HELP! Advice to our Florida family in the track of Hurricane Ian

[Brooks_]

Is filling the washing machine with ice helpful?

I have considered it. My hangup is the condensation.

 

[Nyhillbillies]

I have considered it. My hangup is the condensation.

Yeah, you might end up with mold. Void the warranty, for sure!!

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

I am wishing everyone who is in the path safe days ahead. Give me a heads up if you are in the direct landfall area. I have to be praying for you all!

 

[SourRoses]

We're in Ocala in a mobile (fully strapped in). With 50 chickens we aren't going anywhere.
Well, I teased my mom today that if we did need to evacuate, we could just put the chickens in the house, and they would enjoy her recliner

We certainly won't be getting storm surge, and this far in the wind should be blunted by the time it gets here. They're calling for tropical storm conditions in our county, which we have been through before. For hurricane Irma the main issue was losing power for 9 days (and internet ). It was so hot, buggy, and boring. LoL.
FEMA did help us replace our fridge stores back then without asking for proof, honestly, I think they were so inundated they just didn't have the time to spare.

Still, the track of this storm is a wee bit too direct.
My main concern is the chickens. To be honest I'm still wavering on what to do with them all. I'm bringing my favorites and best genetics inside to the spare room tomorrow.
For the others, we were talking about putting them in the bathrooms during the worst day. My mom is a hard sell on that. She doesn't think she can go pp with chooks staring at her.
I just don't have a lot of options for where to stuff them all. With so many roosters they can't go in the same room.
The downside of leaving some in the coops is water and food. If we get flooded, how do they get down off the roosts.
Mom floated () the idea of building them some kind of planks to walk to a platform feeding station. Delivered in Pirate dialect.
But we didn't have the energy to pursue that idea further.
We've been working on everything else and filling lots of jugs of water. I knew my 5g jug collection would come in handy eventually! I even have one in my bathroom with a battery pump on it for handwashing. Rather essential for a germaphobe like me, as everyone frowns when I use the bottled drinking water for washing.

 

[Bkydchickens]

Lots of good ideas here! To add to these, we wedge a 2x4 against the middle of the garage door & barn doors with a sand bag to help hold in place. The wind tends to bow the garage door in. If not available back a vehicle parked inside against the door or tractor. Fill weep holes with caulk, the wind will blow the rain into them & into your house. Check the windowsils because wind will blow the rain into the edges of the windows. As the wind shifts direction, follow it to the next side of the house getting hit. Keep rope, hammer, extra caulk handy, we set up a hurricane tote & inspect it every May. We used dog carriers for our chickens, I ziptied screen to the front door of a couple of the dog crates & put my diamond doves (30) in 1 & parakeets in the other. BTW I had 3 pairs of doves nesting at the time. I lucked out & the females stayed on the nest for me to put the net over them, hooked their nest on the inside slats of the crate, they sat on their nests & later raised the brood! We had a cat 5 headed toward us that time. After this run thru, I typed up notes & have a checklist. We learned during Harvey, open all the interior gates for livestock to go where they need too. They know where the high ground is. During Ike, keep in mind animals are upset. Son's rabbit pooped nonstop & scattered them everywhere. Post the youngest child with a broom & dust pan. The 60 lb beagle was not interested in her favorite bone & tried to bury it in the plant I brought in from the porch, sweeping job for the youngest child. The oldest learned blue jeans can soak up a lot of water & how to wring them out in the bath tub. The parrot screamed his head off, even covered. Concerned he was going to injure himself, put him in his smaller travel cage with his blanket over him & in the closet with his favorite music playing.

 

[DickMidnight]

it looks like Ian will make landfall on sanibel island.

i own 8 condos and a house on the island.

lets see what happens. nothing to do now but wait.

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

We're in Ocala in a mobile (fully strapped in). With 50 chickens we aren't going anywhere.
Well, I teased my mom today that if we did need to evacuate, we could just put the chickens in the house, and they would enjoy her recliner

We certainly won't be getting storm surge, and this far in the wind should be blunted by the time it gets here. They're calling for tropical storm conditions in our county, which we have been through before. For hurricane Irma the main issue was losing power for 9 days (and internet ). It was so hot, buggy, and boring. LoL.
FEMA did help us replace our fridge stores back then without asking for proof, honestly, I think they were so inundated they just didn't have the time to spare.

Still, the track of this storm is a wee bit too direct.
My main concern is the chickens. To be honest I'm still wavering on what to do with them all. I'm bringing my favorites and best genetics inside to the spare room tomorrow.
For the others, we were talking about putting them in the bathrooms during the worst day. My mom is a hard sell on that. She doesn't think she can go pp with chooks staring at her.
I just don't have a lot of options for where to stuff them all. With so many roosters they can't go in the same room.
The downside of leaving some in the coops is water and food. If we get flooded, how do they get down off the roosts.
Mom floated () the idea of building them some kind of planks to walk to a platform feeding station. Delivered in Pirate dialect.
But we didn't have the energy to pursue that idea further.
We've been working on everything else and filling lots of jugs of water. I knew my 5g jug collection would come in handy eventually! I even have one in my bathroom with a battery pump on it for handwashing. Rather essential for a germaphobe like me, as everyone frowns when I use the bottled drinking water for washing.

Do what you need to do it's your water. I like the plank idea! You could strap down a ladder to a roof of the coop.

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

it looks like Ian will make landfall on sanibel island.

i own 8 condos and a house on the island.

lets see what happens. nothing to do now but wait.

I'm so sorry!

 

[DickMidnight]

I'm so sorry!

why? that’s what insurance is for.

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

Lots of good ideas here! To add to these, we wedge a 2x4 against the middle of the garage door & barn doors with a sand bag to help hold in place. The wind tends to bow the garage door in. If not available back a vehicle parked inside against the door or tractor. Fill weep holes with caulk, the wind will blow the rain into them & into your house. Check the windowsils because wind will blow the rain into the edges of the windows. As the wind shifts direction, follow it to the next side of the house getting hit. Keep rope, hammer, extra caulk handy, we set up a hurricane tote & inspect it every May. We used dog carriers for our chickens, I ziptied screen to the front door of a couple of the dog crates & put my diamond doves (30) in 1 & parakeets in the other. BTW I had 3 pairs of doves nesting at the time. I lucked out & the females stayed on the nest for me to put the net over them, hooked their nest on the inside slats of the crate, they sat on their nests & later raised the brood! We had a cat 5 headed toward us that time. After this run thru, I typed up notes & have a checklist. We learned during Harvey, open all the interior gates for livestock to go where they need too. They know where the high ground is. During Ike, keep in mind animals are upset. Son's rabbit pooped nonstop & scattered them everywhere. Post the youngest child with a broom & dust pan. The 60 lb beagle was not interested in her favorite bone & tried to bury it in the plant I brought in from the porch, sweeping job for the youngest child. The oldest learned blue jeans can soak up a lot of water & how to wring them out in the bath tub. The parrot screamed his head off, even covered. Concerned he was going to injure himself, put him in his smaller travel cage with his blanket over him & in the closet with his favorite music playing.

I love giving the kiddos a chore. You do have some precious birds to cage. The beagle planting the bone made me chuckle but i know it's no laughing matter. Be safe!