Happy Big Wind Day! I have constructed a list of proactive tasks we can take to survive a high wind event.

  Happy Big Wind Day, did anyone give you a present to celebrate it? I didn't get anything either. On the morning of April 12, 1934, in New Hampshire, at the observatory on Mount Washington, the highest wind speed ever measured on Earth took place. The "Big Wind", that's what it was called and still is, reached 231 miles per hour, every year since it has been remembered on April 12. Hold on a second, that record was broken in 1996 when a new record of 253 miles per hour was recorded during Typhoon Olivia in Barrow Island Austrailia. That means the "Big Wind" of 1934 is Second ever recorded, yes, kind of. The event on Barrow Island was not witnessed by a human being, which makes it the highest wind speed recorded on an "unmanned" instrument, and the Big Wind stands as the highest observed by a human being. Mount Washington is known for its extreme weather, there are higher mountains and much colder areas, but for its size, Mount Washington rivals much larger Peaks.

This is an actual photograph of the Mount Washington
Observatory in Vermont, grab a shovel. 

  April is the month the winds return to the California Delta as well, it starts out slow and moderate, then it has bouts of high and super high winds. The highest wind I have experienced here is no comparison to the Big Wind of 1934, or even close to a Hurricane force event. We experienced an 85 mile per hour wind, extremely high velocity as far as I'm concerned. That wind destroyed my boat dock, tore several barns at a marina apart, and liberated several boats from their docks. Beating the world's record observed wind velocity is not on my bucket list, and certainly an event I hope to not experience. I have heard a story from a friend that has lived on the Delta most of his life, in the 1970's a high-velocity wind was experienced, he did not know how hard it blew. The wind was so strong that on the other side of the island several boats were blown out of the water and up on to the top of the Levee. I have to say I take it with a grain of salt, I heard it from just one person, I have no reason not to believe him, so I do. The wind is capable of remarkable destruction, severe destruction during Hurricanes and Tornadoes. The damage caused by lower than Hurricane velocity winds is equally amazing.
  I was actually doing research on winds and came across that today April 12, is indeed big wind day, it worked into my agenda, try and figure. So I looked up National Squirrel Day and found it occurs in January of each year, I must remember that. But today it is the wind, what task can we partake of during the next few days or weeks to proactively prepare for it?
  This is certainly not a complete list, It is meant to mention a few items to start a conversation around the dinner table, and perhaps a call to action:

  1)  Know the elevation of your property, ascertain if there is a possibility of your home flooding, there are people that are unaware if they are in a flood zone. However, if FEMA has not designated your area as such, it is prudent to perform research on your own, if you are in a low lying area with the possibility of a flood, it is advisable to purchase flood insurance. FEMA will not replace your home, they will issue emergency grants, but not in sums the size it takes to rebuild a home.

  2)  Know where the evacuation centers are in your area, perform research on this as well, if there is a muster point, know where it is. Think about safe places beforehand, basements (not in a flood), a secure place in the bottom floor of a building, under a stairwell, or a shelter.

  3)  Do not take refuge in a vehicle, and after the event begins do not attempt to "escape", during a Hurrican or Tornado is not the time to make a decision to evacuate unless there is no other choice. Highway overpasses are not a safe place to seek shelter during a high wind event.

Houston last year, using a basement for shelter would have been
a tragic mistake

  4)  Become familiar with evacuation routes, some local governments keep an up to date publication on the internet, take a look at it, and know your way out.

  5)  Keep your vehicle with no less than 1/2 tank of gas in it, besides providing a way out it may be used as a charging source for Cell Phones and other electronic equipment.

  6)  Know the signs of a storm, a tornado, for example, begins with a darkening sky, hail, low clouds, a low rumbling sound which may sound like a freight train, and the sky will often turn a green color.
  In the event of Hurricanes look for more frequent ocean swells, increase in the recurrence of waves, and driving rain which takes place 36-72 hours prior to landfall.

  7)  Trim trees, shrubs, and keep fences repaired, all of these can turn into flying wrecking balls in high-velocity winds. Remove items from decks, docks, and yards that are easily picked up by the wind and carried away. If you have a boat at a dock, secure it with at least twice the number of ropes you usually employ.

  8) Be prepared to cover your windows with plywood, or install permanent shutters designed to withstand the wind. Cut all materials prior to any threat of an event, label them and have all of the tools and fasteners along with the plywood in a staging area. Learn beforehand what steps to take and how to board up windows.

  9) Have an emergency kit at the ready, either make one on your own or purchase a commercially assembled one. Water, the water I cannot stress it enough, always keep water in the house, keep it in a rotation of replacement in the pantry. Too much is preferable to not enough.

Link to a commercially prepared kit for family

  10) Prepare for your pets, cats have a tendency to not run very far when they are under the stress of a disastrous event, they even stick closer to their homes after a wildfire. Dogs, on the other hand, panic and run far, fast, and long, most that disappear during an emergency event are never found. Whichever pet you have it is a good idea to have in your emergency kit along with a copy of your evacuation plan a photo of all family members with the pet. People are more apt to recognize your pet if you are with it in a photo, make sure it's a good quality photo, one you can make flyers from.
Follow this Link to read FEMA's Comprehensive Preparedness Guide
  11) Establish an out of the area contact telephone number, all family members may not be at home when the event takes place. The first thing we do is grab our phone and make a call if just 1% of the people in a large city immediately start dialing, the lines will be jammed up, worsening the jam up is what do we do when we get a "busy signal", why we redial. Adding to the congestion, you can try texting it doesn't use as much airspace, but the best plan is to have an out of state contact. Call the number and report in, then check in 2-3 times a day.

A photo such as this will work just fine, there may not be
much hope for the fish in a flood I suspect.

  Search the internet for other ideas of the tasks to perform to prepare your house and family, there is plenty of advice out there. High wind events are typically Tornadoes or Hurricanes, high wind occurs in every state, every year. We can not eliminate all of the effects of high wind, but we can help in providing for our own survival by being self-reliant and planning as well as we are able.
  Thank you for reading and sharing my blog, if you have experienced a wind event tell me your experiences with it, I'm sure many people have suffered worse than I have with my destroyed boat dock.  Thanks again.

jacquesandkate EmergencyKitsPlus.com