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Even though the state’s reservoirs are full, climate experts worry California might be headed for another drought this summer. A recent issue of the U.S. Drought Monitor seems to confirm these fears and that means it’s time to take a serious look at conserving water.

“The outlook isn’t good,” said David Rizzardo, chief of snow surveys with the Department of Water Resources. He told the Fresno Bee , “One real concern of climate change is just this constant back and forth on the extremes. That makes water management extremely difficult.”

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, one-fifth of the state is experiencing a severe drought – the type of dry weather conditions seen only once every 10 to 20 years – including all of Kings County and large portions of Fresno, Kern, Madera, and Tulare counties . Another 24 percent of the state was experiencing a moderate drought when the report was compiled March 20, while every other part of the state, except its northern coast, is experiencing abnormally dry weather conditions.

Cutting back on your water usage is a good idea no matter what the weather is like. That’s because 20 percent of the state’s electricity and 30 percent of its natural gas is used to treat, transport, and use water, according to the California Public Utilities Commission .

Here are a few things you can do to conserve water and energy at the same time:

• Take shorter showers and turn the water off when you brush your teeth: Cutting the length of our shower by one to two minutes can help save five gallons of water each time while turning the water off when brushing your teeth can save three gallons of water.
• Clean your driveway with a broom instead of a hose: Sweeping any leaves, grass, or dirt that’s accumulated on your driveway can help save 100 gallons of water while helping you get some exercise and giving you a reason to spend some time outside.
• Water your lawn in the morning: Turning your sprinklers on before 8 a.m. can help you save 25 gallons of water each time you water the lawn. It reduces the amount of water lost through evaporation and makes sure your plants get every drop they need.

People who are truly serious about conserving water might want to do away with their lawns all together and switch to a xeriscape garden design that replaces grass and turf with drought-tolerant plants. This can help cut your water consumption by up to 30 percent according to the commission.

Finally, simple home upgrades and repairs like low-flow showerheads, high-efficiency toilets, and installing aerators on your kitchen and bathroom faucets, can go a long way toward reducing your water consumption. Simply fixing a leaky faucet can save up to 20 gallons of water each day.

Sources:

1. 1. “February has been bone dry. Has drought returned to California?”, The Fresno Bee
   2. U.S Drought Monitor (California)
   3. “Water Conservation Tips”, California Public Utilities Commission

Change your batteries when you change your clocks.

This simple reminder from CAL FIRE – that you should change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when you change your clocks at the beginning and end of daylight savings time – could very well save your life.

“Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms unquestionably help save lives, but they are nothing without working batteries inside of them,” Former State Fire Marshall Tonya Hoover said in a press release¹. “Just a few minutes twice a year to change that battery can truly mean the difference between life and death.”

The beginning and end of daylight savings time – which this year starts on March 11 and ends on November 4 – are also good times to make sure you have enough smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in your home and that they’re installed in the right place.

As a reminder:

Smoke alarms – Smoke alarms should be in every bedroom in your house, in every hallway leading to a bedroom, and on every other level of your home. Ceiling-mounted alarms should be at least four inches away from any wall and wall-mounted alarms should be four to 12 inches away from the ceiling. You should also avoid placing either alarm near drafty areas like windows and vents².

Carbon monoxide detectors – Carbon monoxide detectors should be placed outside every bedroom and on every level of your home, including the basement. Like smoke alarms, they should be tested regularly and kept clear of any dust or debris³.

Sources:

1. “Time Change Brings Reminder to Check Smoke Alarm Batteries,” CAL FIRE
2. “Smoke Alarms Help Save Lives,” CAL FIRE
3. “You CAN’T see or smell Carbon Monoxide, but it CAN Kill…,” CAL FIRE

If you’re reorganizing your house this winter, take a few moments to jot down a list of what you keep in your home and how much each item costs. This type of an inventory can be a huge help should something happen and you need to file a homeowner’s insurance claim to recover what you’ve lost.

“It helps to know what you have,” said Jerry Linscheid, general manager of Mennonite Insurance Services, which processes about 100 homeowner’s insurance and church insurance claims a year.

Linscheid said a home inventory – even if it’s just a series of pictures someone snapped with their phone – can come in handy because people don’t always remember everything they own after a tragedy. People also might not realize their silver set was stolen or damaged because it’s only used once or twice a year. Either one of these situations could force somebody to reopen their claim after it’s settled.

Linscheid recommends people update their inventories at the start of each year so the lists reflect any expensive gifts that may have come in over the holidays. The more details you have in your inventory the easier it will be to settle your claim.

By Mac McLean, freelance writer for Mennonite Insurance Services

Americans bought nearly $7 billion worth of gifts for their friends and loved ones this past Cyber Monday¹ and had them shipped across the country in boxes and envelopes at the click of a mouse.

And those packages – which could carry anything from a simple toy to the latest iPhone – are the perfect target for thieves if they arrive on their recipient’s front porch when he or she is not home.

“It’s an ongoing problem that we face,” said Fresno County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Botti². “People will follow the UPS truck and wait to see what gets dropped off.”

Nearly a third, or 31 percent of Americans, have personally experienced package theft according to a recent survey conducted by the Shorr Packaging Corporation³. This crime is so common that 41 percent of Americans said they’ve avoided ordering high value items like electronics when they shop online out of fears these items might get stolen.

But these statistics don’t mean people have to risk being the victims of theft if they want to get a package delivered to their door. The survey found 53 percent of Americans have changed their schedules so they’re home when a package arrives. Other tips to avoid package theft include:

Shipping the package to your place of work, a UPS store, a FedEx store, or another location where someone can watch over it until you pick it up,

Requesting a signature delivery option so the driver won’t leave a package at the recipient’s house unless someone signs for it, and

Leaving special instructions for the delivery person asking him or her to place the package on your back porch or another location that’s not easily visible from the road⁴.

Botti said asking your neighbors to look out for your packages and pick them up when they arrive is another common way to avoid theft. Many people have also installed security cameras over their front door to deter package thieves, he said.

“The awareness has definitely been heightened,” Botti said, adding more and more Fresno County residents are taking steps to keep their packages safe.

Sources:

1. “Cyber Monday sales set to hit $6.59 billion, the largest ever online sum for a U.S. shopping day,” CNBC.
2. Phone interview, Tony Botti with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office
3. “The 2017 Package Theft Report: Porch Pirates, Purchase Habits, and Privacy,” Shorr Packaging Corporation.
4. “Seven Tips for Keeping Your Packages Safe This Holiday Season,” FedEx Global Media

Do you live in an area impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma or Maria.  Are you sure?

The ripple effect can spread far and wide.

Houston alone has over 200,000 homes that need flood renovations. In addition, businesses need repairs. Almost every building in the Caribbean needs repairs. The Florida Keys were also impacted. There is damage from Texas to Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

Will there be a spike in costs as a result of imbalances between demand and supply? How much and for how long? For the next couple of months we expect no significant impact. Then over the next 6 to 18 months we expect to see an increase in costs in both labor and materials.

The economic conditions, new home market and demand for contractors before the storms were already inflating prices. This will further increase prices.