The DomiDocs Guide to Drought Preparedness

For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest that is sleeping in the unplowed ground.” – Lyndon B. Johnson

The challenges of living in a dry or desert climate are far outweighed by its natural beauty. But don’t let that beauty fool you into thinking there won’t be threats along the way, including unfortunate drought scenarios.

Are You Ready for This?

“Drought is a period of unusually persistent dry weather that persists long enough to cause serious problems such as crop damage and/or water supply shortages. The severity of the drought depends upon the degree of moisture deficiency, the duration, and the size of the affected area,” according to Weather.gov, a division of the National Weather Service (NWS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Drought Stats

During the past two decades, western American states have experienced some of the driest conditions ever recorded. NASA advises that drought is naturally part of the Earth’s climate cycle, but due to climate change causing warmer temperatures, droughts are now more “frequent, severe, and pervasive.” Every 30 days, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center provides a 1- and 3-month Drought Outlook that forecasts if drought conditions will stay the same, emerge, or get better.

Other states regularly affected by drought include California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Drought.gov also advises about cascading hazards – where one disaster triggers, coincides, interacts, or cascades with another – potentially creating further natural disasters such as floods and wildfires. A 2014 study on the Economic Impacts of Drought by Albertawater.com cites that, “Drought also has an adverse impact on different sectors, such as agriculture, energy production, tourism, and recreation.” Drought can also cause health problems related to dust and substandard drinking water quality.

There are 646 counties across America

that are designated drought areas by the USDA.

How DomiDocs Can Help You Navigate Through a Disaster

The key to weathering any natural disaster is preparation—knowledge and organization are your best tools. As a homeowner, taking proactive steps to protect your family and property before disaster strikes is essential. The secure, award-winning DomiDocs Homeowner Enablement Platform® helps you stay prepared by allowing you to:

Create a detailed home inventory – Upload receipts, photos, and videos documenting your home’s condition and contents to ensure an accurate record for insurance purposes.
Store and manage essential insurance documents – Use the Insurance Bundle feature to securely organize policies, including company details, coverage, cost, and policy start and end dates. A calendar timeline provides quick reference, and with one click, you can share documents with your insurance agent when filing a claim.
Prepare for and recover quickly from any disasters – Ensure quick and easy access to critical homeownership and insurance documents before and after a natural disaster. Use the Disaster Bundle to safely store everything from insurance policies and mortgage information to your home inventory list, photos & videos and emergency vendors—allowing you to recover faster when you need it most.
Stay ready for emergencies – Keep all your most important documents—such as IDs, medical records, financial statements, and emergency contacts—securely stored and instantly accessible. The Digital Go Bundle ensures you have everything you need in one place, whether you’re evacuating or managing post-disaster recovery.
Follow expert homeowner guidance – Access the comprehensive DomiDocs New Homeowner Guide, which offers best practices to help prevent insurance claims and keep your home in top condition.

By leveraging these tools, you’ll have the critical information you need at your fingertips, making it easier to recover and rebuild after a disaster.

Drought Categories Defined

According to the National Weather Service, there are four different types of drought:

National Weather Service Drought Types
Agricultural Drought	Refers to the impacts on agriculture affected by lack of moisture, such as soil water or rainfall deficits, reservoir levels, and reduced groundwater
Hydrological Drought	Occurs when rainfall deficits affect groundwater tables, reservoir and lake levels, and stream flow
Meteorological Drought	Based on the degree of dryness or rainfall deficit, in conjunction with the length of the dry period
Socioeconomic Drought	Occurs when the demands for economic goods, such as fruits, grains, meat, and vegetables, exceed supply as a result of a weather-related deficit in water supply

Is There a Drought Season in America?

It’s hard to define a drought season in the US, as “Several weeks, months, or even years might pass before people know that a drought is occurring,” states the US Geological Survey (USGS). The NWS warns that with La Niña expecting to continue throughout the summer, drought conditions are likely to increase, with nearly 43% of the US, and almost 48% of the lower 48 states, currently being in drought. Notable historical droughts include:

1930’s Dust Bowl drought from July 1928 through May 1942
1950s drought from July 1949 through September 1957
early 21st-century drought from June 1998 through December 2014

The Basics of Drought Preparedness

In short, Ready.gov, Drought.gov, and the American Red Cross states you should do the following basics:

