How to prepare your home for La Niña

For the last three years, Australia has been deluged with record-breaking rainfall thanks to an unlucky string of La Niña weather events. As a result, home insurance premiums surged as providers tried to offset billions worth of damages, as shown in Mozo’s latest insurance report.

So is La Niña a risk this year? And if so, how can you prepare your home?

Spanish for ‘the little girl’, La Niña is a weather phenomenon where elevated trade winds draw cold water up from the deep Pacific Ocean. This cools surface temperatures and shifts the atmosphere, causing colder, wetter weather in eastern and northern Australia. This can lead to floods on the east coast and deeper snowfall in alpine regions.

La Niña has created intense rainfall across Australia’s northeast for the past three years. The floods resulted in billions of dollars of damage to homes, businesses, and agriculture. 

At the moment, however, the Australia Bureau of Meteorology reports that conditions are in El Niño. This could lead to a hot and dry summer, rather than a humid and wet one.

Because of this, Australia is not currently experiencing La Niña and isn’t likely to for a few years. Homeowners can rest assured that flood risks will be relatively low this winter, spring, and summer.

Floods can be dangerous and costly natural disasters whether you’re a homeowner or a renter. Even though we’re not likely to have La Niña flooding again for some time, it’s still important to mitigate risks and review your home and contents insurance coverage.

Here’s a checklist of steps to take before La Niña. 

1. Review your insurance policy. Consider investing in home and contents coverage to protect your belongings. If you already have a policy, read the product disclosure statement to understand your level of flood coverage. If it’s inadequate, consider upgrading or switching policies to increase your coverage. Pay attention to what your insurance provider claims counts as a flood. Most providers only cover floods if the water overflows from a river, lake, or dam, so your claim may be rejected if rain wells in your backyard. If you are close to the ocean, check your coverage for high tides, erosion, and actions of the sea.
2. Understand the risks in your area. Every home has different flood and snowfall risks, depending on the location, geography, and design. Run your home through an insurance checklist to see if your elevation and proximity to water sources could increase your risk of flood and snow damage. 
3. Enhance your home’s flood resilience. If relevant, consider landscaping around your home to increase its flood protection and resilience. This may include building a retaining wall or ways for water to escape during heavy rainfall. If your home experiences winter snow, keep your driveways clear and maintain your vehicle with anti-freeze and snow tires.
4. Clean mould and keep your home ventilated. La Niña humidity can create a lovely environment for black mould to develop. Mould can be a health hazard and isn’t covered by home insurance, so make sure to keep your home dry, well-ventilated, and mould-free. Most moulds will wipe away easily with household cleaning sprays. 
5. Create a flood or blizzard safety plan. Your family’s safety is most important, so if you haven’t already done so, create a safety plan for floods and/or blizzards, depending on your area. This may include stocking extra supplies and planning escape routes and rendezvous points. Include hotels where you can easily stay and prepare a ‘go bag’ that you can grab when leaving in a hurry. The more decisions you make ahead of time, the better. 

Compare home & contents insurance in the table below.