It has been a rainy winter in Southern California, with our second flood watch warning this month alone. We’re not accustomed to massive downpours here, and you may be worried about the state of your house after this heavy rain.
Has your home sustained water damage from the recent storms? It’s a good question, and if you have suspicions already, we recommend you call us to look into the possibility that you’ll need repairs for your home because of water damage in Orange County, CA’s recent weather.
Damage to the Roof
When you think of ways that heavy rain can damage your home, your mind will first go to the roof. It’s what the rain strikes against as it falls, and one of the reasons to have a roof is to stop rain. If your roof is damaged, it leaves you exposed to the next rainfall. Cracks in shingles, loose shingles, and missing shingles will allow water into the underlayment of the roof and cause damage severe enough to require replacing the whole roof. Water can also enter the attic, the walls, and the electrical wiring of your home through the roof.
Damage to the Siding
We hope you keep your gutters in good condition around the year, since they’re responsible for protecting the siding of your home from severe rain damage. Unfortunately, too many locals let gutter maintenance fall by the wayside, allowing rain to cascade down the sides of the house. This leaves unsightly staining on the house, but it can do more insidious damage such as encouraging rot and mold that can be difficult to detect from the outside.
Damage to the Landscaping
This is connected to damage to siding because it often occurs if there isn’t an effective storm drainage system, like gutters and downspouts, to keep water from pooling around the base of a home. The water can not only damage your landscape (possibly causing trees to fall over), it can undermine the foundation of your house, causing damage to seep up from below.
Damage to Lower Areas
You don’t need to worry about basement damage, since we’re pretty sure your house, like all other houses in Orange County, doesn’t have one. However, you may have to worry about flooding in the crawl space beneath your house or even on ground-floor rooms. Once more, the development of mold and wood rot are significant parts of the damage rain can do to a house.
Damage to Your Electrical System
Water and electricity are not a good mix! It doesn’t take much for rain damage to a house to create the potential for fire damage. Any place water gets into your house, there’s a possibility of it causing damage to the electrical system, leading to issues with power loss and house fires. Storm damage inspections can help locate potential problems.
Something to keep in mind is that dealing with water damage quickly is the best way to prevent water damage in the future. The recent storms may not have seemed like they were strong enough to damage your house, but a bit of prevention and early detection of damage goes a long way. We’re always here to help you when you suspect your home has sustained any kind of damage.
For comprehensive home restoration services you can rely on, contact Jarvis Restoration today!