What you need to know about El Niño’s history, what’s predicted for this year, and how you can be ready.
Four years into our California drought, a little rain sounds like a good thing. We actually might be getting quite a bit more than a little, though!
Predictions for the coming El Niño point to an intense winter in California. The climate models mirror 1997’s El Niño, which cost 17 lives and did over $500,000,000 of damage. What’s more, experts are saying that this seriousness of those storms could be amplified by global warming. Climate change has long been shifting weather patterns, and could cause this season’s El Niño to be one of the most serious weather events in the history of our state.
Are you ready? Prepare your house to stand up to El Niño’s storms with these tips.
- Clear the way for drainage by cleaning out your gutters and pulling out the mulch in your drainage areas. This mulch will float, get carried away, and can clog your drains.
- Seal up your house. Add weather stripping to your doors and re-caulk any gaps between your windows/doors and your home’s siding.
- Be prepared to be forced to stay home. Make sure your home is stocked with nonperishable food, water, a first aid kit, flashlights (and extra batteries), and a portable radio.
- Update your home inventory so if you do need to file a flood claim, you can get fully reimbursed.
- Make sure the area surrounding your home is properly graded so water will flow away from your foundation. Make sure you’re not forcing water onto your neighbor’s property, either. You want your grade to pour down to the road.
To prepare for El Niño, it’s important you add a flood insurance policy to your existing California coverage. Contact Hoffman Brown Company to get your coverage! Since we’ve been protecting homeowners in Sherman Oaks and the surrounding cities since 1961, we know how much havoc El Niño can wreak and are here to defend you against it!
