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Testing resources during a hurricane drill
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A GUIDE TO PROTECTING YOUR MOBILE HOME
by Robert Hejl - W2IK
all rights reserved
It is important to properly prepare your mobile home for the possibility of hurricanes or tornadoes embedded in servere storms. Mobile homes and trailers, being lightweight and not adequately secured to any foundation, are unable to withstand hurricane force winds, and the possible tornadoes which might be spawned by a hurricane. If you are near the projected path of an approaching hurricane, and are living in a mobile home, you will need to evacuate to a more secure location. (Don't forget to bring your emergency "Home bag") This guide does not mean to be a 100% guarantee that your mobile home will not be damaged or destroyed during a hurricane. What it does is make the odds greater that you WILL have a home to come back to. We know that most mobile homes and trailers are less structurally sound than framework style houses, but that doesn't make them less valuable to you. They just need a little extra preparedness to help them weather the event. When there is a call to evacuate, DO IT! After fully reading this website you should see what local zoning laws are in force and follow them. Some require minor adjustments to this basic outline. If you are unsure about any information, consult you local building inspector or have a professional do the work for you. At the very least, when you are done you should have a building inspector or a trained installer check over your finished work.
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Preventing Roll Over
The best way to prevent roll over, beyond any hold down straps (frame ties) which may already be in place under your mobile home, is to use what are known as "over the top straps". Some mobile homes have over the top straps already installed in the walls under the cladding and anchored to the same points as your frame ties. If your home doesn't, read on. These are a series of strong cables or straps that you install when a hurricane threatens. These should go over your mobile home and attached to special anchors. These special anchors are also called "earth screws" (see picture to the right). There are several companies which sell these earth screws, such as "Glen Martin Engineering" (http://www.glenmartin.com/catalog/page17.html). There are other companies which supply parts to help you with securing your home such as: http://doityourself.com/shop/tiedownengineering.htm
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Examples of various frame tie and tie down methods (skirts removed)
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Purchase the heaviest-duty earth screws, which have at least a 6,000 pound holding power in normal soil. (Remember that soil conditions vary by location so you may wish to consult with your local building inspector.) These earth screws need to be spaced in pairs, one in the front and one matching in the back of your home, installing these pairs every 8-10 feet apart starting about 3 feet from both sides of the home and at a point which allows the cable to pass over an existing roof rafter. This means that for an average mobile home of 40 feet, you will need at least 4 pairs or 8 in total. These earth screws need to be about 5 feet in length and screwed deeply into the soil so that only 2 inches is exposed above the soil line. NOTE: They need to be screwed in at either a very slight angle so that the angle and eyelet faces the mobile home or vertical. They should be screwed in at a distance of no more than 2 feet from the base of the structure. You will need to have a piece of heavy pipe to install these as they are like giant wine cork screws. It will make the installation process run smoother if you have a neighbor help. When you are done installing them, at the base of each place a flower pot or something nearby so the exposed eyelets don't present a trip hazard. Do not put them anywhere they might come in contact with periodic watering such as in a flower bed. By keeping them out of flower beds or standing water they should last at least 10 years. DO NOT INSTALL THEM RIGHT BEFORE A HURRICANE OR WHEN THE SOIL IS TOTALLY SATURATED AND DO NOT DIG HOLES TO INSTALL THEM. They need to be installed in average/dry soil conditions.
The cable or strap you need to use (over the top of your home, secured at each end to an earth screw) should have a breaking strength equal or greater than the holding power of the earth screws. You will also need the proper attaching hardware. Again see http://doityourself.com/shop/tiedownengineering.htm Do not skimp on purchasing any of this hardware. Remember, your home will be at risk if you use substandard cable or attaching hardware. Use turnbuckles when you assemble each run so you can tighten any slack when you have to install them. Measure the cable for each over the top strap you'll need after installing the earth screws and cut them to fit, making sure to use the proper "U bolt" and thimble or strap connector on each cable end. Where each cable or strap comes in contact with your roof you will need to offer protection so the cable or strap doesn't damage the roof at that point. The cheapest method is to place a block of wood where each would come in contact with the roof. There are other spacers that can be bought to serve the same purpose. Roof protectors are also called roof brackets, buffers or thimbles. Commercial protectors will do a better job of distributing the pressure of the cable. Commercial protectors will also last longer, too. It is best to mark where each roof rafter is and pass the cable over the home above it as this provides added protection. Each cable should be a snug fit when tightened with the turnbuckles. Label where each cable should go as there might be small differences in lengths required. You do not want your mobile home to even rock during a severe storm. Once it starts to rock it will put added stress on the earth screws and cabling. This installation not only prevents roll over, it will also prevent a mobile home from sliding off any foundation. As an added bonus, it can also prevent a roof from being peeled off like a sardine can. (This doesn't mean you won't lose some roofing elements)
After you are sure that you've installed the earth screws and have made the cables with the hardware so you can easily install them when the threat of a hurricane is in your area, it's time to inspect under your mobile home for any hold down straps (frame ties) that might be installed. This means removal of any skirt around the home and going under your home to inspect the straps for rusting problems or stress. They should be tight as this will also prevent the home from sliding off it's foundation. If there are any that are rusted, replace them. If there are only a few, install more. If there aren't any, get some installed NOW! Refer to local zoning laws about the amount and spacing. These are very important. If you live in a mobile home park you might want to make this a joint effort with your neighbors. It's worth the effort. If you live in an area that is under constant threat of tornadoes, you may wish to keep these cables installed and disguise the anchor areas with potted plants or run some vines along the installed cable.
