If you lived in Houston...

[Biggbass]

If you lived in Houston and didn't have enough time to get a rental truck, load it up, and get out of the area in advance, what would you do to protect your musical gear with the flood coming?
Let's say you have a couple of dozen stringed instruments, half a dozen amps, recording computer, pre amps, microphones, and related connectivity gear.

put it all in the attic?

 

[Oddly]

I guess that'd be the best option.
I'd use plastic sheeting to waterproof the gear as much as possible, and, if you're evacuating, put some sort of heavy lock on the access in case of looters.

 

[tlc1976]

Working on making it as water resistant as possible, and I think the attic is a good idea. High, out of sight, and so it doesn't float away if the water gets that far.

Either that, or making some good records for your insurance company (which IMO should have been done already in case of fire, tornado, theft, etc.).

 

[GIBrat51]

Working on making it as water resistant as possible, and I think the attic is a good idea. High, out of sight, and so it doesn't float away if the water gets that far.

Either that, or making some good records for your insurance company (which IMO should have been done already in case of fire, tornado, theft, etc.).

This... assuming I didn't have a 2 story house, or live in an apartment higher than that. My real answer, though, is "This is one of the reasons I don't live in Houston"...just as my answer to my brother's "why don't you move down here to Dallas with me & my wife?" is.."Tornadoes"...

 

[Oddly]

This... assuming I didn't have a 2 story house, or live in an apartment higher than that. My real answer, though, is "This is one of the reasons I don't live in Houston"...just as my answer to my brother's "why don't you move down here to Dallas with me & my wife?" is.."Tornadoes"...

And yet Nevada has flash flooding, earthquakes and wildfires, doesn't it?
Let's face it, nowhere's 100% safe if Mother Nature decides to get back at us for all we've done.

 

[lz4005]

If you lived in Houston and didn't have enough time to get a rental truck, load it up, and get out of the area in advance, what would you do to protect your musical gear with the flood coming?
Let's say you have a couple of dozen stringed instruments, half a dozen amps, recording computer, pre amps, microphones, and related connectivity gear.

put it all in the attic?

Just like when the Nashville flood happened, the solution is to be smart long before the rain starts falling.
Buy a house on top of a hill, with good drainage. Rent an apartment on the 2nd floor. Don't store your valuables in a basement.
Don't put guitars in a warehouse built on a meander of a river. Buy flood insurance. If they won't sell you flood insurance, move.

 

[ONYX]

Just like when the Nashville flood happened, the solution is to be smart long before the rain starts falling.
Buy a house on top of a hill, with good drainage. Rent an apartment on the 2nd floor. Don't store your valuables in a basement.
Don't put guitars in a warehouse built on a meander of a river. Buy flood insurance. If they won't sell you flood insurance, move.

^This^

 

[GIBrat51]

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Yes, Nevada does - if you look at the whole state. But, I don't live in the whole state; I live in Las Vegas - way down in the pointy bottom corner on this earthquake zone map. And, in Las Vegas:
- it's pretty easy to stay out of washes - where the flash flood water goes - if you've got more than 3 brain cells to rub together. Just don't be an ass and drive down streets where the water is over the curbs and running like a race horse, and you'll be fine...
- yes, a 3.2 on the Richter scale (our last one) is technically an earthquake, but if you're asleep? Oops.. too bad; you missed it. See the map? Las Vegas is right on the line between Zone B (almost nothing) and Zone C (moderate shaking possible). They're very rare; (3 in the last 33 years I've lived here) and 2 of them I had to hear about on the news...
- Yes, we do have wildfires - occasionally. But, they're pretty rare out here in the Mojave Desert - it's way too dry for much of anything to grow, so... no fuel, no fire. Our fires are mostly up north, and in the mountains - where there is stuff to burn.

The point of my answers - I have a sister who lives in Houston, by the way; and "Hurricanes" is my answer when she asks why I don't move there - is that hurricanes and tornadoes happen every year. Earthquakes and wildfires don't; not around Vegas, anyway. This is the Flash Flood Season right now; we've had a couple, and yes, a couple of dimwits had to be pulled out of their cars. But there's a big - Very big - difference between rescuing a couple of fools, and the terrible destruction/loss of life that hurricanes and tornadoes can cause. I know; I've survived several of each. What's possible here, is just minor inconvenience AFAIC...

 

[micguy]

Put the Custom Shop in the boat and paddle with the Squier.

 

[mbasile]

Insurance. Unless I had something irreplaceable like an awesome vintage bass. If that were the case, then I'd evacuate with those (along with the pets).

 

[red_rhino]

Buy a house on top of a hill, with good drainage.

Yeah, this. Epic rains here last winter. Some of the folks at the bottom of the hill had 18" of water coming into their garages and homes. If it ever rains enough to flood up here, there may be enough time for me to build an ark.

