Dec 2002 M. G. Lacasse When a storm is expected at IOTA The shelters should be closed up extra tight. 1) Secure the flap to the roof with the load binder Attach the loadbinder to the next to the last link and to the roof section where the paint is scratched off. This compresses the gaskets between the roof sections and provides a better seal. 2) Close the rolling shutters They don't go down well so you need todo it slowly and may need to persuade the shutters to go down. If they are left up the driving rain and snow come in through the louvers and make puddles which turn to ice on the floor of the shelter. We got a little bit of water onto the plugstrip in the south shelter recently which shorted it out and destroyed it. 3) There are some strips of black rubber which can be placed along the bottom of the sliding roof to keep most of the snow from coming in along the track. 4) There are pieces of pipe insulation which can be placed in the space between the roof sections to prevent snow/rain infiltration in places where the gaskets do not form a good sea.Before opening up - check that the 4 areas are clear. After a storm there may be problems with the roof sections. Ice can form in the track for the roofs - the shelter is flat so there is no incentive for water to drain out. Rafael and I found a half inch of ice in that area a coupleof nights ago. We used a come-along to break the wheels free of the ice - I'm not sure how safe that procedure is. There mignt also be ice along the top of the roof which will make opening up difficult. When the roof is closed, this snow can build up at the gaskets to prevent the roof sections from closing properly.