Houstonians, how do you deal with the constant flooding year after year? (Stafford: insurance, buying a home)

[70-nine]

Hello everyone. This has been a burning question of mine since I decided to relocate to Houston. How do you all thrive when you are under constant threat of water damage? I love the metro area and the culture. But I dread having to deal with loss to water damage every time there's heavy rain or an approaching hurricane/tropical storm. Are there any areas that aren't prone to floods?

[Snapper_head]

Boats. We get around in boats. Like in Venice. Sell your car, get a boat.

Just kidding.

Three magic words: “flood plain map”. Harris County has them online. Montgomery County has them online. They’re hard to read at first; the wavy lines correspond to zones. But once you get the hang of reading a flood plain map, you can see where the flood-prone areas are and aren’t.

Basically, the areas closer to the creeks/bayous are more likely to flood. Although, the distance depends on how flat (i.e. not elevated) the land is. Some flood-prone spots are a mile away from a creek, while other spots that are a dozen yards from a creek are safe - because they’re high enough, and the water drains elsewhere.

You can try to listen to realtors (“never flooded”, “didn’t flood during Harvey”, “not in 100-year flood plain”, etc.). But the scientific way is to check the flood plain map. Check a potential address on the map - make sure it’s not in any flood zone and hopefully nowhere near any flood zone.

One other thing is that many homes and buildings can be raised up on tall foundations (or on “stilts”) or have first floors that are just empty garages. So if you’re in a unit in the 7th floor of a building, you’re of course safe. The one thing you don’t want is flood waters to seep into your carpet and furniture and drywall - because it’ll ruin it all.

If you’re thinking about buying a home after moving, wait. Wait at least a year or two and rent. That will give you time to learn the area before you make a big financial investment.

[Fight Red Light]

Simple answer: deal with it! If New Orleans can do it, we can! :-)

[DanielWayne]

I'm not aware of any area that is under constant threat. I choose not to live close to the water to minimize any potential threat from that. But even if you live in Seabrook you are not under constant threat.

The majority of the metro is not flood prone.

[bu2]

If you aren't in the 500 year flood plain, you don't flood.

If you aren't in the 100 year flood plain, it takes a Harvey event and that's only if you are near the border of the flood plain.

People who are at threat, raise their foundations.

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Originally Posted by 70-nine

Hello everyone. This has been a burning question of mine since I decided to relocate to Houston. How do you all thrive when you are under constant threat of water damage? I love the metro area and the culture. But I dread having to deal with loss to water damage every time there's heavy rain or an approaching hurricane/tropical storm. Are there any areas that aren't prone to floods?

I've lived in Houston or the surrounding areas for 20+ years and I've never had a home, car or anything else for that matter flood or be damaged by flood waters. You're either uninformed or purposely trying to troll this forum by making it sound like Houston is constantly under water when it isn't.

[RocketSci]

Originally Posted by TheMoreYouKnow

I've lived in Houston or the surrounding areas for 20+ years and I've never had a home, car or anything else for that matter flood or be damaged by flood waters. You're either uninformed or purposely trying to troll this forum by making it sound like Houston is constantly under water when it isn't.

Good for you. I and many of my friends and coworkers have not been so lucky.

You can't pretend like regular and dangerous flooding doesn't exist. A lot of smart people in Houston get caught in floods, and a lot of 'never flooded' homes flood.

I cannot think of any other place in the US that comes close to how many people, and how often, floods affect the Houston area.

The way Houstonians deal with it is they pay more to live on higher ground, pay more for insurance, and then cross their fingers that they too can be as lucky as you have been.

[RocketSci]

Originally Posted by DanielWayne

I'm not aware of any area that is under constant threat. I choose not to live close to the water to minimize any potential threat from that. But even if you live in Seabrook you are not under constant threat.

The majority of the metro is not flood prone.

Depends what you mean by constant. Using your example, every hurricane season is a threat to Seabrook. At some point in the future, it could be this year or in 100 years, a storm surge will cover Seabrook. You will get a couple days warning, but eventually it will happen.

It is not always an imminent threat, but it is constant.

[70-nine]

Originally Posted by TheMoreYouKnow

I've lived in Houston or the surrounding areas for 20+ years and I've never had a home, car or anything else for that matter flood or be damaged by flood waters. You're either uninformed or purposely trying to troll this forum by making it sound like Houston is constantly under water when it isn't.

This response was a lil extreme. I love Houston but flooding is a legitimate threat. That's why I asked the question. I don't want to move there and have to be concerned with insurance claims every year. And I'm sure the extra risk is already factored into insurance rates. And why wouldn't I want to live in the low risk areas? To me I'm doing sound research. Who better to ask than people who've experienced it over the years. No trolling, sir.

[70-nine]

I appreciate the input so far. I'll definitely look at the flood plain map. Does anyone know if the Stafford area floods often?