3.9 earthquake this morning; epicenter 10 miles from here. Didn't notice at all. I've been thru so many in my lifetime that I don't notice anything less than a 4.

 

[Joedog]

We've bugged out twice for Hurricanes (Ivan and Dennis, '04 and '05). I drive vans, but actually don't take much other than my irreplaceable custom bass, and of course a box of important documents. The wife also grabs some jewelry. I also take several empty gas cans (for the generator) and coolers (for ice). They both have come in VERY handy when we get back home. Now I also empty the fridge into the coolers. I learned coming back to a house of spoiled food is very nasty, plus this way we feed our friends who shelter us. All my other gear is easily replaceable. I also only buy houses on high ground. Our current house is right at 50'. No way we will ever flood, even w/being about half a mile from the bay. Also no way I'd live anywhere that could flood. I also insure my personal possessions at replacement value.

It's natural to want to get back home ASAP, but when it's in the 90's all day, and you have no AC or power, it's nice to hang for a while at our friend's house, w/pool, AC, etc.

 

[Echase409]

I live in Houston. We didn't get any flooding (thank God) in our area but my bass is in a shop in an area that got hit hard. I hope they took the right steps to secure the instruments so I don't get an unfortunate call later saying my bass drowned D:

 

[Biggbass]

Just like when the Nashville flood happened, the solution is to be smart long before the rain starts falling.
Buy a house on top of a hill, with good drainage. Rent an apartment on the 2nd floor. Don't store your valuables in a basement.
Don't put guitars in a warehouse built on a meander of a river. Buy flood insurance. If they won't sell you flood insurance, move.

I'm not in the Houston area but have a daughter and grand kids in Spring. Fortunately they didn't get any flooding in their home.
We live on a hill, with good drainage and my project studio is on the 2nd floor, no river nearby and I have adequate insurance to cover all contents of the house and out buildings. But watching the news coverage of Houston and the Texas Coastal region flooding I couldn't help but wonder about all the guitars, amps and gear that must have been compromised.

Now, Tornado season...that's a whole other thing. My wife is wanting to install an underground shelter after these past two years. We had one come as close as 4 miles from us last year. I guess one never knows...when it's game over it's game over, turn out the lights.

 

[lz4005]

...I couldn't help but wonder about all the guitars, amps and gear that must have been compromised.

Good to hear your family wasn't affected.

Just remember that for every similar piece that gets destroyed the value of your instruments and amps increases slightly.

 

[Echase409]

Now I'm curious as to what steps the big stores (i.e. Guitar Center) have in place to protect their instruments from flooding or any other natural disasters. Would be interesting to hear from anyone who works/has worked there.

 

[Steven Ayres]

Move your bass boat (minus motor) into the music room, tie it up to fixed anchors and load it with your gear.

Of course if you have time to do that, you could load the gear into the boat on the trailer and take it too.

 

[Alkali Ike]

Good to hear your family wasn't affected.

Just remember that for every similar piece that gets destroyed the value of your instruments and amps increases slightly.

Wait. What?

So if I own a 1993 Honda Accord and a hundred similar Accords are damaged by Harvey, mine has gone up in value?

 

[Nephilymbass]

If you lived in Houston and didn't have enough time to get a rental truck, load it up, and get out of the area in advance, what would you do to protect your musical gear with the flood coming?
Let's say you have a couple of dozen stringed instruments, half a dozen amps, recording computer, pre amps, microphones, and related connectivity gear.

put it all in the attic?

I live in NC we had some bad flooding from hurricane Mathew last year. Luckily it wasn't catastrophic. Had to replace some of the posts for my privacy fence in the back yard. Had to leave the vents and door under the house open to let it dry out. And hardwood kitchen floor was ruined because there was so much wind and rain water and it leaked in around my kitchen window. Had my big rig in the garage and luckily the garage didn't get flooded. I took down a shelf in the office closets which is in the middle of our house. That closer has one of those tin boxes as part of the Air conditioning system and put my basses ontop of it. So they were about three feet off the ground. Luckily other than the kitchen no water got in the house

 

[Charlzm]

If you lived in Houston and didn't have enough time to get a rental truck, load it up, and get out of the area in advance, what would you do to protect your musical gear with the flood coming?
Let's say you have a couple of dozen stringed instruments, half a dozen amps, recording computer, pre amps, microphones, and related connectivity gear.

put it all in the attic?

Luckily, I live in a 2 story building on the 2nd floor. Anything I couldn't take with me, I'd place on as high a shelf as possible in a closet. Please note, however, that I grew up in the south and I learned early on to never ignore an evacuation order, so it's a moot point. I would have done my best to load it all up with me and get to higher ground inland a day or two ahead of the storm.