RAMCON Roofing

El Niño: A Continued Presence

On July 9, 2009, scientists at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (www.NOAA.gov) have announced the arrival of El Niño, a climate phenomenon with a significant influence on global weather, ocean conditions and marine fisheries. El Niño, the periodic warming of central & eastern tropical Pacific waters, is expected to persist through this winter of 2009 and into the beginning of 2010. El Niño’s negative impacts have including damaging winter storms throughout Florida and across the southern United States. On the positive side, El Niño can typically help bring beneficial winter rain that our area doesn’t receive.

So what can you do to ensure that your property is protected?

First, get a roof inspection. It's easy to forget about your roof when it’s not Hurricane Season, but when leaks occur, you remember. Florida winters are extremely damaging to your roof because our extreme temperature chances, such as an 80º afternoon, a heavy rain and followed by a 40º morning. This expansion and contraction is destruction to the roofing system.

Second, check your drainage system. Debris and vegetation in your roof drainage system can cause it to backup, leak and create a dangerous weight load on the structure of your roof.

Third, consider getting your trees trimmed. Inspect trees on your property for potential hazards, like limbs that brush up against houses, or cracked branches that could break and fall during a storm.

For more information on El Niño, how you can be prepared and up to the minute monitoring, visit our El Niño homepage at www.ramconllc.com/elnino.htm