No matter what you call the storm – a tornado or twister – the important factor is that your investments are protected. A recent article gives some pointers for preparing for a twister, and some of these points include creating survival kits with batteries, water, and food and conducting drills with your family or neighborhood. Aside from this, an important point discussed includes what to do with vehicles. As the article advises, all vehicles should be moved into a garage or carport. But, this assumes that your carport structure is in solid enough condition to last through a storm. Is your structure up to withstanding a tornado and not collapsing?
The first aspect to determine regarding your carport is whether it can stand the wind speed specified on the package. In the case of square tube shelters, this is up to 95 MPH, as long as the shelter is installed properly. With a square tube shelter or an ordinary carport, this often means the shelter is secured in the ground through concrete. Otherwise, the shelter may topple or break from the winds of the storm. In fact, wind speeds of some tornadoes get to be as high as 260 MPH.
If your carport, portable garage, or other outdoor shelter isn’t installed in concrete, now is the time to do it, before a storm approaches. Your shelter should be prepared before a storm warning. Aside from anchoring all ends of the carport in concrete and placing them in the ground, the next step is to test the strength of the metal frame. Are any parts rusted? Do some parts need to be secured better? In either case, replace any rusted or old parts on your shelter and make sure the polyethylene canopy is secure. At this point, your carport should have a better chance of withstanding a storm and protecting your car or other investments.