HOUSTON — We're 30 days away from the official start of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season. While the odds of getting another Harvey or Allison type flood event is incredibly small, there's no atmospheric rule that says it can't happen again this year. Are you ready?
Jeff Lindner, meteorologist for the Harris County Flood Control District, who was so instrumental in giving our community updates on the bayous and levees during Hurricane Harvey, issued a reminder tweet Tuesday morning:
While you may very well have longer than 30 days until the next storm develops, there are no guarantees. As we saw with Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, a weak storm made landfall on June 6th southwest of Galveston, less than a week after the start of the season and became the costliest tropical storm in U.S. history and the only tropical storm to have its name retired. Up until Harvey, Allison was the bench mark for flooding in Houston.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that you survived Harvey with its deluge of 50 inches of rain without the first breach of water at your house. Only a select few sites in the Houston area saw rainfall amounts exceed the 50 inch threshold. The fact is most of Harris County "only" got around 25 to 40 inches (still an historical amount of rain!).
If you're a long time Houstonian then you know that major, catastrophic floods happen here: 1994, Allison, Memorial Day, Tax Day and now Harvey. It's not a question of if but when.
You'll need to check with the insurance provider on the rules and regulations of when you can purchase. You can not purchase insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) however your homeowners or renters insurance provider should be able to help you.
Flood insurance is the only coverage you can purchase that will cover rising water and storm surge flooding. Regular homeowners will not cover rising water damages. Coverage cost often depends on your location and susceptibility to your risk of flooding. The coverage can run between $400 a year to as much as $2,000 a year.
Also remember that flood insurance is not just for those that live in a 100 year flood plain, or any flood plain for that matter. It's available to anybody who wants it.
Now is the time to take action.
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