What to Do Now to Prepare Your Home for El Niño’s Rain, Flooding, and Landslides
With a historically strong El Niño event forecast for California this fall and winter, the state’s emergency proclamation includes some direct advice for what residents should be doing at home before the storms arrive.
What’s confirmed to help
According to the proclamation, residents are advised to:
- Clear drains and gutters so water has somewhere to go during heavy rain
- Make a preparedness plan ahead of the severe weather season
- Check flood risk for their specific property
- Sign up for emergency alerts so they’re notified in time
Why it matters this season specifically
The proclamation notes that El Niño events are now over 36% stronger than they were in the pre-industrial era, and that this intensification has accelerated over the last 40 years. The impacts the state is preparing for — heavy rain, strong winds, mountain snow, flooding, landslides, debris flows, large waves, and coastal flooding — are especially likely to cause road closures, power outages, and property damage when storms line up with high tides.
👥 If you’re in a higher-risk area
The proclamation is fast-tracking permitting specifically for local flood, landslide, and debris-flow preparedness work, which suggests these are the areas of particular concern this season. If your property is near a hillside, waterway, or coastline, that’s where checking your specific flood/landslide risk (see the official source below) matters most.
The material here doesn’t give a specific timeline for when to complete this prep or a checklist beyond what’s listed above — for anything more detailed, check the official announcement or your local emergency management office directly.
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