The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and September is historically its most active stretch. Foundation Repair Baton Rouge isn’t a storm-prep company, but heavy tropical rain is one of the biggest short-term stresses on foundations here: it saturates clay, overwhelms downspouts and puts water right where it does the most damage. That risk is sharper this fall, when El Niño rain is forecast to hit drought-dry Baton Rouge clay.
Update, October 29, 2026: NOAA expected a quieter-than-average 2026 season. Its August 6 update put the odds of a below-normal season at 75% and called for 7 to 13 named storms, with two named storms (Arthur and Bertha) as of that update at that point. Tropical Storm Bertha came ashore in southeastern Louisiana on July 22 with 45 mph winds. Meanwhile Baton Rouge has gone dry: WAFB’s October 20 forecast saw no rain for the next seven days. A quiet storm season does not mean a safe one for the slab, because the next downpour lands on soil that has had weeks to dry out. The section below is what to do now.
Here’s a checklist worth running before the next named storm.
Gutters and downspouts
- Clear gutters and downspouts of leaves and pine straw.
- Make sure every downspout discharges well away from the house — ideally into a buried solid line to the street or a low point, not a splash block at the slab.
- Reattach any extensions that the mower knocked off.
Grading
- Soil should slope away from the foundation. Low spots against the slab hold water for days after a big rain.
- Pull back mulch and beds that are mounded above the slab edge or against the brick.
Crawl spaces (raised homes)
- Check that crawl-space vents and access doors are intact.
- Look for areas where water ponds under the house after rain, and plan to fix the grading that sends it there before choosing between a crawl space vapor barrier and full encapsulation.
Before and after the storm
- Before: photograph cracks and door fit. It gives you a baseline.
- After: check for water that stood against the foundation, erosion at the slab edge, and any new cracks or doors that changed.
What to do in November while the ground is dry
The season officially ends November 30 (NOAA), but fall and winter fronts still bring heavy rain to Louisiana. A dry spell is the cheapest time to fix drainage because you can see exactly where water will go and nothing is muddy.
| Task | Why do it now |
|---|---|
| Run a hose at each downspout for five minutes and watch where the water goes | Shows whether it runs away from the house or back toward the slab, before real rain tests it |
| Look for gaps between the soil and the slab or brick edge | Dry clay pulls back from the foundation; fill and regrade so rain sheds off rather than into the gap |
| Photograph and measure any crack, with a date | Gives you a baseline to compare after the first big rain; see foundation cracks after drought |
| Mark ponding spots with flags after the next rain | Tells you where a French drain, swale or regrade belongs |
| Check that flood insurance is in force before the next storm | A new NFIP policy generally has a 30-day wait |
Insurance reminders
Homeowners policies exclude flood; flood insurance is separate, and a new NFIP policy usually has a 30-day waiting period before it takes effect — so it can’t be bought as a storm approaches. FEMA now sells NFIP flood insurance online, which makes buying ahead easier. Both flood and homeowners policies generally exclude settlement and earth movement. See does flood insurance cover foundation damage.
If drainage around your house is sending water toward the slab, foundation drainage is usually the cheapest foundation protection there is. Where a strip of yard stays soggy after the grading is fixed, our guide on how to install a French drain in Baton Rouge clay covers the outlet, slope and distance from the slab. If you’re deciding between a buried drain and an open channel, see French drain vs swale in Baton Rouge clay.