California Residents!
How Seriously Are You Taking
El Nino?
Part 1
The Things That Hang Above
Having been disaster response contractors for the past 3 decades we've seen it all. Be it FIRE, EARTHQUAKE, HURRICANE, TORNADO or FLOODS. 
We've been there and done it. Believe me it's not fun for us as contractors and it's definitely miserable and extremely costly for HOMEOWNERS.
No matter how loud our public emergency providers, cities, states and even federal emergency and disaster responders blow the bugle and sound the alarms there are always those that just don't get it. Or worse don't seem to care. Until it's too late that is and then find themselves totally dependent on first responders and we taxpayers to help bail them out.
As long time Active Rain members and contributors we are once again going to try our best to enlighten folks to take the time to understand what may lie ahead during the eminent and what could be very wet El Nino Season that is currently looming in California. and what you can do to protect your home and family against an impending disaster.
The photo above certainly looks beautiful and is no doubt keeping within 
what has become a typical beautiful California landscape. But let there be no doubt it doesn't come without its caveats.
Scenes like the photo to the left are all too common. Albeit they look great and do provide a degree of privacy, beauty and shade when a huge wet event occurs they can become your enemy.
These situations can and often do lead to and exacerbate other problems that we have and will be discussing in past and future posts. However, all these beautiful 
overhanging trees and branches can and usually do end up costing the homeowner a lot of time, money, inconvenience and perhaps even displacement from their homes if not addressed proactively and well in advance.
The photo to the right which is directly under the other photos shows the awning and rain gutters completely clogged and totally incapable of being able to catch, divert and escort water from this residence.
As a result what you see here ended up on the ground all around and under this and several other homes thereby causing major flooding and mandatory evacuation from several homes for several days if not even weeks or months. In some cases total homes were destroyed and those homeowners who were under or not insured were out everything and in many cases were never made whole again.
This whole ordeal ended up impacting an entire manufactured home community back in the '97-'98 El Nino and folks even had to be evacuated by inflatable boats and helicopters. But don't be lulled into thinking it can only 
happen in manufactured home communities. We've seen this happen in some of the most upscale communities in and around Southern California with homes costing several millions of dollars.
No doubt about it you're getting this directly from the source. Floods and water/rain related damage can be just as devastating as a fire or earthquake. In this last photo is an example of what you as a homeowner can and should do to make sure your home is protected. We will be discussing this in more detail in our final part dealing with preventative measures and solutions.
Real Estate Professionals, lenders, contractors and industry stakeholders also have a moral responsibility to share information and knowledge with not only their clients but their friends and neighbors as well. At the end of the day we're all in this together and even if you're prepared your neighbor may not be and could end up impacting you.
By all means feel free to pass this along to
any and everyone you know who could
become potential victims.
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