Unlike other extreme weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes, droughts are a bit harder to identify and define. So, what is a drought and how do you know when one is happening?
Droughts are typically long-term and may have effects that last months or even years. However, it may be hard to determine when one starts and when it will end. According to the United States Geological Survey, drought can be defined as prolonged periods of drier-than-normal conditions that affect the surrounding area’s water supply.
Drought conditions can be experienced for prolonged periods of time, until the area’s water supply is back to fulfilling conditions. This may take weeks of heavy rainfall, enough to revive vegetation and resupply water resources. Believe it or not, if you don’t prepare your home for the effects of possible drought, you may have issues with your overall structural health.
Prepare Your Home For Drought Effects
Droughts can impact your home’s sensitive areas such as your foundation, crawl space, basement, and any concrete areas on your property.
For example, during a drought, you may experience home damages such as
- Basement flooding
- Shrinking soil around your property
- Settling foundation
- Bowing structural supports
- Foundation cracks
- Chimney cracks
- Soil erosion
To save your home’s foundation and structural integrity, there are some steps that you can take to secure your home from drought effects.
Protect Your Foundation
When there is a sustained lack of moisture in the soil, soil erosion and soil shrinking can occur, damaging your home’s foundation and structural health. After all, even though you can’t see what’s happening under your home, that doesn’t mean the damage is avoided.
Shrinking soil can leave gaps under your home’s foundation. With that, shrinking and settling soil under your home’s foundation may be uneven, affecting certain areas and causing your structure to possibly tilt before being stabilized by foundation repair specialists.
Other foundation issues you may encounter include:
- Wall cracks
- Foundation floor cracks
- Bowing walls
- Leaning chimney
If you have foundation problems that go unrepaired, you may face damages that cause you to lose up to 30 percent of your home’s market value. That said, if you have structural issues or foundation damages, it’s essential that you reach out to your local foundation repair experts.
Waterproof Your Basement or Secure Your Crawl Space
A drought is a lack of precipitation over a prolonged period of time that in turn affects the surrounding area’s water supply. However, that doesn’t mean that your basement or crawl space are safe from water damages. Drought conditions may actually cause your home to flood.
When your foundation settles and cracks, it becomes extremely vulnerable to further damages. Since water can easily slip through any cracks, it’s one of the main suspects for damage. When water gets into your home through your basement or crawl space, it can cause a number of issues. For one, mold that results from moisture can have adverse health effects on you and your home’s occupants such as respiratory issues or worsening asthma.
Damage to your basement or crawl space may include:
- Water damages
- Moisture or humidity
- Unwanted pests
- Crawl space mold
When you have water damages in your basement or crawl space, you need to implement waterproofing solutions to avoid further or irreversible damage to your home.
Look Over Your Concrete Areas
Soil erosion, one of the main drought effects, is one of the most common causes of sunken and cracked concrete. Drought-induced erosion can wash away soil from under your concrete areas, which leaves spaces or gaps under the slabs.
During the event of a drought, it’s vital to look over any concrete areas on your property. You may want to keep a close eye on these areas:
- Driveway
- Sidewalk
- Patio
- Concrete pool deck
If you notice gaps, cracks, or sunken concrete in these areas around your property, you may benefit from concrete lifting with PolyRenewal™ injections provided by your local concrete and foundation repair experts. Innovative Basement Authority provides concrete repair solutions by using PolyRenewal™, a polyurethane foam that is injected beneath concrete and expands to fill the gaps caused by soil erosion or other damages.
If you live in Fargo, ND, Minneapolis, MN, Rush City, MN or Sioux Falls, SD and think you may benefit from foundation repair, basement waterproofing, crawl space repair, or concrete lifting services, contact your local experts at Innovative Basement Authority today for a free property inspection.
