Making Sure Homes Are Ready For El Niño

NORCO (CBSLA.com) – El Niño is here. Is your house equipped for the rain?

Linda Fuentes' Rancho Cucamonga home was not. She realized she got a leak inside her home Tuesday morning when "I discovered that my wall is bubbled all the way down, and I had water on the floor," she said.

Shara Speake's home in Norco also had a leaky roof. "My son was actually on his top bunk cleaning the bed off and noticed things were falling on his head, and it happened to the ceiling and obviously water damage over time just made the ceiling crack," Speake said.

Roofers were extra busy Tuesday working leak calls.

If you have a tile roof that is 10 to 25 years old, experts suggest you have it checked for any broken tiles.

"It cracks and breaks real easily and usually there are just small fractures when the house is built. But in time, the tiles separate and start giving people problems," said Mitch Dalton of PRS Roofing.

Freshhome.com says catching a leak on your roof early saves time and money and suggests hiring a professional roofer to fix it.

The website advises homeowners not to climb up to the roof themselves because the roofing material is fragile and they could accidentally crack an already precious seal.