When there is a storm

What would you do when you are in a campsite and there is a typhoon? The first impulse is to leave but I guess it would be dangerous to do so because of the muddy and slippery trail. Being stranded in the campsite is not a pleasant situation paticularly when the rains are continuous. In my experience, the only thing we could do was to build a sort of drainage for the water so the rainwater would not flood our tent.

 

...I've never experienced a typhoon and I'm interested to hear about "what would you do?" We are accustomed to severe lightning storms which I believe are as scary and dangerous as your typhoon. Some of our American friends are in hurricane and typhoon regions of the country - so lay it on! Pretend you are teaching/instructing a class.

For one thing I would be doing more than building some sort of drainage system - there is a whole range of things you should be doing. It is not recommended to dig anything in our area because of environmental impact. So...

. There is a thread dedicated to electrical storms on our site.

 

Well, if it's a typhoon we are talking about, I'd go to the safest location, as these can be life threatening. Fortunately, I've never experienced nothing similar. I faced heavy rains though, and as I was not properly prepared, the whole trip became a nightmare and we have to cut it short as no one was having fun, we were all cold and wet.

 

...then you were not prepared @to7update. As a tripper the expectation is that I'm prepared. True...you can't be ready for everything - but you better have sound training - it could save your life and that of your colleagues. When you are in the interior it's not like going over to the van and driving out to sit in some restaurant waiting for the storm to pass.

I've been caught in several storms and once I was snowed in for an extra two days. Loved it - but not necessarily enjoyed. It made for great stories to tell around a campfire. I could tell those stories because I was equipped.

Someone didn't plan well.
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...and what exactly is a safe location? Tell me more.

 

We had a tornado pass a little ways from where we were camping on one occasion. We knew thunder storms and rain were expected, but the tornado was a surprise. We always check out the trees overhead for dead or possible falling branches before setting up camp. The only way in or out was by boat, so going anywhere was out of the question. At 1 in the morning it came up. All we could do was hunker down under our cots and pray it would pass. I had tied the boat up securely, and the automatic bilge pump kept the water out. The area was littered with small debris. We saw the path it left a half mile away from where we were camping, and it had laid trees down like match sticks. It came over the top of a mountain (our mountains here aren't like the Rocky Mountains. These parts of the Appalachians can be be very steep, but are mostly wooded) and down to the river and back up the other side, and over the top of another mountain. The path was maybe 100 yards (91 meters) wide.

I know nothing of typhoons. I would guess lots of rain and tornado like conditions. Maybe get wet and hope you don't blow away?

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Yeah, I was not, I am fully aware of that. I went with a trip with my cousin, his girlfriend and another friend, we were about 17 or 18 years old, and my sleeping bag was awful, so in the winter in the mountains I almost froze. More, water was getting inside the tent, so it was a really good lesson to me!

 

"When you walk through a storm hold you head up high and don't be afraid of the dark."
Rodgers and Hammerstein

Anyway...back to storms. Why? For one reason the winds have increased significantly as well as the gusts in these last few years. The miles/kilometres per hour have also increased. So, the subject of winds and what to do is back on the table.

What has my experience taught me?

This is what I have learned.
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I get a weather report before I leave.
I have a device that can tell me what the weather patterns will be for
the next few days while I'm camping out.
I check my site for widow makers.
Whatever camp site I select - base or interior -
I check out an alternative site to escape to for protection.
I also take this precaution when I'm in huge groups of people
(theatres, sports events etc.) I look for escape exits and take note of my environment.
I'm prepared to leave my tent and head for that alternative site.
I take precautions to protect my canoe and equipment.
This may mean knocking down my tent, bringing my
canoe more inland and lashing it to a secure tree.
I have rain gear.
I will wear my life jackets as a protective coat.
I do not camp near a river and certainly not in a river bed.
I do not have large fires - anytime.
I keep my camp site clean and tidy and know where things are.



Not exactly a situation that I care to be in.
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What about a winter snow storm you say? That's another topic.

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Great advice well taken.