Editorial: Get ready for El Niño before it starts

For months we’ve been warned that the El Niño weather pattern that’s been heating up the Pacific is expected to deliver to the Southland a series of pounding rainstorms this winter — as in very soon.

We should all have been taking steps for the past several weeks to ensure our readiness for any potential damage our properties might be in for between now and late next spring. But maybe you’re not quite ready yet.

Chief among the necessary chores: make sure your rain gutters are cleared now, and frequently, during the next several months.

Explore other ways to channel rainwater away from your house to minimize damage. If you might need a sump pump, buy it this weekend and make sure it’s installed where it will do the most good.

Add protective mulch to areas of your yard that may have become nothing but barren dirt during our prolonged drought. This will help soak up the excess water and reduce the amount of mud you’ll have to deal with following each successive storm.

If you have the resources to purchase a power generator, you might want to do so, because you may be left without power if utilities are overwhelmed. Also, don’t forget to check your car’s tires, brakes and, of course, windshield wipers.

Make sure you know where to get sandbags in case you need them.

There are always those who are so harried they feel they don’t have the time to prepare for any kind of disaster. Or they just don’t have the will, perhaps because they have a much higher tolerance for risk than others.

We’d suggest to the laggers that the day has come. We’ve skated into this month with scant precipitation, but the window for extensive preparations will be shut before we know what hit us.

If you do not have flood insurance, this might be the year to consider it. On ElNinoReady.org you’ll find a handy link to FloodSmart.gov.

Once there, look for the bright red box that invites you to enter your address. Once that’s done, you’ll learn the level of flood danger in your neighborhood and be provided with a list of insurance agents you could contact for rates.

But keep in mind that flood insurance takes up to 30 days to kick in, so don’t wait until mid-January to start investigating.

This year, assuming the weather experts are correct, we are likely to experience record-breaking El Niño event. Instead of saving for the rainy days ahead, we’d suggest spending — time, effort and, yes, perhaps some money.