Plywood phenomenon....

[Guest]

Here in the big city of Mobile,Al., hurricane season has played a mental game with all of its residence. There are large percentages of individuals leaving plywood up on their windows and refusing to take them down until after hurricane season. They are just that disgusted with the whole process. I cant say i blame them but it scares me to see all windows boarded, looks to be a fire escape hazard. I hope we dont see any issues with it soon. Can anyone in the Pensacola area report as to whether they are seeing the same thing in your area? This has been very heavly debated in our sound off section of the local newspaper.

[simplyme]

Last year there were reports in SE Florida of a few people dying in fires where the plywood was a major contributing factor to lack of escape. However, it was still common practice by many people to leave their shutters or plywood up until December.

[thefixed]

I live in SE Florida and I'm seeing a lot of people boarding up their windows, I've got a couple on my block even.

[EDR1222]

I am not sure about that area, but last year, many people who boarded up for Frances here in Melbourne initially took theirs down, but after Jeanne they left it up until the end of the season. Some didn't take it down until early this year! Personally mine came down immediately after Frances and immediately after Jeanne.

I couldn't handle the darkness and it was also so hot without power, I had to get all the windows open.

[WeatherEmperor]

i wouldnt be able to leave mine on after a hurricane at all because home owner association was breathing down our necks all the time to remove them.

<RICKY>

[thefixed]

after frances i thought that i should leave them up on the off chance we got hit again and i'm glad i did. boarding up a giant glass door 9 feet high by 23 feet long is a pain.

[jujubean]

leaving shutters up is a fire hazard and their were reported deaths last season... but I also can sympathize with people not wanting to keep putting up and taking down plywood .... I don't have hurricane shutters on my house and it was a difficult job to say the least.... but it seems like I remember officials saying we could leave some up, but not all of them.

[Orlando_wx]

Last Year during our hurricane we had in central florida a lot of people did the same thing left there boards on the window even in december they refused to take them down it didn't look good for the area plus it is a fire hazard also.

John

[Alley]

Yes, Frederic79 there are still houses with plywood up here in Pensacola since Dennis. Even some businesses have them up. Not a pretty sight but it goes with the piles of drebris still on the road side.

[Lindaloo]

Same thing here in Pascagoula.

[rainydaze]

I don't know how people can live with their windows boarded up! It's so dark and depressing. Frances came Saturday night and by noon on Sunday my husband had every piece of plywood off our house. Then came Jeanne Saturday night three weeks later, and once again the plywood came down Sunday morning.

I know my husband will do the same thing if we get another hurricane this year.

[beachbum_al]

I am one of those who still has plywood on my master bedroom windows and the bathroom because they are a pain to get to. We did take the plywood off of the french doors and bay windows.

When I went to Florida to help my sister move they still had plywood on their windows and a lot of people in their subdivision had the plywood still up. I would say 50% of the houses where she lives had the plywood up.

[Ixolib]

Same thing here in Pascagoula.

And in Biloxi too. First time ever I've seen this phenomena!!!???

[Guest]

You know, it may cost some money, but has anyone considered installing permanent "swing" shutters. Up here, our church added an additiion in the early 1990s and the four classrooms on the first floor (*still above ground) had tornado-safe construction complete with shuttters that could swing out and cover the window.

Not sure if that is practical for private homes. They may look ugly, but I am sure they could be beautified.

Just a thought... this way there would not be any need to plywood (Home Depot can get by... ) your windows anymore, which I am sure is a less-than-desireable task!

[caribepr]

Shutters in the Caribbean ARE beautiful! I always wonder why everyone who lives in hurricane prone areas doesn't have them because, open, they add attractiveness to a home and in a few minutes, they can be closed, the bar dropped and complete safety for windows (of course, many homes in the Caribbean - due to style, often, not money - don't have glass windows anyway) and interior spaces. Google Caribbean shutters and see if they would work for you...there is a wonderful book as well, Caribbean Elegance by Michael Connors that shows how nice they can look. Practical, beautiful...a combo I love.

[Shoshana]

We don't have that here. But when I go to Galveston, I have seen some buildings near the ocean with motorized shutters that roll down over the windows... looks expensive.

[caribepr]

Yeah...the motorized shutters ARE expensive - in an ideal world, everyone could afford them for the sake of safety if they wanted them!
But I'm talking about shutters made of wood. Depending on the wood used, the cost varies considerably. Just figure, it can't be too insane or they wouldn't be used down in the islands so much@

[jes]

I have to pay to have the plywood put up and taken down and the labor is expensive, but I had the wood taken down as soon after Dennis and Ivan as possible. Now I am looking into other options for next year ---something I can do myself. I started researching the best and least expensive options and found that it's no use this year to even begin ----- all products seem to be on back order for months. So I'll live with the plywood this season and do the research and purchase next winter. I've also noticed, as Frederic said, there are still many homes here in Mobile with the plywood still up----I'd go crazy!! I also just learned this year why plywood is even necessary -- it's not just to keep the carpet dry. However most of the people I know just cover some (not all) of their windows. The guy that put my wood up for Dennis told me I only needed some of the windows covered and I went along with him ----now I learn thats wrong. The nursing home I took my parents to for the night during Dennis claimed to be strong enough to withstand a Cat 5 storm ---- yet they made no provisions to cover any of the windows (and their windows are not storm type windows). For now, I'm looking into motels/hotels that have been built in the last couple of years that are in compliance with the new strict hurricane building codes --- that's where I plan to take my parents for the next storm since I really can't take them out of town. These strict codes are new to Mobile so I'll have to find a "new" building.

[Shoshana]

Ahhh... ok... this is a dumb question - but please note that I live in a city where we get flash floods, hail, downdrafts and tornados ... and very very few hurricanes.

I always thought people put plywood/shutters etc to keep some of the flying debris from breaking windows ... so why would someone tell anyone that they don't need to cover some windows? Maybe they're assuming the wind will only be from certain directions?

I know that just last week we had a bad thunderstorm that as it passed pounded our house with wind driven rain from three directions ... first we had rain from the east, then the south then the west... (which honestly freaked me out a little- that's just not normal!)

'shana

[wzrgirl1]

I wish we could afford the accordian shutters. We have a two-story house and my husband HATES putting up the panels. I know that if we were to get a hurricane this season he would leave them for the remainder of the season. Plus, he got injured last year when one of the shutters came crashing down on his arm...had to go to the emergency room and get some stiches as it sliced his forearm open pretty good. You have to be pretty careful with those things...very sharp.