Before a Drought, Take the Time to:
Determine your personal drought risk.	Do you live in a drought-prone zone? Drought is typically a slow-onset disaster that can have far-reaching effects on a community or region for months or years to come. Check to see if your community has an active drought hazard mitigation plan in place. The NASA US Drought Monitor provides information about water availability to help farmers prepare for drought conditions, so they can determine what and where to feed their livestock.
Know your drought resources.	Drought.gov advises there are four key components to a drought early warning system you can utilize: Drought Observation & Monitoring FEMA: Resilience Analysis & Planning Toos USGS: Waterwatch National Drought Mitigation Center: Monitoring Tools Drought Planning & Preparedness National Drought Mitigation Center: Drought Planning American Water Works Association: Drought Preparedness and Response Manual Drought Prediction & Forecasting US Monthly Drought Outlook US Seasonal Drought Outlook Drought Communication & Outreach National Hazards Center National Drought Mitigation Center: Drought Plans by State International City/County Management Association: 15 Resources to Managing a Drought
Develop an evacuation plan.	Even though drought is considered a slow-onset disaster, more imminent cascading disasters can occur as a result of drought including flooding and wildfires, so you’ll need to be prepared for whatever natural disaster that may come your way. Every member of your family needs to know what your homeowner evacuation plan is. Where will you go? How will you get there? What optional evacuation routes will you have if your initial choice is blocked? Where will you stay? Knowing these basics in advance can help stem panic during an actual natural disaster situation. Have a to-go bag in place with all the supplies you’ll need, including items for your pets. If you’ll need assistance in traveling, you’ll need to confirm with someone in advance. And be sure to follow any evacuation orders that have been issued. As a family, discuss how you can help your neighbors during a natural disaster by checking in or helping them evacuate as well. Be sure to download the American Red Cross Emergency app.
Assemble disaster supplies for your family members and your pets.	The American Red Cross recommends gathering 2 emergency supply kits: A Go-Kit: with a 3-day supply of items you can carry with you, including chargers for your devices (cell phone, wheelchair, CPAP, etc.) and backup batteries; as well as non-perishable food, water, and medications. Cash is also important to have on hand as ATMs may not be working/accessible. A Stay-at-Home Kit: with a 2-week supply of the above items. NOAA recommends adding the following to round out your emergency disaster supply kits, where applicable: masks, disinfecting wipes, and hand sanitizer non-prescription medicine such as antacids, anti-diarrhea, and pain relievers contact lens solution/prescription eyeglasses baby bottles, formula, wipes, diapers, and diaper rash cream feminine hygiene supplies sleeping bags/blankets a change of clothing for each family member, including sensible footwear fire extinguisher matches in a fireproof container mess kit with plates, utensils, cups, and paper towels activities for kids like puzzles, games, or books
Review/update your homeowner insurance policy.	It’s estimated that 40% of Americans can’t find an important household document when needed, so the first step is to upload your vital household documents to our user-friendly digital platform, so there’s easy access 24/7/365. Secondly, reassess your homeowner policy to ensure you have the best coverage to fit your needs. Compare the cost and coverage that you have in place, to what else is available from your current insurer and other companies. If there have been any major additions to your home and/or contents in the last year, it’s time to review your homeowner insurance policy to ensure it’ll cover your new additions. Homeowner insurance doesn’t cover flooding, so you’ll need to purchase a separate policy for it; note that there’s a 30-day waiting period before flood insurance takes effect. Consider purchasing crop and livestock insurance
Make your home disaster-resistant.	Depending on where you live across America, insurance companies may reward your efforts in making your home disaster-resistant by offering discounted homeowner insurance premiums. Think storm shutters, reinforced roofing with hurricane clips/materials, and sump pumps. Upgraded plumbing systems can lessen the risk of water damage.
Have supplies on hand to make emergency repairs.	In case of flooding or wildfires, such supplies can include plastic sheeting, tarps, sandbags, and/or plywood, plus the necessary tools to apply these to your home like a staple gun and/or duct tape
Complete a written disaster plan.	Now that you’ve got everything in place, there’s no better way to solidify it than by making a written plan, which should include regularly practicing your escape route, and maintaining your disaster prep plan supplies by replacing expired items. Ensure your plan includes a contact list, with at least one contact who lives outside the impacted area; share your disaster plan with family and friends.
Take the time to emergency life-saving skills.	The American Red Cross recommends that adults and kids around nine learn first aid and CPR skills.

