How to Prepare Your Home for a Monsoon

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two people dealing with flooding GIF
The jury is out on whether this is considered home prep or performance art.

Who doesn’t love killing two birds with one stone? Preparing your home for a monsoon is similar to preparing your home for any watery disaster. Feel free to browse our wide selection of disaster home prep tips, especially our flood guide, for more details.

One of the most important flood prep tips is to buy sandbags and make a plan to fill them. It can take two adults an hour to fill and place roughly 100 bags, so filling some in advance is a great idea.

The persistent rains of a monsoons can take a heavy toll on your home even if it doesn’t flood. Planning ahead will help you avoid these homeowner nightmares:

  • Mold
  • Water damage
  • Water-logging
watering falling from roof
Here’s hoping your roof holds up!

10 Tips to Monsoon-Proof Your Home:

  1. Check the exterior walls and roof for cracks. Use a coat of waterproof sealant to patch those, if they are small. For larger holes, consider calling a contractor unless you’re a confident DIY queen.
  2. Ensure your downspouts, drains, and rainwater gutters are clean and functional. Check your sump pumps annually to make sure they’re ready to put in the work.
  3. Seal your doors and windows. Use rubber gaskets, weatherstripping, or silicone sealants. 
  4. Check for exposed wires, which are extra dangerous if they come into contact with water or lightning. If you find any exposed wires, it’s best to call in an electrician. Don’t take chances on electrical fires!
  5. Rugs develop mold and mildew quickly if they get wet. If you are able to remove them, store them in a dry space for the season. If you have wall-to-wall carpet, think about your life and think about your choices.
  6. Use moisture-absorbent gel packets in your closets, dressers, and wardrobes to keep high humidity from damaging your clothes.
  7. Consider getting a dehumidifier to control the humidity levels at home during periods of heavy rain.
  8. Wood absorbs moisture and tends to swell during monsoons. Add a protective wax or varnish coating to your wooden furniture to reduce swelling. Keep wood furniture away from doors and windows to reduce their exposure to moisture.
  9. Bring all of your yard trinkets (i.e. lawn furniture and toys) indoors before the rain begins. It’s much harder to drag them back home once they’ve been carried away by a few inches of flood water.
  10. Add a flood policy to your home insurance.

Consider this an enormous and unmistakable flashing sign. The time is now. Getting flood insurance is the best way to lessen the financial blow a monsoon can cause. Typically, homeowners insurance policies don’t cover flood damage. Homeowners can secure a policy through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Rule of Thumb

We’re saying it a third time because it’s the best possible home prep for a monsoon: Get flood insurance! Not all home insurance policies include flood insurance, so you may not be covered in the event of a flood.

Great prep, everyone! Assuming you don’t have to evacuate, what do you do once you’re all snuggled up inside while the rain goes on and on?

About the Authors

It takes a village! We are researching, writing and fact checking as a family. Collaboration is the name of the game, whether we’re running from a zombie horde or finding the best way to turn a complex concept into a deliciously digestible set of bullet points.

Katherine Esperanza is a Los Angeles based writer. When she's not conjuring new queer slice-of-life short stories, she's busy watching the newest films, out at queer shows, supporting queer artists, or just checking out the queer community as a whole.

A former international non-profiteer, small business owner, and co-op'er, Katherine is delighted to help introduce more leftist politics into the disaster preparedness/prepper sphere, which is currently far too right-wing.