Preparing for El Niño: 16 Tips
With El Niño expected to be the strongest in years, agencies are urging residents on the West Coast, particularly California, to start preparing now. Flood mitigation is key to reducing the damage that El Niño could present. Here are a few tips on how to prepare your home, your vehicle and yourself for this excessive rain that is to come.
1. Fix any leaks. - If your home has any leaks, you'll want to fix those before the heavy rains hit. If they go unaddressed, the issues will only worsen with the excessive rain that is to come.
2. Clean out your gutters and downspouts. - It's always a good idea to clean your gutters before the rainy season starts. You'll want to make sure they are free of debris so that rain water can easily flow away from your home. Check for leaks or damage to your gutter system as well.
3. Install a sump pump. - With enough rain, groundwater can invade your basement or garage, even with good drainage systems in place. If you already have a sump pump, be sure to have your plumber service it.
4. Purchase a generator. - The storms caused by El Niño could lead to power outages. Consider buying a portable generator or even a permanent standby generator that immediately kicks in if the power goes out.
5. Paint exterior wood trim. - Cracks in your exterior paint can carry water directly into the wood and promote dry rot, as well as termite invasion.
6. Examine your windows. - The summer heat may have caused the glazing on your windows to shrink and pull away from the glass panes. Loosened panes can allow rain penetration. Be sure to check all your windows and re-caulk as needed.
7. Store emergency supplies. - Depending on the severity of the storms, driving to get what you need might not be the best idea. Instead you should consider stocking up on non-perishable food items and water.
8. Have your car inspected. - You want to make sure all aspects of your vehicle are in proper working condition. This includes checking all of your lights, checking your battery and checking your brakes.
9. Purchase new windshield wipers. - During the middle of a rainstorm is not the best time to realize your windshield wipers cannot effectively clear your view. Now is the time to go ahead and replace them so you don't have anything to worry about.
10. Invest in new tires. - Driving in the rain can be difficult, especially with bad tires. In order to maintain contact with the road in wet weather, tires need to have at least 50% of tread life left. Otherwise they can't displace water through their grooves and contact may be lost. Under-inflated tires will also reduce traction. Just 1/4 inch of water can easily cause a vehicle to hydroplane, even at low speeds.
11. Trim your trees. - Due to the drought, trees are much weaker. A sudden onset of moisture from El Niño may be too much weight for some branches to bear. Now is the time to have your trees trimmed and avoid the risk of them falling on your home.
12. Secure yard items. - If you have a fence around your property, consider reinforcing it. You'll also want to either store or tie down anything that might blow around and cause damage in high winds, such as outdoor furniture. Place any potted plants in a sheltered area.
13. Have material on hand to divert water. - It's easier to reduce damage by preparing before the rains hit than trying to cleanup and move water after the fact. Big Bags USA® flood barriers are just the thing you need to secure your home and protect it from flood waters.
14. Prepare emergency kits for your home and car. FEMA is a great resource to determine the important things to have on hand. The items include everything from a first aid kit to blankets, food and water.
15. Secure important documents. - While you may have important documents store away in a lock box or safe, consider securing them in the cloud or on a thumb drive. This way if your box gets washed away in flood waters or the papers get wet, you'll still have access to a copy.
16. Purchase Flood Insurance. - Even if you're not in a high-risk area, such as on the coast, consider purchasing flood insurance. With the strength of this El Niño, flooding inland could also occur. Flood damage is not typically covered in any regular homeowner policies. Keep in mind that it takes 30 days for any flood policy to become effective.
Now is the time to prepare! There's no doubt that El Niño will bring heavy rains to parts of the country, it's just a matter of when it will hit and how much damage it will cause. Big Bags USA® is the answer to all your water and flood control situations. Give us a call today at 800-337-0537 for more information on our patented flood barrier systems.
Preparing Your Home
1. Fix any leaks. - If your home has any leaks, you'll want to fix those before the heavy rains hit. If they go unaddressed, the issues will only worsen with the excessive rain that is to come.
2. Clean out your gutters and downspouts. - It's always a good idea to clean your gutters before the rainy season starts. You'll want to make sure they are free of debris so that rain water can easily flow away from your home. Check for leaks or damage to your gutter system as well.
3. Install a sump pump. - With enough rain, groundwater can invade your basement or garage, even with good drainage systems in place. If you already have a sump pump, be sure to have your plumber service it.
4. Purchase a generator. - The storms caused by El Niño could lead to power outages. Consider buying a portable generator or even a permanent standby generator that immediately kicks in if the power goes out.
5. Paint exterior wood trim. - Cracks in your exterior paint can carry water directly into the wood and promote dry rot, as well as termite invasion.
6. Examine your windows. - The summer heat may have caused the glazing on your windows to shrink and pull away from the glass panes. Loosened panes can allow rain penetration. Be sure to check all your windows and re-caulk as needed.
7. Store emergency supplies. - Depending on the severity of the storms, driving to get what you need might not be the best idea. Instead you should consider stocking up on non-perishable food items and water.
Preparing Your Vehicle
8. Have your car inspected. - You want to make sure all aspects of your vehicle are in proper working condition. This includes checking all of your lights, checking your battery and checking your brakes.
9. Purchase new windshield wipers. - During the middle of a rainstorm is not the best time to realize your windshield wipers cannot effectively clear your view. Now is the time to go ahead and replace them so you don't have anything to worry about.
10. Invest in new tires. - Driving in the rain can be difficult, especially with bad tires. In order to maintain contact with the road in wet weather, tires need to have at least 50% of tread life left. Otherwise they can't displace water through their grooves and contact may be lost. Under-inflated tires will also reduce traction. Just 1/4 inch of water can easily cause a vehicle to hydroplane, even at low speeds.
Preparing Your Yard
11. Trim your trees. - Due to the drought, trees are much weaker. A sudden onset of moisture from El Niño may be too much weight for some branches to bear. Now is the time to have your trees trimmed and avoid the risk of them falling on your home.
12. Secure yard items. - If you have a fence around your property, consider reinforcing it. You'll also want to either store or tie down anything that might blow around and cause damage in high winds, such as outdoor furniture. Place any potted plants in a sheltered area.
13. Have material on hand to divert water. - It's easier to reduce damage by preparing before the rains hit than trying to cleanup and move water after the fact. Big Bags USA® flood barriers are just the thing you need to secure your home and protect it from flood waters.
Preparing Yourself
14. Prepare emergency kits for your home and car. FEMA is a great resource to determine the important things to have on hand. The items include everything from a first aid kit to blankets, food and water.
15. Secure important documents. - While you may have important documents store away in a lock box or safe, consider securing them in the cloud or on a thumb drive. This way if your box gets washed away in flood waters or the papers get wet, you'll still have access to a copy.
16. Purchase Flood Insurance. - Even if you're not in a high-risk area, such as on the coast, consider purchasing flood insurance. With the strength of this El Niño, flooding inland could also occur. Flood damage is not typically covered in any regular homeowner policies. Keep in mind that it takes 30 days for any flood policy to become effective.
Now is the time to prepare! There's no doubt that El Niño will bring heavy rains to parts of the country, it's just a matter of when it will hit and how much damage it will cause. Big Bags USA® is the answer to all your water and flood control situations. Give us a call today at 800-337-0537 for more information on our patented flood barrier systems.
If you have an immediate need for our systems, or have any questions for us, please Call us Toll Free at 1-800-337-0537 or visit www.BigBagsUSA.com.
If you have an immediate need for our systems, or have any questions for us, please Call us Toll Free at 1-800-337-0537 or visit www.BigBagsUSA.com.
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