Hurricane preparedness: taping windows; is this useless?

[babylonsister]

I realize plywood is much more preferable, but there's none left. Does taping do ANY good? Thanks.

[Skittles]

1. I am imagining any re-enforcement is better than none

yes indeed

[ET Awful]

2. It won't stop a window from breaking, but it could stop broken glass from

scattering all over the place if the window does break. It would make clean-up easier and would pose less of a threat to anyone still in the area.

[intheflow]

5. I second this.

It keeps the shards from flying everywhere. Experienced this first hand with a wussy cat. 2 hurricane in Massachusetts once. I can't vouch for a storm over cat. 2. But then, hurricanes can be very picky about their targets. My house had wind damage in that storm, huge trees were toppled over everywhere in my neighborhood, but my next door neighbor had no wind damage at all, and just a few downed branches.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. when the winds are 75 mph, it helps. when they are 175, the tape

can become a dangerous weapon.

Ever see the photos of straw puncturing 4 inches of wood? that happened in winds of 135 mph.

right now, this storm is clocking winds at 165 mph. Jackie Gleason becomes aerodynamic at those speeds.

If any fundie NEOCONMAN dares claim that there is no global warming, well, I have some beachfront in Galveston for sale. Until Saturday, at least.

[Brotherjohn]

4. No. Then the tape sticks and you have a mess forever.

If there's a large pice of debris that comes in, glass will be everywhere regardless (unless you tape your entire window; and then you might as well replace it after unless you want to go through about 10 gallons of Goo-gone).

I've never taped. They say not to. Plywood's fine, but I've never done that either. But then I have fairly strong windows.

If you don't want to tape, or plywood, Just remove all potential missiles from your yard, and hole up in a "safe-room" (like with a tornado). Make sure your curtains are closed. Maybe put a matress in front of the doorway if it's open. That's what I did for Ivan (we were in a large closet with a folding door). We never had a break, but it made us feel safer.

Good luck!

[AuntieM1957]

7. I'm no longer a taper, either

Bad enough having to clean up tree debris, go without power, a shower, and then to have to clean off that damn tape residue.

But I am in the processing removing every potential missile from the yard.

Weather service projects my area my have hurricane force winds. I live 100 miles from Galveston!

[WolverineDG]

6. keeps the glass from shattering

all over hell. sorry about the plywood. use the widest masking tape you can find, but if the storm doesn't hit, make sure it's the first thing you take off. otherwise the sun will "glue" the tape to the windows.

make a cross & then an x with the tape. (that's how my dad taught me, so that's how i do it.) even if you don't believe in god, it can't hurt & might help. :)

dg