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Preparing Your NJ Home for Noreaster Season
Nor'easters are a familiar part of life in New Jersey, and they bring heavy rain, strong winds and coastal flooding in general terms. Preparing a home for the season when they are most likely is a matter of general preparation, not of a single task: checking shut-offs, clearing drains and gutters, knowing where water could enter, and knowing your insurance position in general terms. This guide covers that preparation, and it is careful about its limits.
- ✓ Written for New Jersey homeowners
- ✓ Visit first, then a plan
- ✓ Call to arrange a visit
No per-place storm or flood-risk claim is made here, no promise is made that preparation stops damage, and no claim is made about any specific storm. Preparation reduces the risk and helps a home cope with heavy rain; it does not make a home immune to a storm, and it should not be presented as if it does.
General preparation only
General preparation for nor'easter season means the same habits that prevent water damage at any time of year, done before the season when heavy rain is most likely. Check visible pipes and shut-offs, look at appliance hoses and the water heater, check the seals around baths and showers, and look at ceilings for stains that may point to a roof leak. Know where the main shut-off is, so that you can shut the water off if it is safe to do so from a dry place when a pipe bursts. Those checks take a few minutes, and they are worth doing before the season rather than during it.
Preparation also means knowing the property: where water has entered before, where the basement is vulnerable, and which rooms are lowest. If a basement has flooded in the past, check it before the season, and keep stored belongings off the floor where possible. Basements are common in New Jersey homes, and they are the lowest point in the building, so they are the first place water reaches. A water damage restoration visit in Long Branch starts with an inspection either way, and a clear account of what has happened before helps the visit go faster.
Clear drains and gutters in general terms
Clearing drains and gutters in general terms is one of the most useful preparations before a season of heavy rain. Gutters that are clogged overflow, and the overflow runs down the wall and into the ground next to the house, where it can find its way into a basement. Drains that are blocked cannot carry water away, and water that cannot drain pools where it should not. Clearing them before the season is a simple habit, and it is worth doing even when the gutters look clear from the ground.
Check downspouts as well, and make sure they discharge water away from the house rather than next to it. Inside the home, check the drains in basements and ground floors, and note any that drain slowly or gurgle, because those signs may point to a problem further down the line. The flood damage cleanup page explains what happens when water does enter a home, and the safety position is the same whatever the season: avoid contact with floodwater, do not enter a flooded building, and call a professional.
Know your insurance in general terms
Knowing your insurance in general terms before the season means asking your insurer what your policy covers, what it does not cover, and whether you have flood cover. Flood losses are usually treated separately from other water losses, and flood insurance is discussed in general terms only on this site, with no eligibility, zone or coverage claim for any property. Ask before the season, so that you know where you stand, and write down the answers, with dates, and keep them with your policy.
Documentation after a loss is part of the same preparation. Know where your camera is, and know what to record: photographs of the water, the affected rooms and the damaged materials, with dates, and notes about when the loss happened and where the water came from. Keep damaged materials until the adjuster advises otherwise, in general terms. A clear record made on the day is worth more than a long account written weeks later, because the details fade, and the details are what the record is for.
What to do when a storm is coming
When a storm is coming, the practical steps are short and simple. Move belongings away from water where it is safe to do so, and move them off the floor in basements and ground floors. Clear access to the affected area where it is safe, and make sure you know where the shut-off is. Charge your phone, and keep the number of a professional to hand, so that you can call promptly if water enters the home. Do not go out in a storm to check the roof or the gutters, and do not enter a flooded building.
After the storm, check the property from the outside first, and do not enter a building that has flooded. If water is near electrics, stay out and call for help. Document the damage in general terms, with photographs and notes, before anything is moved or removed, and then call a professional. A water damage restoration visit in Asbury Park follows the same order as one anywhere else in the state, and the inspection on arrival is what decides the scope of the job for that particular property.
No promise preparation stops damage
No promise is made here that preparation stops damage, and none should be made by any guide. A home can be prepared carefully and still suffer a water loss in a severe storm, because heavy rain, storm surge and tidal flooding in general terms can overwhelm even a well-maintained property. Preparation reduces the risk, helps a home cope with heavy rain, and makes the work after a loss simpler; it does not make a home immune to a storm, and it should not be presented as if it does.
What preparation can do is to make a water loss less likely, to catch a problem while it is still small, and to keep the gap between a water loss and a dry structure as short as possible. Those are real benefits, and they are worth the time a regular check takes. If a check finds a problem, act on it promptly, and if you are unsure whether a problem needs a professional, call one; early attention usually means a simpler visit, and a simpler visit is better for everyone.
After the season: checking for damage
After the season, checking for damage is as important as preparing for it, because a water loss that happened during a storm may not show itself until weeks later. Check the ceilings for stains, the walls for damp, and the basement for water that may have entered during heavy rain. Check the rooms below bathrooms and kitchens, and check the areas around the water heater and the washing machine. Note what you find, with dates and photographs, so that the record shows the condition of the property after the season.
Document the damage in general terms, with photographs and notes, before anything is moved or removed, and then call a professional. Do not enter a building that has flooded, and do not handle electrics in or near standing water; if water is near electrics, stay out and call for help. The inspection on arrival is what decides the scope of the job for your property, and a clear account and clear access make for a shorter visit and a better result. Preparation and checking go together; one without the other is only half the job.
Key Takeaways
- General preparation for nor'easter season means the same habits that prevent water damage at any time of year, done before the season when heavy rain is most likely.
- Clearing drains and gutters in general terms is one of the most useful preparations before a season of heavy rain.
- Knowing your insurance in general terms before the season means asking your insurer what your policy covers, what it does not cover, and whether you have flood cover.
- When a storm is coming, the practical steps are short and simple.
- No promise is made here that preparation stops damage, and none should be made by any guide.
- After the season, checking for damage is as important as preparing for it, because a water loss that happened during a storm may not show itself until weeks later.
Your Next Step
If this guide matches what you found at home, the next step is a visit — not a guess. Call and describe what you found, and the visit is arranged from what you describe. The Flood Damage Cleanup page explains what that service covers, and the structural drying page explains how drying works after the water is removed.
Do not enter a flooded room, do not touch electrics in or near standing water, and do not try to clean up sewage yourself — sewage is Category 3 black water and a health hazard.
Keep the guides on this site bookmarked: the first guide, the signs guide, and the preparation guide cover the checks worth repeating — after a leak, a flood, or a burst pipe.
Water Damage Restoration help is available across New Jersey. See water-damage-restoration in Journal Square, NJ for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.
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