RV Camping Severe Weather Awareness

~Our Stories Part 2~

 

Severe weather preparedness/awareness week is in the first part of March in the state of Kansas, where we live. Each state has its own specific time for weather preparedness depending on the type of severe weather it gets and when. In this article, we will share our stories on the basics of RV Camping Severe Weather Awareness and the importance of having a plan in place.

 

The Midwest

Kansas, of course, is known for its Tornadoes. Tornadoes are scary living in a sticks and bricks home with a basement so being in an RV with chances of strong storms and tornadoes can be VERY SCARY.

It doesn’t have to be as bad as a tornado to create damage as high winds can also be destructive. We have seen it happen many times and our family members have also witnessed it first hand in a few ways.

Our scary experiences were always with high winds and Microbursts. We have had high winds be a major issue a few times for us while RV Camping that caused damage.

 

 

Our First Experience with High Winds in an RV

One experience with high winds was when we had our first Class A Motorhome. We had only had it for a year and had just finished updating the inside with new flooring, furniture, and a new layout for the bedroom. It was 2007 and I remember I was sitting outside under the awning and the wind came up just a little bit.

My parents were camping on the front side of us. My Dad came outside, and we were talking back and forth a bit. I commented on the wind coming up and wondered if we were supposed to get any storms. We hadn’t heard anything on the news so thought we were ok. I then said, “it’s looking pretty dark all of a sudden right over the top of your camper” which was to the southwest of us.

 

The Major Wind Gust

All of a sudden, a huge gust of wind came up, the awning bounced once, and up and over the top of our RV it went! Aiden was inside sleeping (he was 3&1/2 years old at the time). All I remember was rushing inside, unhooking him from his pulse oximeter monitor, grabbing him (leaving his oxygen behind) and rushing him over to my parents RV. I was so freaked out and was scared the entire motorhome was going to blow over!

Everything turned out fine and we obviously had to replace the awning (I hated that striped brown thing anyway) so I wasn’t too unhappy about that! Consequently, the wind did damage to the roof and the fiberglass on the side of the camper. Additionally, we had to replace the vents and the air conditioner cover.

Did I mention Mark had just replaced most of the roof when we purchased it last year? Frustrating for sure but that is how fast a wind storm can come up and how much damage can happen in a matter of minutes!

 

 

 

The Microburst Experience While RV Camping

Another experience we had with high winds was when I was keeping an eye on the weather because they were calling for severe storms to hit our area that day, however, they were mostly going to be north of where we were staying.

I was sitting inside our camper watching the 4:00 pm news. I had just looked outside and seen that my parents had come over to our campsite and were sitting outside. Not wanting to miss the news, I hollered out the door that I would be out in a few minutes. Aiden was sleeping on the sofa in nothing but a sleeveless shirt and diaper.

Suddenly, the local meteorologist broke into the newscast and stated that a Tornado Warning was issued for where our home is located about 20 miles north of where we were camping. I remember thinking “oh, I’m so glad we are camping and not at home”! I immediately called my neighbor at home to make sure she knew to take cover. Like I said before, all the storms had been up north and were predicted to stay north of us.

Then it happened.

 

 

Tornado Warning

 

The Panic

OUR AREA was issued a Tornado Warning! Aiden’s wheelchair was in our van, so I grabbed him and put him in his Tumble Forms Stroller type chair that I had in the RV. I knew we had to hurry to seek shelter and I wasn’t going to mess with trying to get his wheelchair inside. Remember me saying he was in a sleeveless shirt and diaper? Yeah, I didn’t even get him dressed! I didn’t grab a blanket either. It wasn’t cold but it had turned much cooler outside with the weather coming.

I yelled out to my parents that we were in a warning. They were shocked too but it all came in super-fast! The winds, my gosh they were bad! Then the rain started, and it poured hard!

 

Seeking Shelter

We got Aiden to the van, basically throwing his stored wheelchair out of the van to get him and his stroller inside instead. I was only partially concerned that this stroller isn’t made for transit and I had no way of tying his chair down in the van. I was just happy to get him in the van so we could seek shelter.

We grabbed all 4 dogs we had at the time who were all terrified of Mommy screaming and in complete panic mode so not wanting to come out of hiding to get out of RV at all. After getting them all in the van, my mom said she would ride with me and we would follow Dad who was in his truck with their dogs.

 

Where is the Shelter?

The camp host came by while we were loading up and told us to go to the shelter building across the bridge that goes over the lake and he would be there and let everyone inside. He also mentioned that I should put our awning in. Ummm yeah thanks but no thanks! Tornado Warning Mr. Camp Host! I don’t give a **** about the awning or the camper for that matter, I care about getting my family to safety!

 

The Drive Time to the Shelter

We were going pretty fast to get out of the campground and heading across the lake on the bridge when what we believe is the exact moment that the microburst came over the bridge. I couldn’t see ANYTHING! Barely seeing Dads tail lights, I just followed them. It was BLACK outside and raining SO HARD! I was praying all the way across that bridge and in even more of a panic than before.

Aiden’s chair was sliding all over in the back with my poor mom trying to hold it in place all the while trying to keep herself balanced. It was horrifying!

 

Arriving at the Shelter

We finally got across the bridge and to the shelter building. As I put the wheelchair lift down, I realized I had nothing to cover Aiden with and it was raining so hard that we could hardly see the front door of this building. Then we realized the camp host wasn’t there either! My dad ran over and found the doors to be LOCKED! A few minutes of more panicking happened before the camp host arrived.

 

Inside We Go

My Dad jumped out of his truck and just grabbed Aiden in his chair and tried to rush him inside. He couldn’t see much either and ended up rolling one of Aiden’s tires into a rut of the sidewalk he was on. The chair was then stuck but we were able to get him out of it and got him moving again. By the time we got Aiden inside he was soaked head to toe! We all were!

Aiden had never even been outside in the rain before because of his medical issues and us needing to be so careful with him not to get him sick. All I had in his bag I happened to grab was a single pair of shorts and a bunch of diapers. We ended up using diapers to dry him off and shorts became sort of a shirt! My poor baby but we did what we had to!

 

Inside the Shelter

My Dad had gone back outside and brought all 4 dogs inside. Meanwhile, the place was really beginning to fill up with tons of people.

It was at that moment when I took a breath and then realized everyone was going downstairs.

DOWNSTAIRS!!!

Crap! We are still on the main floor level!

It didn’t even hit me when we pulled up and went inside that this was the main level! There were only stairs. No elevator. Just a TON of stairs! Aiden has a wheelchair. Stairs are a no-no!

 

Take My Dogs

A few very sweet ladies and their grandchildren offered to take our dogs. I handed our 4 little dogs over to complete strangers who took them downstairs with them. The rest of us decided to stay upstairs. Getting Aiden downstairs would only be possible by carrying him down all those stairs and that wasn’t safe either. I was certainly prepared to do it and do it quickly if things got worse.

The Camp Host made another point of telling me that I should have put our awning in before I left. Dude, seriously I don’t give a **** about the awning! Let it go!!!

 

The Worst of the Storm

We believed that the worst of the storm had already happened while we were on the bridge and that ended up being the case. We all made it out of these experience safe and sound thanks be to God!

 

 

What We Learned

I knew it was important to keep an eye on the weather and know the differences between an Advisory, a Watch, and a Warning but these experiences made me realize how incredibly important it is to have a safety plan! For more information on the differences between the Alerts I mentioned and for ideas on discussing a safety plan, please see our first article in this series. It is called RV Camping Severe Weather Awareness Part 1.

 

Safe RV Camping to you all!