Be Prepared for Bad Weather RVing

Recently we teamed up with National Interstate Insurance Company (NIIC) to provide RVers with educational material to make all of your RV experiences safe fun and stress free.

This article focuses on an important topic for anybody who travels in an RV. The topic is emergency weather planning. It doesn’t take long to formulate a plan so you will be prepared in the event of severe weather. Making a plan and being prepared are the key words and you’ll be glad you did when it happens. Let’s take a look.

I love the freedom of the open road. There is nothing like exploring the back roads in your RV. You can go where you want and when you want in your house on wheels, and because of this, often times you find yourself in a new destination everyday.

Something many RVers do not take into consideration with this freedom to roam is the weather conditions where you are traveling to, or spending the night. RV's are great, but they are not safe in severe weather, like lightning and thunderstorms with high winds, tornadoes and hurricanes.

When you’re at home, you usually know what the weather forecast is by reading the newspaper, listening to the radio or watching television. When you travel three or four hundred miles a day in your RV the weather conditions can change several times. Many times when you stop for the night all you want to do is get some rest. The weather is the last thing on your mind. The problem with this is severe weather can occur without much warning, and if you are caught in it, it can be disastrous.

So, what do we do, what's the plan? Plan is the key word here. RVers need to have an emergency plan in case of a severe storm. For starters, have you ever heard of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio or NWR? The NOAA Weather Radio is a nationwide network of radio stations that broadcast continuous weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Service Office.

They broadcast National Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day. Alerts inform people if they need to take some type of action in order to protect them, such as "seeking shelter" or "to evacuate an area immediately!” What does this mean to RVers? It means if you owned a battery operated weather radio receiver you could monitor weather conditions no matter where you are!

Every RVer should own a weather radio receiver. Prices for receivers can range anywhere from $25 to $200 depending on the quality of the receiver and the features it has to offer. We actually have two weather radio receivers. Both are from The Weather Channel® Stormtracker™ series by Vector. We leave the Compact Storm Tracker in the RV at all times. It’s a TV with a five inch screen, an AM-FM radio, emergency weather radio, cell phone charger and flashlight all in one. When we arrive at our destination we set it in the ‘Weather’ position and tune in to the NOAA station with the strongest signal in that area. Then, by leaving the Storm Tracker in the alert/lock mode 24/7, when an all-hazard emergency or weather alert is broadcast by NOAA, the Storm Tracker sounds an audible alert to notify us that a message is pending.

We also have a handheld Stormtracker model that we can use when we are away from the campground. It’s perfect for hiking, riding four-wheelers, boating and many other uses. Both models work off of 12 volt DC, 120 volt AC and dry cell batteries. There is also a back-up power system, furnished by built in rechargeable batteries. The rechargeable, battery is a secondary power source for emergency use when the battery, 12 volt DC power or 120 volts AC are not available. If the power goes out for a long period of time, and all of battery sources have been depleted, both radios have a hand crank that can be used to recharge the batteries and continue to operate the weather radio, flashlight and cell phone charging port. When you get back home, you can use the weather radio receiver in your house.

For more information on the NOAA Weather Radio visit their website at www.nws.noaa.gov/

I am including a short checklist you can use to help prepare for emergency weather planning when you are traveling in your RV. You can add to, or take away from this list to tailor it to your specific needs. This is an excerpt from my Checklists for RVers E-book at http://www.rveducation101.com/

Remember, RV's are not safe in severe weather! This includes severe thunderstorms with high winds, tornadoes and hurricanes. Always be prepared for bad weather RVing. Learn about the different types of weather hazards, get a weather radio if you don't have one, create a plan with your family and practice and maintain the plan. Now go RVing and have some fun.

Q & A Question: Is there someplace I can to go to learn more about how to prepare for emergency weather?
Mark Says: There sure is, to learn more about how to prepare for and react to different types of severe weather take a moment to visit http://www.nws.noaa.gov/.

Question:Will any weather radio receiver do?
Mark Says: I mentioned in the article that the important thing is that you have a weather radio. But I personally wouldn’t scrimp on the type of weather radio you purchase. Some key features I would look for in a weather radio are: It should have some type of alert mode to warn you when a weather alert is broadcast by NOAA, it should operate in different modes like 12 volt DC, 120 volt AC and dry cell batteries. Some other nice features to look for are a built in flashlight and a cell phone charging port.

Question: What if everybody is not together at the campground in the event of severe weather? I mean what if I’m at the RV with my spouse and the kids are at the game room or somewhere else?
Mark Says:That should be part of your overall emergency plan that you brief everybody on when you arrive at the campground. Tell the children, who are old enough to understand, what to do in the event you are separated during bad weather. They should go to structure that you designated as the rally point and safe place. Children should also memorize your cell phone number so they can get in contact with you in the event you are separated in bad weather.

Happy Camping,

Mark J. Polk

Copyright 2007 by Mark J. Polk owner rveducation101.com

RV Expert Mark Polk, seen on TV, is the producer & host of America's most highly regarded series of DVD's, videos, books, and e-books. http://www.rveducation101.com/