Smyrna times., 1958-08-21

hurricane precautions are
important, warns State Fire
Marshal William R. Favinger in
pointing out that mid-August is
the beginning of what he terms
the hurricane season"
In order to reduce to a mini
mum the amount of personal in
jury and property loss that
could result from a hurricane,
Fire Marshal Favinger offers the
following as precautionary steps
to be taken: Before the Storm
Tune to radio and televiSion
broadcasts of latest Weather
Bureau information. In case of
failure, battery-powered radio
will come in handy.
Go inland. Get away from
beaches and the low waterfront
which may be swept by storm
waves. Hurricanes bring abnor-
mally high tides, high waves.
Get Ready Early
If your passage to safety is
over road likely to be under
water, leave early. Otherwise
you may be trapped by high
winds and rising waters preced-
ing the arrival of the storm cen
ter by several hours. Travel at
the height of the storm is ex-
ceedingly dangerous.
If your house is out of danger
of waves and is substantially
built-anchored to strong foun-
dation and with its roof secure
ly fastened-it's possibly the
best place for you to stay.
Put loose material and NOV
able objects such as garbage
cans and porch furniture where
they cannot be blown against
the building or through a win
dow. Movable awnings should
be raised and securely tied or
removed entirely.
Keep trees pruned away from
your home. Dead branches, ov-
erhanging branches, and those
which may sway against win
dows or roof are the most likely
to cause damage.
In seriously threatened areas
board up windows or put storm
shutters in place, at least on the
sides exposed to the most vio-
lent winds. Shutters should be
securely fastened several hours
in advance of the expected ar
rival of the storm. They are diff
ficult to handle in a high wind.
Secure Water Supply
Use good lumber and attach
it firmly to the building. Make
shift boarding or insecure shut
damage than none at all. Garage
doors and others having large
exposed areas must be secured
particularly well.
Sterilize and fill jugs, bottles
or cooking utensils with fresh
water. The water supply may
fail. A tub filled with water
may be useful too.
One or more windows can be
kept open on the lee side-the
side opposite from which the
wind is coming - to provide
some ventilation and under GER
tain conditions, to prevent wind
damage.
If wind or flying objects make
an opening on the windward
side of the building, wind pres
sure will build up within the
building. Having an opening on
the lee side will allow this pres
sure to escape, minimizing the
interior forces tending to lift
the roof or push out the walls.
Only small openings are ad-
visable as long as the windward
side remains intact. But as soon
as windows are broken addi-
tional openings should be pro-
vided on the lee side to help
equaIize the pressure.
Have FIashlight Handy
Have a flashlight in good
working condition readily avail
able. Be careful of fire. If oil
lamps or candles must be used
for emergency lighting, use
them carefully. In an emergen-
cy bucket of sand can be used
to absorb spilled fuel or to
smother small oil fire. Better
still would be a fire eXtinguish-
er of a type approved for use on