Drought conditions are worsening in the Rio Grande Valley.

The latest drought map shows extreme drought conditions in a majority of Cameron County, with the rest of the Valley experiencing some form of drought.

These conditions are causing problems for some homes.

Crews are currently working to repair the foundation of Jamie Belmontes’ McAllen home.

"We started to see cracks around the left side of the wall and we started hearing squeaking on the doors," Belmontes said.

Belmontes home was built in the late 1990s. She said cracks appeared just days ago, and she initially tried fixing them herself.

"I just went ahead, taped it and painted it, and it ended up from one side all the way to the other side. So, just more money to waste," Belmontes said.

That's when she called in the experts to take a look before the problems got worse.

"We have very clay-composite soil in the Valley. So when it rains a lot, all the ground does is it expands, and it gets bigger, but consistent droughts, like it just shrinks, goes back down. All that does over time creates voids and cavities," Aztec House Leveling Company Project Manager Tyler Alexander said.

Alexander said foundation issues like the one at Belmontes’ home are becoming increasingly common due to the dry weather. The company has received 100 more calls for foundation repairs this summer compared to the same time last year.

"We are having a lot of these concrete foundation they are starting to go out of whack. They are starting to settle just because of the constant weight of the load, everything like that being tied into the foundation," Alexander said.

Tell-tale signs of foundation issues include cracked walls, floors, or ceilings, doors that won't close properly, and uneven surfaces — problems that rapidly worsen if ignored.

"If you leave it long enough, it can affect your roof and your plumbing. The foundation is the heart of your home, so if it's left unattended, it can affect everything," Alexander said.

Aztec House Leveling recommends foundation inspections once a year.

The average cost to repair a home's foundation could be up to $20,000. It's a cost Belmontes is all too familiar with.

"With the way the economy is, it causes a lot more stress and more having to worry about, from a couple hundred dollars to now a couple thousand dollars. It causes a big stress level on it," Belmontes said.

But she knows it has to be done.

Watch the video above for the full story.