After Hurricane Harvey destroyed Houston, Texas, people in Florida were desperately trying to protect themselves from much the same fate. With the hurricane fast approaching, people sought ways to arm themselves against the rising surges and heavy winds. But one man, Edward Obediah Sweat has a solution to protect your home from hurricane winds and water. And since he posted his message to Facebook, more than 170,000 people have shared his tip with their family and friends in Florida. And some people have put his tip to use and protected themselves from the floodwaters.

Sweat had a simple tip for helping Floridians protect their property. It involves heavy duty trash bags filled partly with water. When these are hung from the door, they fall to the ground and protect the crack at the bottom of the door from letting water seep in. Here is what he wrote:

“To my Florida friends and family… Some things I learned about hurricane damage management.

“Plastic bags 1/3 filled with water make good substitutes for sandbags at doorways

Paint cans or 5 gallon buckets can support and elevate your furniture if you are going to get water in your house.

“Wear clothes to bed nothing looks worse than seeing people on the news in water logged nightgowns and boxer shorts. Plus it is helpful slogging through the water at night.

“If you get water up to your electrical outlets or you evacuate, trip the main breaker… a volunteer was electrocuted and died here walking in knee deep water due to power being on at a house he was going to check on.

“Wear hard soled shoes and gloves if you wade in water

“Use duct tape to seal your garage door to the floor to prevent water intrusion

“Everyone should have an I.D., a whistle and a flashlight on them once the rain comes.

“Have a gueen or king sized white flat sheet to signal for help from boats and helicopters.

“Map out a couple of escape paths, leave before these become flooded.”

The response from the community was huge. Here were some comments added to Sweat’s viral post.

“That’s for sure. You tend to be an expert quick.”

“Also make sure if you use a generator, make sure you are not still connected to the utilities.”

“Well looky there Ed… the interwebs love your plethora of useful information…”

“I beginning to be concerned. We live in Murray Hill in an area that doesn’t drain very well at all. The plastic bag idea is a GOOD one. Thanks pal. Hoping and praying. Wish us luck.”

“Ed, thanks for the tips. Hoping it turns and misses the US. We don’t need two catastrophes at one time.”

As of this writing, Hurricane Irma is lashing Florida and Georgia. Although it has been downgraded to a tropical storm, it is still causing millions of dollars worth of damage.

Keep home during the storm and stay safe.

Watch the video below for more tips on how to stay safe during a hurricane. Remember these because they could save your life.