Hurricane season is just around the corner, but even if you don’t live in an area prone to hurricanes knowing how to get your car ready for a bad storm can save you a lot of time, money, and energy. While the idea of preparing your car for a hurricane seems as simple as pulling into your garage, that isn’t always possible. People who live in apartments, townhomes, or have more cars than they have garage space find themselves especially stressed when it comes to large storms, but there are a few things you can do to help maintain your car’s safety.

Preparing for worse weather

I’d love to pull all of my cars into the safety and comfort of my garage at my house, but I have more cars than I do garage space, and just because my car is in the garage doesn’t mean it’s going to avoid floodwater. Flooding in garages can turn your ideal situation into a total nightmare, and that can mean even in your garage your car isn’t safe. The first precaution is to make sure that if you can put your car into your garage, that you do — this seems like the obvious first point. The second is to spend as much time and energy preparing your garage for a flood as you would your house. That can be as simple as sandbags around the garage door, or using other methods to weigh your garage door down.

If you can’t keep your car in the garage, many people may try to find an alternate method of sheltering their car. For some people, a local parking garage can provide a decent amount of protection, and can be elevated several stories. Some are more enclosed than others, but they are less likely to have heavy debris flying around, and there is no chance of a car falling onto your car and totaling it.

If all else fails

If a private or a public garage isn’t an option, there are still some things you can do to keep your car safe at home. The first concern people have is with trying to find a good place to park their car. While you can’t predict what random debris might be flying around, you should avoid parking under large trees or street lights that could collapse onto your car. Investing in a car cover — even an inexpensive one, can help to protect your car from smaller debris.

If storms get bad enough sometimes people are forced to evacuate from their homes, and this can be a good option for many people. If your plan is to evacuate, there are still some precautions you can take. Taking care to make sure you haven’t crammed everything you own into your trunk sounds easier than it actually turns out to be, but having our cars packed full of belonging, family, and pets can reduce visibility, and with the stress of evacuating can be a major distraction.

Hurricane season is inevitable, just like major storms and snow storms, but that doesn’t have to leave car owners hopeless. While many of these tips seem pretty self-explanatory, in times of crisis sometimes its hard to decide what all of your options are. As a car owner, you may have access to more of these options or less, and it all depends on your comfort level when it comes to keeping your family and you car safe.