{"id":480464,"date":"2026-09-30T13:06:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T13:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/480464\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T13:06:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T13:06:17","slug":"a-long-beach-renters-guide-to-el-nino-long-beach-post-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/480464\/","title":{"rendered":"A Long Beach renter\u2019s guide to El Ni\u00f1o\u00a0 \u2022 Long Beach Post News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Long Beach has already gotten a preview<\/a> of what this year\u2019s super El Ni\u00f1o could bring<\/a> to the region: severe rain, flooding and large swells with the potential to damage property<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But what does that mean for renters, who make up nearly 60% of the city\u2019s occupied housing units, according to census data? Experts recommend talking to your landlord now and taking preemptive action to protect yourself and your personal property before storms arrive.<\/p>\n

Weatherproof your property before the storm<\/p>\n

Liz Castro, program manager for the Fair Housing Foundation<\/a>, advises tenants to look for gaps that could allow water in, especially near windows and sliding doors. \u201cSome people have even gone as far as taking a hose and kind of shooting it at the window\u201d to identify infiltration routes, she said.<\/p>\n

Even if you don\u2019t go that far, if you see leaks or roof damage, document the issues and alert your landlord now, so there\u2019s time to fix them before the deluge, she said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a good opportunity to test the heater, she said, because \u201ca lot of tenants find out that the heater is not working when they go to turn it on.\u201d Notify your landlord now before the weather cools off and demand for heater repairs increases, she said.<\/p>\n

Send all communications to your landlord or property manager in writing, she added. It helps if you frame your requests to your landlord as improvements that will help them protect their own property, she advised.<\/p>\n

More: Easy ways to prepare<\/a> before El Ni\u00f1o storms hit Long Beach<\/p>\n

Leading up to heavy rains, secure any outdoor furniture, grills, plants and air conditioning units, she said.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re particularly worried about flooding, you can pick up sandbags, available at select locations<\/a> before storms, she said.<\/p>\n

Indoors, tenants should move items that are valuable or easily damaged away from windows, exterior walls and possible leak areas, said Paul Barragan Monge, who helps oversee housing and tenant protections at the Los Angeles Department of Consumer and Business Affairs.<\/p>\n

Secure insurance coverage<\/p>\n

Though landlords are responsible for the building, renters are largely responsible for their personal property, Barragan Monge said. One of the best ways to make sure you\u2019re protected is buying renters insurance if you don\u2019t yet have it and reviewing your policy if you do, he said.<\/p>\n

Check to see whether personal property and loss of use coverage are included in your policy, he said. You can also call an insurance agent to ask what protection is offered in the event of a flood, Castro added. Be sure to take photo and video inventory of your items and their condition for evidence, in case you need to file a claim later, Barragan Monge said.<\/p>\n

Standard renters insurance does not protect against flooding, so if you\u2019re concerned, you may want to consider flood insurance for personal property, even as a renter. (You can check the Long Beach floodplain maps here<\/a>.) Renters can use a tool through the National Flood Insurance Program to get quotes on policies here<\/a>. Note that flood insurance typically goes into effect 30 days after your purchase, according to the NFIP<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Be sure to review your lease, which can include important information about what is and isn\u2019t protected and what action to take in the event of damage, Barragan Monge said.<\/p>\n

In the event of damage<\/p>\n

If your property is damaged during a storm, immediately document it with photos (as long as it is safe), alert your landlord in writing and request repairs, Castro said.<\/p>\n

Under California law, all renters are protected by the implied warranty of habitability, \u201cthe right to live in a home that is safe and in livable condition for the duration of their tenancy,\u201d Barragan Monge said.<\/p>\n

That means that if your unit sustains severe damage that jeopardizes safety, your landlord is generally required to address the problem promptly, he said.<\/p>\n

Demonstrate a good faith effort to get your landlord to make those repairs \u2014 and document your efforts with videos, photos, email and texts, Castro said. But if you\u2019re faced with unresponsiveness, consider reaching out to the city\u2019s bureaus of code enforcement<\/a> or environmental health<\/a>, Castro said.<\/p>\n

Bureau inspectors can document unsafe conditions and identify violations, which gives tenants something to \u201chang their hat on\u201d if they eventually decide to pursue legal action.<\/p>\n

Additional resources<\/p>\n

For further information and support, Castro and Barragan Monge recommend tenants reach out to Long Beach Residents Empowered<\/a>, a local tenants rights group. Eligible tenants navigating housing instability after a natural disaster can apply for the city\u2019s renter aid program<\/a>, which opens applications during certain windows.<\/p>\n

If tenants are considering legal action, they can reach out to BASTA<\/a>, the Legal Aid Foundation<\/a> or the county\u2019s small claims court advisors<\/a>. (The advisors can coach tenants about the process but cannot represent them in court.)<\/p>\n

Anything we missed?<\/p>\n

What resources have been helpful for you that you\u2019d want to share with our audience? Email me at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Long Beach has already gotten a preview of what this year\u2019s super El Ni\u00f1o could bring to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":480465,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[8323,10648,131,133,132],"class_list":["post-480464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-disaster-preparedness","tag-el-nino","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=480464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/480465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}