First Quality Roofing & Insulation knows full well the damage a monsoon can cause a home. But our customers' safety always comes first. It's always safer to be indoors during a monsoon. But you may be caught off-guard and find yourself on the road when one sweeps through town. Allow First Quality prepare you for both scenarios.

Understand the Threat

If you're new to Las Vegas, you may not know a monsoon is more than a single event that brings sheets of rain. AccuWeather calls it a “shift in wind direction seasonally that can impact weather” – and therefore bring torrential rain, flash flooding and frequent lightning strikes. 

"It's a completely unreliable force of nature," Sgt. Thomas Fletcher of Metro Search & Rescue told Las Vegas NOW. "There's no predictability to it."

Be Prepared Indoors 

In Las Vegas, monsoon season begins in July and can last through August, which means residents may have some tense moments ahead if their electricity is cut off. If you have a generator, now is a good time to ensure it is in good working order and is positioned at least 20 feet away from doors and windows so it stays dry.

With or without a generator, take the time to assemble supplies that will serve you well during a power outage, including:

• A first aid kit

• A battery-powered radio and extra batteries (so you can stay apprised of weather reports)

• Flashlights and extra batteries

• Electric candles (since regular candles can pose a fire hazard)

• Plenty of bottled water (the Red Cross recommends enough to last every person three days)

• Non-perishable food (and a manual can opener) and snacks

• Blankets

• An extra set of clothes and durable shoes for every family member

• Medications and personal hygiene items

To protect the food in your refrigerator and freezer during a power outage, set the temperatures to the lowest settings. Food in the refrigerator should be safe for about four hours; food in the freezer should last about 48 hours. Keep both doors closed as much as possible to preserve the cool air and reduce the chance of food spoilage.

“Turn around, don't drown!”: National Weather Service

Flash flooding is an urgent concern in Las Vegas since it is a largely urban area covered widely with concrete and asphalt. There are fewer grassy places for rain water to soak in, so streets can flood quickly. No one wants to be behind the wheel of a car during a monsoon, but you probably want to get home quickly, too. Get there safely by:

• Avoiding unfamiliar roads

• Avoiding low-lying roads, viaducts and roads under bridges

• Turning around, promptly, when you see flooding ahead

“The single worst decision you can make in a flash flood is driving your vehicle into floodwaters of unknown depth,” the meteorologists at Weather.com say. “Once your vehicle is floating, the floodwater becomes your steering wheel.”

First Quality wants you and your family to stay safe during this unpredictable time of year. Once you ensure everyone is OK, be sure to inspect your home for damage. If you find any, or if your roof is leaking from all the rain, call us immediately for an appointment so we can take one big worry off your mind. At this time of year, we can all use that.