Droughts in Pennsylvania

8/12/2020 (Permalink)

Droughts can cause cracks in the soil and your foundation.

We normally associated storm damage to flooding, high winds, and hail.  What we forget, is that no storms can create issues for you and your property, too! On the other end of the scale if you don’t have rain or water for days, weeks, or months, then your community can go into a drought.   The main effects of drought are actually something you would never think of - flooding.   When a drought occurs all of the moisture dries up causing clay heavy soil to shrink.  This means the foundation that your home is build on begins to shift and crack from the changing movement.  In turn, your foundation is not able to withstand the force of the movement and may start to crack under pressure.  These cracks are silent and won’t effect you during the drought.  Only until the drought is over and your area begins to bring rain will you discover the cracks to your foundation.  From there water can entire your home causing the cracks to erode and make bigger openings.  From there you can have moisture entering your home causing mold and even worse full blown flood.