By Talia Kaplan

Lake St. Louis, MO (KSDK) - Along with farms, your foundation could take a hit from a heavy downpour as well. The drought opened gaps around basements that caused some foundations to crack.

Maryetta Rook and her family moved to Lake St. Louis from Las Vegas two years ago.

"In Las Vegas we were living in like the hundred year drought they were lucky if we got six or eight inches of rain a year and we moved here and in a month we would get six or eight inches of rain we never dreamed that two years later we would be living in a drought again," said Rooks.

She says the drought is damaging her home. Her house is sinking and cracking and contractors say it is because of the drought.

Maryetta says she's bracing herself for all the rain Isaac is expected to dump in our area.

"We don't have water leakage now, we don't have water damage now. We don't want to have that too on top of everything else," said Rooks.

"This cracking looks to be the result of settlement. Settlement happens from the drought that we have been going through this summer. The ground dries out and loses some of its bearing so it's pulling away and contracting from the foundation so now the foundation sinks," said Tim Warchol, a contractor with Woods Basement Systems.

He says the last time it rained he got several phone calls from people who all of a sudden experienced leaks in their homes. He says he's expecting to get inundated this weekend.

Warchol says one way you can get ready for the rain is by making sure your sub pump is working. You can do this by dumping water into the liner and checking to see if the motor is working.

"Another thing you can do to minimize the damage from the impending rain is to make sure your gutters are cleaned out and your down spots are running freely. They need to be extended at least ten feet away from the foundation because as the rain comes down you want all that water to get away from your foundation to minimize any chance of water getting into your basement," said Warchol.

He also says it wouldn't hurt to water the soil around your foundation right now.

"If you can close those cracks a little bit it could minimize the risk of you having mud in your basement," said Warchol.

He says if your home is in similar condition to Maryetta's it's time to call a contractor but, if you notice cracks in your home and you never had them before you are probably alright. However, you might want to call a contractor to assess the damage so that things don't get worse.

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