the normally 3 hour drive to Nachadoches. It took us 27 hours of bumper to bumper traffic at a top speed of 15 miles an hour. The traffic didn't let up until we got to Lufkin. 18 hours in our journey the storm had turned east but we could not go back because the southbound lanes were full of northbound traffic. I was traveling alone with my young kids since my now ex thought it was important to get his boat to safety and drove towing it through back roads and joined us 48 hours later. I was afraid we were going to be stuck in traffic surrounded by easily uprooted pine trees before we reached my mom's house. We didn't have much food on hand for the trip and everything was closed on the route we were on, since they were all evacuating too. Cell phones were terrible too. You could text but getting a call to connect was next to impossible. It was terrifying.

I had a friend who left for Katrina and came to Atlanta. He had a buddy who followed the weather call him around 2am and said “ mike you need to leave Now as in the next hour” like you said a 6 hour drive took him 12. He went back later and said the house he was renting was destroyed to moved to Atlanta and never went back. Let’s hope it’s not that bad again, he did said if the Dang hadn’t broke it wouldn’t have been bad but not devastating

 

[markayash]

Thank you for the tops I’ve been telling my friends that are staying the same!! I appreciate your reply!

Hope you and your family got out safely. Judging by what I am hearing and seeing it’s pretty bad

 

[Natnem]

Hello everyone! Thank you for keeping in touch. We just got home around 8pm. Our home was miraculous untouched! Seriously I don’t know how! However it’s absolutely horrible here! They say the damage is worse than Hurricane Katrina, Laura, and Zeta combined! The news doesn’t show the real devastating areas. These poor people need help and the linemen are sleeping in parking lots and don’t have a place to shower! Thank goodness for the community because they have been doing everything possible to try and find shelter and have been successful for some and others are washing the uniforms and cooking! The pool is black but that’s not important.

 

[zea3]

Glad you are safe! Pools can always be cleaned. Wonderful news about your home! Hopefully they can get the power restored relatively soon.

 

[markayash]

It was a crazy storm, they thought it would hit land and slow down but from what I read it stayed a Cat 3 for a while. Glad your home is ok hopefully you have power

 

[Natnem]

Thanks everyone! I can’t lie it made me feel good that you all asked.
so I was able to finally get my ph down but it dropped between 7.0-6.8. What harm is caused if I shock it below the 7.2? Just curious. I’m preparing to increase a little but just wanted to ask.

 

[PoolStored]

Thanks everyone! I can’t lie it made me feel good that you all asked.
so I was able to finally get my ph down but it dropped between 7.0-6.8. What harm is caused if I shock it below the 7.2? Just curious. I’m preparing to increase a little but just wanted to ask.

Probably not much. Low pH can cause wrinkled liners in in-ground pools, increase it a bit and you will be good.

 

[Natnem]

Probably not much. Low pH can cause wrinkled liners in in-ground pools, increase it a bit and you will be good.

Thank you! Will do!