6 Tips To Keep Your Home Safe And Dry In The Upcoming Rainy Season

House hacks, repair tips, and easy tricks to making the rainy season more comfortable without suffering from the wet and damp disaster.

Rain is a natural source of water considered one of the essential ingredients to sustain life. However, it may become a cause of concern if the rainfall is heavy and causes flooding. Heavy rainfall often leads to- loss of life, damaged food supply, significant household damage, and disruption of power supply.

While most countries experience rain for a short period of time, some countries and regions are prone to heavy rainfall, such as the monsoon seasons in Asia. 

Regardless of your regional climate, climate change can cause severe rainfall even in the most unexpected places and times. We have put together six tips to make the rainy season safer (and drier) for you!

Try these six tactics to keep your house dry on rainy days:

Plan a proper inspection of the home before the rainy season starts.  March is a great month for a place like Los Angeles to inspect your home for rain preparedness.  Go through your home and your belongings to assess the level of damage they could endure from a severe rainfall.

Also, here are some ideas that might be of great help for the next rainy season-

1. Be Always Notified

It is always a wise move to know about your upcoming severe weather forecast. Rainfall in LA is quite predictable on any day from the very beginning of March as the dry summer season starts from this month. Some local authorities have started emergency alert services that will notify citizens about the upcoming weather alerts through a message, voice message, or mail.

You also can follow the local news and track any flood warnings or incidents of flooding in the city.  This will help you avoid driving to those areas and also help you prepare for such an event in your home. Take advantage of the meteorological scientific advances and arm yourself with the information that can save your life. The local people also can reach out to the related authorities via a phone call.

2. Waterproof Everything Before It Starts Raining

Rainfall is typical after a long stretch of dry and hot weather.  The long spell of dry weather can also be an area for concern when it comes to certain materials in your home - particularly the wooden joints and walls. So, it will be better to get the tools and start waterproofing the whole house as early as possible. Do not forget to get- thick plastic covers,  sandbags, etc.  Pay extra attention to your basement and your roofs.  Leaks often happen in these two areas.  Be sure to hire a local professional to get some rain leak detection done. After that, the experts will guide you with the required repairs.

3. Clear The Gutters

The gutters around your house are designed to allow water to flow away from your home and into the ground to prevent water damage. To ensure proper drainage without any clogging, you must clean your gutters before the wet season arrives. Don’t forget to clear the downspouts. Try to clean the gutters more than once to ensure no debris is stuck in the gutters. When cleaning the gutters, inspect the condition of the gutters and check for any leaks or damages. 

4. Double-Check For The Electrical Connections

Disruption of electricity in LA in the rainy season is quite common. Strong winds can damage power lines and transformers and could disrupt your electricity supply.  To protect your home against sudden surges of power, get yourself a surge protector.  During your annual inspection, check to see if any of the electrical outlets need fixing.  Be sure to keep all electrical outlets and extensions off the ground and floor as flooding can damage them. When dealing with electrical issues, you must hire a professional electrician from gorhamelectrical.com.au  to carry out the repair work. The electrician can also do the electrical inspection for you.

5. Paint your Walls

During the rainy season, the walls remain wet for a long time which dampens the exterior paint of the house. So, if you haven’t done this in a few years, consider painting the exterior walls with waterproof paint.  Be sure to fill in any cracks on the walls before repainting. These cracks are where the rainwater can seep into the wall and start rotting away the construction material. It is far more difficult to repair the walls once it gets rotten from water damage. And, as the rain comes after the extremely dry summer, it naturally creates cracks in walls which cause more damage to the walls and ceiling.

6. Reachout For Pest Controls

Pests often seek dry refuge during the rainy season. So, naturally, you might see more bugs and ants in your home during the rainy season. If you are not really good at getting rid of these pets, you should contact the local pest control services to get rid of them for you. Also, be sure to trim overgrown branches of trees near the home as many bugs and critters can descend from these branches on your roof and eventually in your home.

Final Thoughts

As with any emergency preparedness protocol, you should stock up on first aid supplies, stock up on batteries, water, and non-perishable foods that you can eat without heating them on the stove or in the microwave.  You should also stock up on candles and emergency flashlights in case of a power outage. 

Be sure to keep your important documents and passports away from the floor and basements. Make copies of these documents and store them someplace safe.  Be sure to get some cash out of the ATM and have all your emergency contacts updated.

These general precautions and the tips we mentioned should protect you against a severe rain/flood event.  Be sure to check the news and always follow the guidelines of your local authorities.