‘Is your home ready for frequent flooding?’

Flooding can be devastating to homeowners as just a few inches of water can create thousands of dollars in unexpected costs to fix.

Storm Center 7 Meteorologist Kirstie Zontini explains the new data showing a connection between our warming climate and more rain. She also explains what you can do today to prepare for the future.

“We’ll work from the outside and the inside,” said Everdry General Manager Charles Begley.

Keeping basements dry isn’t easy.

A home in Kettering is a mess and Begley was called to clean it up. He has been fixing leaky basements for 40 years.

“We’re going to install outside drains to capture surface water. We are going to install these interior drains to catch the ground water,” Begley said.

All this because of the high probability your home might fill with water, thanks to our warming climate.

Global temperatures have risen almost two degrees since 1901. That might not seem like a lot, but that increase is helping to load up our atmosphere with more water vapor. This means extra moisture for storm systems to use.

Since 1948, the Dayton International Airport has seen an increase in the percentage of rain events producing over 1 inches of rainfall, which means more frequency in rain.

According to Climate Central, there has also been an increase in intensity of that rain, meaning more rain in a shorter time.

That can cause headaches for homeowners, which is why you need someone like Nathan Holobaugh, who is an independent insurance agent in Troy.

His biggest tip, “Know what you’re covered for. Know what you’re not covered for and know what your potential exposure might be.”

Holobaugh’s second tip is to figure out how or why water is getting in.

If water is flowing from a window or door, that would be covered by flood insurance. If the water is flowing in from a drain or sewer system, that would be covered by backup sewer or drain insurance.

And, if water is coming in from cracks on your floor or basement walls, that is considered erosion that doesn’t get much coverage.

That is why it’s important to check your homeowner’s police and see what type of coverage you have.

Basic maintenance today can keep water out tomorrow. Clear out your gutters, make sure downspouts and are not clogged too.

“Thousands of gallons of water come off your roof and if it’s not running away from your home, you’re going to end up with a lot of problems,” Begley said.

“Your nose is probably your best tool to find something. If you’re noticing those basement odors, those aren’t just basement odors,” Begley said.

Since the threat for more extreme rain isn’t going away.