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LOCAL NEWS

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Houstonians prepare for hurricane season

10:07 AM CDT on Friday, May 9, 2008

By Alex Sanz / 11 News

HOUSTON -- We’re just about three weeks away from the start of hurricane season, but already people are planning ahead.

Click to watch Alex Sanz's 11 News report.

And May is typically one of the busiest months for insurance agencies especially when it comes to issuing those flood insurance policies. Already some people are rushing last minute to get them before the start of the hurricane season in just a few weeks.

Insurance agents say if you don’t have those critical insurance policies already now is a good time to examine what you do have and if you do need it get that underway as fast as you can.

“It is truly, truly like car insurance.  You need it because you never know when the moment will actually come when you will need it,” Missouri City resident Virginia Vaughn Captain said.

Agents say more people don’t have flood insurance than those who do and that ultimately in some cases can be quite a problem.

They say costs should not be a factor since flood insurance policies average about $25 a month. Agents say that is quite a bargain given the kind of loss you could see if your home floods or rising waters encroach inside.

“We live in Houston which is fairly flat. There is not a lot of elevation, even going across the north side of Houston from here to the coast. So the water doesn’t have anywhere to go quickly. If we get a hard rain, if it rains 18 inches, 24 inches in an area over a short period of time there is just nowhere for it to go,” Nationwide Insurance agent Jim Murray said.

FEMA reissued its flood maps last summer and that caught some people off guard. Now many are trying for that not to happen this hurricane season.

E-mail 11 News reporter Alex Sanz

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