When a Hurricane Approaches, Should I Open the Windows or Tape Them?

This satellite image of Tropical Storm Igor was taken by NASA's Aqua satellite on Sept. 9 when it was over the Cape Verde Islands. View full size image

You shouldn't do either, as it turns out.

Your house won't explode from the difference in air pressure inside and outside if you don't open your windows — that's just a myth. Enough air leaks around window edges to stabilize the inside air pressure. All that opening your window will do is let in a hurricane's ferocious winds, rain and debris to ruin all of your belongings.

And taping your windows doesn't prevent broken glass from flying. If you're at home during a hurricane, stay away from all windows, no matter what kind of glass you have.

But the best plan for a hurricane is to nail plywood boards over your windows, secure anything that could be carried away by wind or floods, have an evacuation plan and leave town if your region is anywhere in the predicted potential path of a hurricane.

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