No more drought in Northern California? Thanks to last week’s heavy rain! We won’t have to do the rain dance anymore here in Southern California, because there is going to be nonstop rain this week—starting Wednesday night (1/18) to next Tuesday (1/24)—including three rainstorms! The risk of flash floods and landslides are very high and cities may become flooded.
Because rain is pretty rare in Southern California, a lot of people wait until the rain attacks and their roof leaks before they start taking action. Aside from leakage, there are many other problems you may not see coming and need to watch out for!
Leaking Roof
Many people might think that homeowners insurance covers a broken and leaking roof and that insurance companies will pay to help repair. However, this is a huge misunderstanding.
If the roof leaks, home insurance can claim furniture, flooring, carpet, and more, because they were damaged by the flood. It will not claim the cost of the maintenance of the roof because it could have been due to old age and something you could have prevented from happening. Similarly, home insurance will claim the loss you receive from the flood but they won’t help you buy new water pipes!
However, if a storm knocks a tree or a pole onto your roof, then the homeowners insurance will claim the cost for repairing the roof.
Based on the material of the roof, whether they are 15-25 years old, they can last for different lengths of time. KCAL’s homeowner insurance experts suggest to pay attention to the maintenance of your roof and to not wait until the leak to deal with the situation. Since Lunar New Year is coming up, you want to make sure that your roof is in good condition and that everything is good to go before you go on vacation!
Sewer Backup
Sewer backup is both harmful to your health and troublesome! They are more likely to occur on rainy days.
Business property insurance and homeowners insurance may not cover sewer backup. So if you are in the restaurant industry, make sure to pay attention to this when buying insurance!
Floods and Landslides
Floods, landslides, and other disasters are not included in the homeowners insurance that is typically bought. You have to buy it separately. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, 80% of homes were seriously damaged by flooding but half of them did not buy flood insurance.
Just like earthquake insurance, homeowners are not responsible for rebuilding and those affected can only rely on FEMA for thousands of dollars in subsidies and government loans to rebuild their homes.
For those who live in the San Gabriel Valley, many houses are located in the mountainside or in areas where the risk of flash floods and landslides are high. If this concerns you, you should consult with a licensed homeowners’ insurance agent.
Reminders for Driving in a Rainy Day!!
1. Driving in the rain can be very slippery. Be sure to get a good grip of the steering wheel, reduce your speed, and do not accelerate too fast. Do not immediately and suddenly step on the brakes.
2. Pay attention to puddles. If you do happen to come across one, do not panic or step on the emergency brakes because it may become dangerous and your car can roll over.
3. The weather difference inside and outside the car can cause the windows to fog easily so make sure to keep them clear to avoid blurred vision. Turn on the cold air and the defroster to defog your windows quickly.
4. Turn on your fog lights and headlights when it’s raining even if it’s bright outside. This makes your car more visible to others and prevents accidents.
5. The distance you keep from a car on a normal day should be doubled on a rainy day to prevent accidents from happening.