Six out of every seven TX flood victims did NOT have flood insurance. (Tampa: credit, new home)

[Avalon08]

Originally Posted by davephan

We love SW Florida, but the more we think about the risk of hurricanes and flooding, we're thinking again about central Florida, closer to Orlando, between Tampa and Orlando, on higher ground. Of course, there's a chance of localized flooding, but historically, the hurricanes weakened by the time they get to Orlando. In example of the risks for hurricanes, Disney World has closed only 3 times, all in anticipation of hurricanes: Sept. 15, 1999, for Floyd; Sept. 4-5, 2004, for Frances; and Sept. 26 of that same year for Jeanne.You may be forced to evacuate if you live too close to the coast. This could happen if the hurricane hits, misses, or changes directions. You risk evacuating multiple times per year. If you're lucky, there won't be hurricanes for years. But luck doesn't last forever!

But we prefer SW Florida over central Florida, where the pace of life is slower. But not worrying as much about hurricanes would give peace of mind. You also have to decide if you want no restrictions, deeded restrictions, or a gated community, with even more restrictions. At first, we wanted no restrictions. But things are different in Florida than the upper mid-west. In the unrestricted areas, you'll have many nice homes, and an occasional trashy home. The trashy home might have trailers, RVs, boats, many dead cars, old refrigerators, old water heaters, old toilets, and other junk decorating their front lawns. The lawn might be tall weeds or bare dirt. The home might be poorly maintained. The trashy homes, next to the nicely maintained homes lower your property values, makes it hard to sell in the future, and seems to invite more risk of criminal activity. In the upper mid-west, people take pride in their homes and it's rare see a trashy home next to nice homes.

We hate the restrictions we'd have to live under, limiting our gardening of fruit trees, vegetables, and flowers. But you need to think about how the restrictions are a way to protect you for the low-level people who think it's acceptable to live in a trashy house and drink beer while watching TV all day. The gated communities are even nicer. The homes are more consistent with each other, and there are generally less crime problems.

We plan on having a strong room, or shelter installed as a place of refuge from tornadoes, hiding in a bathtub from a tornado is not very wise, when you could have done some thinking ahead to have a real solution for the problem. We also plan to install a whole house propane powered electric generator, and add a couple of spit air-conditioners to back up the central air conditioning, in case it fails in the future. The split air conditioning could also be used when we don't need to cool the whole house. After living with a two-stage central air conditioning system, we might want change out the single-stage central air conditioning. The two-stage central air conditioning alternates between cooling and dehumidification, which lowers the humidity better without making the air temperature too cold.

Seriously, do you think everyone who lives in a coastal area in FL has to evacuate several times a year? You do realize how much coastline FL has? I am not trying to jinx anything, but my Mom lived here since '97, five miles from Anna Maria Island, and never had to evacuate. Have you checked out the map of hurricane landfalls in SW Florida?

[BucFan]

Originally Posted by macyny

We are not in a flood zone. Never saw the street flood before. Was really shocked. Thinking the storm drains were clogged or something, but not sure why the street flooded like that.
I'm thinking, flood insurance might not be a bad idea!

that would be the most common scenario for flooding in my community - sewer infrastructure backing up .....we get the exact same thing on my street....

[MaryleeII]

Just chiming in here from Texas!

We were not affected by this last hurricane, since we live more in the Central Region. We used to live in Houston years ago. We have always carried flood insurance, even though we have never lived in a flood plain. What a lot of people don't realize is, a flood, at least as defined for insurance purposes, is rising water, as opposed to falling water -- rain. We lived in one house in Houston where the flood plain started two houses down from us. Although not required to carry flood insurance, we did---that was a little too close for comfort!

We lived in Nevada -- out in the desert -- and were strongly advised to carry flood insurance, which we did. A flood in the desert? Yep, it can happen. The sandy, dry soil doesn't absorb a lot of rain at once, so, if there's a large rainstorm, which can happen there, and say the rain damages your roof, or wind blown rain causes damage to your walls, that is covered by homeowner's insurance. But, if the rain causes rising water because the soil can't absorb it, or there's debris blocking storm drainage tunnels, well, that's considered flood damage, which is NOT covered by homeowner's insurance.

Basically water damage is caused either by falling water--rain, or rising water, floods.

My home is my major asset, and my shelter from the world. Carrying insurance only makes sense.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by craigiri

I wonder how many Texans will just walk away, leaving the banks and mortgage companies with the bill? I think a lot will have to do so.

.

For those who have lost everything House/car/job and have no insurance walking away from it all seems the logical way to go..

[davephan]

Originally Posted by Avalon08

Seriously, do you think everyone who lives in a coastal area in FL has to evacuate several times a year? You do realize how much coastline FL has? I am not trying to jinx anything, but my Mom lived here since '97, five miles from Anna Maria Island, and never had to evacuate. Have you checked out the map of hurricane landfalls in SW Florida?

