We begin this post with a gutter cleaning selfie showing the precipitous drop from the front of our house as well as a view of the “flipper fence” handrail I built for the in-laws.
The much promised El Niño rainstorms are on our doorstep this week. For those of you in the rest of the world who might be unfamiliar with the phenomenon, every decade or so weather conditions in the Northern Pacific conspire to heat up the ocean which, in turn, causes unusually heavy rainstorms to hit California. Climate change only makes this condition worse.
Most of the preparations I did are things I should do every year but have been lazy about due to the drought. But with January here I finally:
- Cleaned the gutters and French drains. This is no fun, especially since the gutters on the front of the house are difficult to access. I discovered that the front gutter was completely clogged with loose asphalt roofing material.
- Channeled some of the water from our gutters to the backyard garden. Since our house is on the hill I have to send the rest of the water down to the street, unfortunately.
- Made sure to have working flashlights with fully charged batteries. Our electricity has gotten increasingly unreliable over recent years.
- Charged the 2 meter ham radio (it’s also a scanner).
- Got a supply of dry goods that can be cooked without opening the refrigerator/freezer.
- Fixed the foundation (I did this ten years ago and am happy I did it, though it was expensive).
One thing I still need to do is get a charger for my cell phone. If any of you have a recommendation I’d appreciate it.
Other than pitch a Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson El Niño disaster movie is there anything else I should do? What have you done to prepare for El Niño?