Not only were rainfall totals exceptional during Hurricane Harvey, the area affected was also larger than previous events. history was during Tropical Storm Amelia in 1978, which left Texas Hill Country with 48 inches of rain. The second largest rainfall event recorded in continental U.S. The existing maps use technology that was current at the time in which those maps were developed.Hurricane Harvey’s widespread 8-day rainfall, which started on August 25, 2017, exceeded 60 inches in some locations, which is about 15 inches more than average annual amounts of rainfall for eastern Texas and the Texas coast. If new floodplain maps are being developed now, are the old maps wrong?įEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps are estimates. You may also click here for more information within this website about flood insurance. To learn how to purchase a flood insurance policy, visit the National Flood Insurance Website, or contact your insurance agent. On a national basis, one-third of the flood loss claims are from property located outside of the mapped 1% (100-year) flood plain. Many homes flood because excess storm water cannot drain into a storm drainage system fast enough to prevent localized ponding from reaching the inside of a home. However, flooding from sources that are not identified on the FIRMs is possible and occurs often in Harris County. FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) show areas subject to flooding from a primary flooding source, typically major rivers, bayous and their tributaries, and are meant to help determine the risk of flooding for a property. The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps show my house is outside of the flood zone - do I really need flood insurance?Įveryone needs flood insurance! Just because your home is not mapped within the 100-year flood plain does not mean that you are free from the potential to flood. Put simply, even if you have never flooded before or the new floodplain maps do not identify you as being at a high risk, it is strongly recommended that you purchase flood insurance.įEMA defines a floodplain as "Any land area that is susceptible to being inundated by water from any source." In Harris County, a floodplain is generally defined as an area flooded due to either a channel's capacity being exceeded or due to a tidal storm surge. Additionally, approximately 64,000 property owners who did not carry flood insurance during Tropical Storm Allison experienced flooding. That is a floodplain occurring from rainfall that has 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year, as depicted on the FIRM (or floodplain) map. As a result, approximately two-thirds of the areas that flooded were outside the 1% (100-year) floodplain. What to Do if the New Floodplain Maps Do Not Identify Increased Risk for Your PropertyĬonsider the facts: Tropical Storm Allison dropped up to 35 inches of rain in some part of Harris County, with 28 of those inches falling in 12 hours. This information is useful in determining a property's risk of flooding and in determining flood insurance requirements and rates. While the maps will show your property's relationship to the flood plain, you should also consider hiring a surveyor to determine the elevation of your home relative to the Base Flood (100-year) elevation. How can it be determined if a home is in the floodplain?įloodplain maps are a product of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and copies of these maps can be found on their website Additional information can be obtained by contacting you local floodplain administrator in the city in which you live or, for unincorporated Harris County, at the Harris County Permits office.
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