Prepare Your Car for a Hurricane in Gonzales, LA

How To Prepare Your Vehicle for Hurricane Season

Hurricane season is fast approaching, and it’s important to prepare your vehicle as you would your house. If you have to leave your car behind, you’ll have a few options for where to park it and keep it safe from floodwater and debris. If you and your family intend to evacuate with the car, ensure it’s ready to safely leave the area with everything you’ll need. Keep reading this comprehensive guide to better understand how to do that.

How to Store Your Vehicle During A Hurricane

If you’re planning on leaving/storing your car for the duration of the hurricane, there are some steps you can take to ensure it’s in good condition when you return. If you can, you should park it somewhere safe from windblown debris and flooding. The best option is your garage, that is, if it’s been proven safe during past storms. If a personal garage is not an option, find a building or public parking garage with a covered structure and park it there. Ensure the area you choose is clear of power lines and trees, which can pose a serious risk during tumultuous winds.

Tips For Packing Your Vehicle For Evacuation

Before evacuating, you need to make sure your car is packed, prepared, and ready to go. A few steps that will help with this are:

1. Have a full tank of gas and an evacuation route picked out.
2. Keep a basic disaster kit in your trunk, including food, water, extra clothes, cash, and any other essentials you may need.
3. Inspect your windshield wipers and tires to make sure they’re in good shape.
4. Place all of your important documents into a waterproof bag for transport.
5. Charge all cell phones and pack a charger/wireless charger for travel.
6. Pack a paper map in case you don’t have a navigation system or yours malfunctions while on the road.

Safety Tips For Driving During The Storm

A few tips to take note of when driving during a hurricane are:

Avoid Deep Water: It only takes 12 inches of moving water to sweep a car off the road. Deep water can also camouflage debris that can cause damage to your vehicle. Avoid a route with unavoidable water backlogs.

Drive Cautiously: During a hurricane, the weather can change quickly and dramatically. Avoid speeding so you have time to react appropriately to sudden weather changes.

Learn How To Steer Out Of A Skid: To get out of a skid, take your feet off of the gas and brake pedals and steer your wheel in the direction you want to go. When the vehicle returns to the intended path, you’ll likely need to turn the wheel in the opposite direction to end the skid and continue driving straight.

Visit Ascension Honda For All Your Automotive Needs

At Ascension Honda, we strive to provide our customers with excellent customer and automotive service. Part of that includes making sure our community is prepared for hurricane season. Whether you need to prep for stormy weather or seek out repairs from one, you’ll find it all at Ascension Honda. Give us a call if you have any more questions, or take a look at our online inventory.

We’re happy to serve you!