El Nio on the Horizon? It Pays to be Prepared

Irvine, Calif. (PRWEB) June 12, 2014

As we head into summer after one of the driest winters on record, most California homeowners and HOA property managers are probably not thinking about rain-related roof and deck troubles. The sun is shining, the temperatures are warmits time to sit back and relax. But while we may have avoided the hassle of leaking roofs and associated damage last winter, this dry spell could just be the calm before the stormEl Nio, that is. If so, now is the time to inspect that roof and repair any potential leak points, because those in the know predict that if El Nio does hit next winter, it could dump rain in quantities not seen in nearly two decades.

This year, the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) gives El Nio a 58 percent chance of arriving in the next three months. By early fall, the probability rises to about 80 percent.

Many meteorologists, including Kevin Trenberth, a climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., are predicting that this years El Nio could be similar to the last big one in 1997-98 that caused billions of dollars in damage and killed an estimated 23,000 people worldwide. In California alone, that event nearly doubled the regions rainfall totals from the annual average of 15 inches to 27.85 inches.

With numbers like these, as far as roof and deck maintenance goes, Benjamin Franklin said it best: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In a deluge of rainfall, a small leak can cause thousands of dollars in damage in very little time. During a major storm, most roofing companies will be flooded with repair calls, and unless its an emergency, you can expect wait times that can make leak-related problems much worse. Plus, as the law of supply and demand dictates, prices will be highernot just for emergency fixes but for permanent repairs as well.

Whether or not theres an El Nio in our future, now is the time to get an inspection, get on a maintenance plan, and fix any issues, said Charles Antis, president of Antis Roofing and Waterproofing in Irvine. Oftentimes HOAs will postpone reroofing because of cost concerns, but, if a big rain does hit, and the roofs in bad shape, the price will be far greater in the end.

According to Antis, here are some measures you can take to keep your HOAs roofs and waterproof decks leak-free:

The secret to surviving El Nio is to be prepared. As a property manager or HOA board member, this means ensuring that your roofs and decks are solid, adequately maintained and replaced if necessary.

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About Antis Roofing and Waterproofing: Antis Roofing and Waterproofing is an Orange County-based roofing, decking, repair, maintenance, and replacement company servicing homeowners associations, multi-family, and corporate housing communities. Now in its 25th year of business, Antis is renowned for an expertise in reroofing and decking that is coupled with a strong commitment to social responsibility. Antis donates the roofs for all Orange County Habitat for Humanity projects, along with providing support to a number of other charitable causes including the Scleroderma Society of California and its annual Fight For Lexi Golf Tournament.

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El Nio on the Horizon? It Pays to be Prepared