For all the things we are proud of as Houstonians, flooding is not one them. Yet, we might live in the Flooding Capital of the United States. According to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, there were 96 days with at least one report of flooding or flash flooding in Harris County from 1996 through 2015. This equates to an average of four to five days of flooding each year over that time period. Of course, not all of these flood events are as severe as April 2016, Memorial Day 2015, or Allison in 2001.
As stated in the Houston Chronicle, Hurricane Harvey damaged more than 204,000 homes and apartment buildings in Harris County, almost three-quarters of them outside the federally regulated 100-year flood plain, leaving tens of thousands of homeowners uninsured and unprepared.
You see, a Homeowners policy does not cover flood damage. It is a separate policy that only covers damage from rising water due to natural flooding (a broken pipe does not count). Because it is so specific most folks don't buy it, especially if they don't live in a flood plain.
So, all of the people who experience flooding in their home and don't have flood insurance, their only recourse is to deal with FEMA or come out of pocket.
A question to folks who ALMOST flooded: Isn't it worth less than $40 a month for the peace of mind that you are covered?