I agree that hurricanes have been rare events in the past 14 years. There are many stories about evacuation or at least preparation for hurricanes that weakened or change diections, and don't hit the areas. In those cases, the preparation was done for an event that didn't occur, but there would have been stress since the hurricanes could have hit.

I vaguely recall hearing a lot of stories on the national TV news several years ago about flooding in Florida, there were a lot of reports on TV at the time, I vaguely remember that it was in SW Florida near the coastline. That flooding wasn't due to a hurricane, but just due to several heavy rain events.

So, I'm not trying to imply that everyone along every coast of Florida has to evacuate multiple times every year, but there's more risk the closer you are to the coastline. You have to be OK with accepting that additional risk.

[loves2read]

Originally Posted by Travelassie

There used to be a poster here whose house was damaged/destroyed (can't remember which) in "superstorm Sandy who said that a condition of accepting a FEMA grant for rebuilding or repairs after a flood, a property owner was required from then on to purchase flood insurance annually. Apparently the grant had to be paid back in the event an owner failed to buy that flood insurance. She said this was FEMA policy, and I have no reason to think this would not be the case.

In this poster's case she said she lived in an area that had only within the previous year or two been declared a flood zone by FEMA, but she had not been notified of this change, probably because she had lived there for many years and had no mortgage on the house. For sure anyone with a mortgage would be notified by their mortgage holder about the new requirement to purchase flood insurance, but I'd think it's entirely probable that an owner whose property is not mortgaged would get no such notice, and might go years without realizing the change in the FEMA flood designation for that area.

Many, many of the 130+K homes with water in them were not in designated flood zones...the area had a year's worth of rain in 3-4 days...I don't know ANY area where flood control projects could have handled that amount of water--even Holland where they deal with flooding better than any where...

When FEMA changes flood zone areas there are public notices and public hearings but most people don't get involved...treat it as white noise from my experience. We have 2 homes in TX and 1 in FL...have been recepients of change in flood zones and gotten letter from our mortgage company re mandatory flood insurance.
FEMA makes decisions and rezones but my limited experience is that too much of what they do is statistical models vs physical, on ground investigation and thus, still prone to error...
We have home in Victoria TX where eye of Harvey went...we were lucky...husband's sister rents house from us. She is 85. Stayed bcuz intensity went up too late for her to drive out. No damage, no flooding..
Her son had vacation house in Rockport--totaled...

We have flood insurance on FL house but not on our main TX one...technically neither is in a "flood zone"...,
The problem is that trying to prove after a hurricane or other storm that the damage to your house came from the roof blowing off or from high water/flooding is an argument you can't win...
Plenty of people in Gulf Coast had that argument after Katrina and lost when they had no flood insurance...
Insurance companies tried to blame all damage on flooding to escape their responsibilities and tied people up in litigation until they gave up and settled.

Several models for Irma's path show LZ as Miami/south FL...
Miami could be another Houston...
I imagine there are people in Miami area w/o flood ins...

[LKJ1988]

Originally Posted by NCN

Have you priced flood insurance lately?

It's like 4000 smackers to insure homes worth under 50k in my area on the gulf. And it will keep going up 25% each year. I go bare blare.

[loves2read]

I dont know how flood ins rates are calculated
Someone on a Houston CD forum about Harvey said he bought flood policy this past wk--after Harvey hit--(and I think he said his house had flood damage) for $450

I couldnt believe that if he had flood damage

[sware2cod]

Originally Posted by davephan

... In the unrestricted areas, you'll have many nice homes, and an occasional trashy home. The trashy home might have trailers, RVs, boats, many dead cars, old refrigerators, old water heaters, old toilets, and other junk decorating their front lawns. The lawn might be tall weeds or bare dirt.

There are county and city ordinances already in place regarding most or all of the above items. They are enforced and the homeowner will be given notice to comply. If the homeowner doesn't comply within a set number of days, they are given fines which accumulate each day and eventually the county or city puts a lien on the home to cover the fines. For long grass or weeds, the city or county usually cuts it and then charges/fines the homeowner. Each of these rules depends on which city or county the property resides.

[sware2cod]

Originally Posted by NCN

Have you priced flood insurance lately?

Yes. It can be reasonable(under $1000) for properties that are built to current FEMA height, or higher, with discounts for each foot higher in elevation. There are many variables - the flood zone, the required building height minimum per FEMA, the way the home was built (pilings, piers, flow-throughs vents, break away walls, stemwall, etc), the actual building height of the property that's insured.

Also impacting the premium are: the deductible, whether the max $250,000 property value is insured, whether the contents are insured. With FEMA flood insurance, someone can choose to cover the structure but not covered the contents. In the case of the structure, attached items are counted as the structure such as cabinets and built-in appliances such as dishwasher, etc. But furniture and tvs and clothing and washer/dryer and such aren't covered.