When a Drought is Happening:
Adhere to your community/state water restrictions, which may limit hours or prohibit water use entirely. These restrictions can apply to sprinkler systems/watering lawns or washing vehicles.
Follow indoor water conservation tips: once cooled, reuse water from boiling vegetables to water your garden or indoor plants check your water meter to see if your home is leak-free by taking a reading of the meter, waiting for a half-hour without using any water, then taking another reading. If the meter reading changes, your home has a water leak repair/replace any dripping faucets as one drop per second turns into 2,700 gallons of wasted water annually; install aerators with flow restrictions throughout your home check your bathroom for toilet leaks (by adding food coloring to the tank, waiting for a half-hour to see if any color appears in the bowl; can usually be fixed by replacing the flapper unit); taking shorter showers; using an ultra-flow shower head; don’t run the water when washing your face, shaving, or brushing your teeth; switch to low-volume toilets; don’t take water-wasting baths in your kitchen, only run the dishwasher when it’s full; if you’re waiting for water to get hot or cold, capture it for other uses; garbage disposals in sinks use a lot of water, consider a compost pile instead when doing laundry, always do a full load or be sure to set the level to the size of your load choose new appliances that are water/energy efficient so you’re not wasting water unnecessarily
Follow outdoor water conservation tips: if you have a water well, check your pump for leaks if you wash your car, turn off the hose so water flows only as needed, and park your car on the lawn so it gets watered as you’re washing; or consider using a commercial car wash that actively recycles water lawns only need to be watered every five to seven days during summer, and 10 to 14 days in the winter; if it rains heavily, your grass could be good to go to for nearly two weeks; watering in short sessions instead of one long session increase absorption keeping your lawn mowed to about three inches in height helps to hold soil moisture and encourages grass roots to grow deeper; don’t over-fertilize as it feeds the need for water; plant drought-resistant lawn seed if your home has a pool, install a water-saving pool filter; cover when not in use to help reduce water evaporation planting native shrubs, grasses, and trees means less watering; using mulch helps to retain moisture around plants and trees while controlling weeds so it’s a win-win
Attend public water conservation meetings held by your local government or utility companies
Patronize businesses that support water conservation, including eateries that only supply water on request
Ensure that every member of your household understands the importance of water conservation year-round, especially during a drought

Navigating Insurance Claims: What Every Homeowner Should Know

When you’re facing the aftermath of a natural disaster, working with your insurance company is an inevitable part of the recovery process. DomiDocs® CEO and Founder, William McKenna advises homeowners to carefully review their insurance company’s initial settlement offer, as it may not fully cover all damages. Many experts recommend assessing the offer to ensure it aligns with your policy coverage.

What should you do? Access your personal profile on the DomiDocs® home management platform to easily submit your documented receipts, photos, and videos to your insurance adjuster with just one click. Before accepting a settlement, take the time to consider all potential losses, including missed wages, medical expenses (both current and future), vehicle repairs, and any other damages. Being thorough can help ensure you receive the full coverage you’re entitled to under your policy.

DomiDocs has your back! Whether it’s a hurricane, tornado, flood, or fire, the DomiDocs Resouce Page: How To File An Insurance Claim is here to guide you through the claims and recovery process.

Take Control of Your Homeownership Journey with DomiDocs®

Managing your home shouldn’t be stressful. DomiDocs® empowers homeowners with innovative technology, expert guidance, and unparalleled organization—all within a secure, cloud-based platform. From protecting your property and finances to streamlining essential tasks, our tools help you save time, reduce expenses, mitigate costly risks, and maximize your home’s value.

Explore the DomiDocs suite of solutions:

Homeowner Enablement Platform® – A centralized, digital hub for organizing documents, tracking home value, and managing property details effortlessly.
HomeLock™ – Protects your home from fraud and title theft with 24/7 monitoring and instant alerts.
TrueValueIndex® – Provides real-time insights into your home’s value to help you make informed financial decisions.
propRtax® – Identifies potential property tax savings and ensures you’re not overpaying.
Documenting for Disaster® – Securely stores critical homeownership documents, ensuring quick access before and after a disaster.

Join the home management revolution today and experience the confidence that comes with having everything you need in one place.

Author – Connie Motz

The DomiDocs Guide to Drought Preparedness

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