Drainage calls and restoration workloads increase amid El Niño

Tire Supply Network reports doubled sales of tire-stud setup kits

Heavy rains and floods made more likely and intense by El Niño have forced thousands from their homes in the Southwest, where several people have died, NPR reported. The report also documented a Northern California drainage company running more crews, a New Mexico restoration company with busy crews, doubled sales of metal tire-stud setup kits at Tire Supply Network and a Utah ski-season campaign based on a forecast of more snow.

NPR host Scott Detrow said, “It is a super El Niño year.” He said the natural climate pattern was shaking up winter weather across the country: some areas could be drier and warmer, while others could receive greater-than-average precipitation. Detrow said those differences were creating business opportunities, and reporter Ava Berger’s report examined the economics of El Niño.

Ava Berger said, “Business is booming, that is, in the sump pump worlds in places where El Niño is expected to disrupt weather patterns and bring heavy rains.” In Northern California, Armando Chan owns a drainage company. He said: “Right now, we are running a double of the crews what we used to run, and we’re trying to help as much homes that we can before the rains come.” Berger reported that Chan’s company was getting 50 to 60 calls a day, compared with its average of 10.

In Farmington, New Mexico, Thomas Donaldson, co-owner of Redemption Restoration and Cleaning, described a bedroom: “That is a bedroom with - that’s just all mud. But I don’t think I’ll ever see something like this ever in my lifetime here.” Berger said Donaldson and his crews had been really busy, especially Oliver, a certified mold-sniffing German Shepherd trained to find mold that grows behind damp walls, and that the dog was booked up solid. On the recorded occasion, Donaldson said: “After lunchtime, he just wants to lay down and not really work. He’s just like, no, I’m good. But he’s got to go to work today.”

Tire Supply Network, a national tire-parts supplier based in California, reported that the sale of metal tire stud setup kits had doubled compared with last year. Berger described tire studs as cleats for car wheels to use in the snow. In an archived recording, social media manager Christopher Littlejohn said: “Because the first storm is a bad time to realize you’re not ready. And if you’re not ready, Tire Supply Network has your back.”

The company’s YouTube advertisement used local news stories to raise the alarm about potential bad weather. In the archived recording, an unidentified voice said, “…Strongest El Niños ever recorded.” Another unidentified voice said, “El Niño is back.” Littlejohn also appeared in the ad, saying, “That’s not El Niño. That’s El Hombre.”

Berger said El Niño also works as an advertising strategy. Shari Freeman is a property-damage attorney in central Florida who represents homeowners in insurance disputes, and on her website she was offering free insurance claim reviews. Parts of Florida were expected to see some of the highest levels of precipitation during the El Niño year, and rain had already started in some areas. Freeman said: “Personally, I think, you know, Floridians are generally a little lax with El Niños just because, you know, they’re like, oh, it means no hurricanes. But, you know, it’s definitely something that we need to be vigilant about.”

Forecasters predicted El Niño could bring more snow to areas of the Southwest and southern U.S. Berger said Nathan Rafferty, who promotes Utah’s ski resorts, had found that El Niño made for a great campaign slogan, even though the midterms were over. He said: “Vote super El Niño in ‘26, ‘27, the greatest snow on Earth. It’s a candidate we can all get behind.” Berger reported that the slogan began as a joke to get people excited about the coming ski season, but it had caught on and appeared on yard signs and T-shirts in and around Salt Lake City. Rafferty said: “The yard signs are just really tongue in cheek. We are hoping for snowmageddon. Nothing would make me happier.”

Berger concluded, “An El Niño economy is real, and it’s just getting started.” Her reporting distinguished activity already visible in drainage calls, restoration work and tire-stud sales from the Utah campaign’s reliance on a forecast of possible snow.