Rebuilding Together Peninsula published a home-safety checklist to help San Mateo County homeowners prepare for winter weather amid forecasts of a potentially historic El Niño.
The Redwood City-based nonprofit posted the guide on Monday, Oct. 12, three weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Sept. 21 to prepare for El Niño. The governor’s announcement cited federal forecasts putting the chance of a very strong event this fall and winter at greater than 90%, with a 75% chance it could reach historic strength. El Niño does not guarantee a wet winter or a particular storm, the announcement cautioned.
The checklist is paired with RTP's free repair program for income-eligible homeowners, which offers work such as window and door insulation, debris removal, heater replacements, plumbing and electrical work, and lighting improvements.
What's on the checklist
The guide covers four categories: home and yard, power outage kit, insurance and resources.
Yard and home items include clearing gutters and downspouts, extending downspouts four to six feet from the foundation, checking the roof for cracked or missing shingles, and regrading soil so water slopes away from the house. The checklist also recommends having large or dead tree limbs near the roof or power lines inspected, testing the sump pump and keeping sandbags and a tarp on hand.
On insurance, the checklist urges homeowners to ask about flood coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which usually has a 30-day waiting period. It recommends discussing coverage before storms arrive.
The checklist also advises photographing the home's current condition and never running a generator, grill or camp stove indoors.
Free repairs for income-eligible homeowners
RTP offers free repairs and modifications to income-eligible homeowners in San Mateo County and northern Santa Clara County. Applicants should consult its repair programs page for current requirements and available work.
The city of San Mateo also offers a Housing Rehabilitation Loan program to help eligible low-income homeowners make needed repairs.
Executive Director Melissa Lukin said in an Oct. 2 announcement about the nonprofit's annual golf tournament fundraiser that RTP addresses "critical safety related repairs for our most vulnerable Peninsula homeowners — over 100 homeowners annually." Since 1989, the organization has repaired more than 4,000 homes and 400 facilities across San Mateo County and northern Santa Clara County, according to that announcement.
According to a separate RTP announcement, the nonprofit's fall rebuilding season runs through Saturday, Nov. 14, mobilizing more than 400 volunteers to perform free repairs for 15 low-income homeowners and community nonprofits.
How to apply and prepare
Homeowners can find application information through RTP’s repair programs page. The organization’s address is 841 Kaynyne St., Redwood City, CA 94063. The phone number is 650-366-6597.
San Mateo County residents can sign up for emergency alerts at smcalert.info, dial 2-1-1 for help with utilities and housing, and check weather and flood warnings at weather.gov/mtr.
