Here’s a simple question from a midwesterner with no first-hand experience in this sort of thing. The new this past week has shown long waiting lines at home improvement stores for people waiting to pick up plywood and other supplies. Do you hurricane-prone people re-use the plywood the next time a hurricane sweeps in? I know that the plywood may be awkward to store year-round and that it may become damaged or warped after being used, but I’m curious anyway.
Thanks!
I meant to say “The news this past week”, not “The new”.
Carry on…
I know there is such a thing as removable hurricane shutters. I think I saw them on “This Old House” or similar show. They are metal and the bolt in tracks that are permantly placed above & below windows. Just bolt them in b4 the hurricane and remove them afterwards. (I think there may have been versions that you just slide out of the way, so you needn’t store them and then frantically try to rememeber where you stored them)
I’m a procrastinator, but if I moved to Florida, I’d use a similar system or I’d buy plywood right away, not 2 days before a hurricane. (at least I’d like to think so 
)
Brian
I think I might have seen what you’re talking about. I think that if I were living in an area that had a history of hurricane activity, I would probably want something like this on my house.
I’m a procrastinator also, but I’m pretty sure I’d keep some plywood handy for just this type of emergency.
Re-use plywood? Sure. Stored properoy, it won’t warp, and if it does, it will still be very usable and flatten fairly easy. Exterior grade plywood will last when stored.
Remember that alot of areas just experienced a hurricane in Florida for the first time in…
…a century.
Some may not realize that you don’t have to nail plywood over the windows in a residential home. Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc. sell clips that clip the plywood to the window frame. Just measure the windows and get the plywood to fit.
Many homes here have shutters that can open and close.
My parents did the plywood thing once and found out how heavy and obnoxious it is (this was for Floyd) - so immediately afterwards they bought permanent removable hurricane shutters that bolt in over the windows. Much lighter, etc. Of course, they haven’t used them in the intervening years until Frances. But yes, they would have reused the plywood if they hadn’t gotten something better.
yep, some people reuse plywood. some even number them so they know which board fits.
there are a rather large population of newbies in florida, who didn’t have plywood. also there are some that have been there for a few years of no hurricane in the area. others who went through a hurricane and the plywood was damaged and they didn’t replace it before the next one.
My home has these lovely rolling shutters which keep us snug and cozy against any storm rolling off Lake Michigan. It’s been a while since we had a hurricane up here, but I’ve no doubt they’d work as well against those winds as plywood does.
Keeps the house nicely insulated too.
I guess from my uninformed view, it would seem like you should have either storm shutters or plywood around the house if you lived in an area that had any kind of hurricane history. To me it seems like “Jeez-- didn’t those guys have a hurricane down there just last year?”, but I guess the damage isn’t quite a widespread as I thought or as regular as I had imagined.
Still I guess it’s not as bad as trying to live in a flood prone area on the Mississippi.
Rolling shutters were very common when I was in Germany (maybe they still are), and if I lived in Florida I’d definately look into getting them.
I think using marine plywood would be the way to go if you want to use it over and over.
There’s a coating used for treating cut portions of treated lumber (like you’d use to make a deck). Couldn’t you treat the plywood with this so that it wouldn’t rot?