Additional Preparedness
In addition to securing your home, you'll need to make sure that anything outside your home will not become a projectile during a storm. Bring as many things as you can inside, such as lawn furniture and garbage cans. Remove any awnings as these tend to tear loose and cause damage. Other items may need to be lashed to trees or fence posts. It's a good idea to make preparations for your evacuation before hand. If you live in a mobile park area it would be wise to instruct your neighbors on matters of safety so none of their homes or outdoor objects become projectiles that may damage your home. As with houses, when and where you can, trim trees away from your home so if any limbs fall they will not damage your home.
Read the section in my "Family Preparedness Part 1" website about making pre-drilled window and door protection, especially if you don't have storm shutters. By installing hardware, cutting and pre-drilling plywood to match and cover each window and door you'll be less likely to have damage when your mobile home is faced with a hurricane and it will make securing your home that much easier and faster. You won't need to run to a lumber store when the hurricane is bearing down on you and lumber supplies are depleted. Paint the plywood, label and store the pieces in a dry area such as under your mobile home. Place them on a tarp after sprinkling the area with insecticide crystals so insects won't snack on them. Don't lose the hardware! Inspect the boards at least twice a year.
If you have to leave, take any heavy objects that might be stored in an area above the midsection of your home and place them lower, such as on tables or chairs so as to lower the center of gravity of your home. This will help decrease the possibility of roll over. Don't place them on the floor. In this manner, if there is minor flooding, they will not suffer from water damage.
Have a "buddy system" in your mobile park area and ask healthy, able-bodied neighbors to be ready to help others evacuate safely. Check to ensure that everyone has made arrangements for transportation during a storm. Close and secure shutters as well as ensure that all loose objects around the home are secured. Turn off all electrical, gas, water, and sewer lines. Check on your neighbors, especially the elderly, to make sure they're leaving. Don't forget that "family bag". If you don't know what a "family bag" is, go here: FAMILY PREPAREDNESS PART 1.
When You Return
When you return to your mobile home, FIRST observe the following: If you have an overhead service entrance system (the power lines coming to your home come in the air, from a power pole) look for two things. Make sure that your power line isn't too slack nor too taut. Either could be an indication that your home has shifted on it's foundation. If it has, it might be unstable so do not enter it until it's been inspected. Another inspection method is BEFORE the weather event, at each corner of the home, pound metal plant stakes in the ground and measure the distance from each stake to the corner of your home and write these distances down. When you get back home, re-measure the distances and compare. This will be an indication if your home has shifted from it's foundation or not. Even a very subtle shift could cause leaking gas pipes.
The W2IK "MOBILE HOME SHIFT INDICATOR"
This is a very simple, yet accurate, tool which will allow you evaluate whether your mobile home has shifted on it's foundation. Install this system now, so you won't be rushing this right before a weather event. Do the following: Open any trap door or easily removable skirt section so that the underneath of your home is exposed. Take TWO lengths of fishing line and on one end of each attach a small fishing weight. Hang them underneath your home at least one foot from each other and away from the edge, but still within visual range. They should be hung so that the weight is about one inch from the foundation. Directly below each hanging weight you should epoxy a washer the size of a dime to the cement foundation (pad). By doing this you have created a shift indicator system. When you come home after a storm, open the trap door or remove the skirt piece and check underneath your home to make sure that each weight is still positioned directly above the washers. If they are then your house hasn't shifted. If either one is no longer directly above it's companion washer then the house probably has shifted. You need TWO hanging indicators because if you only use one the house may have twisted on it's foundation around an axis close to the one indicator. This is a simple, yet effective way to make sure your mobile home is still in it's proper location. If your home is just on blocks you'll need to hammer small stakes into the ground right below each weight instead of using a washer. Do not expoy a washer to a block, such as a patio block, to shove under your home because any block may shift due to rains or flooding. If your home has no protective skirt, you just don't wish the lines hanging there all the time or to prevent the lines from being pulled away during a flooding storm, you can either put hooks on your home where the lines need to be hung and install/remove the lines from these hooks whenever you need to make an inspection or you can hook the end with the weight up on a nail so it's out of the way until you need to make a measurement. Just be careful for false readings if you keep removing/installing the lines.
Be aware that shifting of the house will also shift or put stress on any gas lines so do not turn on the gas until you are sure there is no severe movement that might have severed the gas main. If you wish to be sure that your gas line is okay, take some of that water from your "family bag" and mix in some liquid dish washing soap. Apply this mixture to any joint and observe for any action as another family member slowly turns on the gas main. If you notice bubbling, that means you have a leak and you should shut off the gas ASAP!. Make sure you have re-lit all the gas pilot lights in your home. Gas leaks are the main cause of exposions and fires during a severe weather event. If you even smell gas in your area, evacuate and call the police or fire department. If your home hasn't shifted, then after a complete inspection of it's exterior-to-foundation sitting, it probably is okay to enter your home. Hopefully there will be minimal damage and you can rest a bit easier.
Writen as a public service by
Bob Hejl - W2IK
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