batten down the hatches
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbatten down the hatchesbatten down the hatchesa) PREPAREto prepare yourself for a period of difficulty or trouble b) TTWto firmly fasten the entrances to the lower part of a ship → battenExamples from the Corpusbatten down the hatches• Businesses are focused on survival - everyone's battening down the hatches.