How To Ready The Home When You Get Heavy Rain Warnings

It can feel like we’re consistently getting more and more serious weather events, from bad storms to sudden freezes. Heavy rainfall warnings are a big part of that, and it might feel like your home is starting to feel the strain. As such, here, we’re going to look at what you can do to prepare and safeguard the home so that it doesn’t start leaking like a sieve.

Secure The Outdoors First

While you might be more worried about how that rain can get inside the home, don’t neglect to check on the outdoors first. Heavy rains are often joined by strong winds, which can turn items like patio furniture and bins into weapons that can cause serious damage if picked up and thrown at your house or car. Moving these indoors or otherwise securing them can be very wise, just as you should check nearby trees so that overhanging or weakened branches don’t get torn off, either.

Get The Roof Checked Out

Your roof should be the first thing you think of when it comes to how rain can affect your interior. It’s the primary defense the home has against the weather, and even minor damage can become a serious leak in cases of prolonged rain. Have a roofing professional check for missing or loose shingles, cracked flashing, worn sealant around vents, and weak points near chimneys. Water can exploit the smallest gaps, opening them over time, and this is accelerated when that water is coming down hard and fast.

Ensure Your Drainage Is Working Well

Alongside the roof, check your gutters and downspouts to make sure they’re not clogged with leaves, dirt, or debris. This can cause water to run down the walls and pool around the foundation. You need your drainage systems working as well as possible, so clean these out. Walk around the property to check that the soil slopes away from the foundation, as well, so that rain doesn’t pool around the ends of the home. Otherwise, it can begin to seep into the foundation, leading to serious and highly expensive issues.

Be Ready To Treat Leaks

Even if you take care to secure the home, severe weather can lead to leaks popping up in the home. Until the weather stops and you can fix the source, you need to minimize water damage by moving any valuables, furniture, or electronics away from where the water is getting in. Keep buckets and towels nearby to catch any water and stop it from spreading. You might have to invest in a little water damage repair at the source, but you can make sure that it doesn’t have the opportunity to spread around freely throughout the whole home.

Heavy rainfall can do more damage to the home than you might think, especially if there are existing roofing or drainage issues to exploit. The tips above help you not only prevent all that rain from becoming an expensive problem, it can also highlight issues that need to be addressed in the first place.