Hurricane Harvey

[SirReal63]

People who have never been to Houston don't realize how flat it is and a 3" rain causes flooding.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

I really don't see the impetus behind this blame the victim mentality these days. Perhaps someone can explain it to me.

An 800 year flood zone means there's going to be, on average, a flood in that area every 800 years. In other words, a known hazard. If you choose to live in such an area, you're gambling that the flood won't happen while you're there, knowing full well that it might. Not much difference in that and living in the inundation zone of a dam, at least the way I see it.

 

[/pine]

Sandy people got 57billion, I figured Houston is worth ten times that, since NY and NJ don't contribute to economy, don't produce much...

Not to mention that if the same type of storm was to hit where 'Sandy' (hardly compares but the media made it out to the biggest super storm of all time) hit...which it wasn't even close to all their $ numbers were over inflated to cover the corruption...

 

[rekees4300]

Why don't many people have flood insurance?

Is it not common for hurricanes to hit the gulf coast?

They interviewed a woman on the news. She said her $1,000,000 house was destroyed by Harvey. The insurance company adjuster called her and said she "would receive the maximum". She was delighted until she learned the "maximum" was $250,000. Apparently flood insurance has "caps" and it's also expensive.

 

[houstonscott]

Very sad, hate crimes taking place.

 

[houstonscott]

They interviewed a woman on the news. She said her $1,000,000 house was destroyed by Harvey. The insurance company adjuster called her and said she "would receive the maximum". She was delighted until she learned the "maximum" was $250,000. Apparently flood insurance has "caps" and it's also expensive.

It's cheap. About $350 a year.

 

[txdon]

They interviewed a woman on the news. She said her $1,000,000 house was destroyed by Harvey. The insurance company adjuster called her and said she "would receive the maximum". She was delighted until she learned the "maximum" was $250,000. Apparently flood insurance has "caps" and it's also expensive.

Here are eight facts to clear up some of the most common misconceptions about coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program:
1. No flood coverage under home insurance
Many people still assume standard renters and home insurance covers floods, says Larry Case, executive vice president of the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents. But you must purchase a separate flood insurance policy to protect your home and belongings from flood damage.
Most flood insurance is provided through the National Flood Insurance Program, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. You can buy federal flood insurance from companies and agents certified to sell it if your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program.
2. Flood insurance has caps
The amount of coverage you can buy through the NFIP is capped at $250,000 for a home's structure and $100,000 for contents.
If you want more coverage, you have to buy excess flood insurance, which is sold by private insurance companies. The excess policy covers the cost of flood damage over and above the $250,000/$100,000 caps.
3. Coverage limited in basements
The distinctions can be tricky, so read the policy for details. Some structural elements in the basement are covered, such as central air conditioners, foundation walls, electrical outlets, furnaces and hot water heaters. However, carpeting and floor tile are not covered.
Some appliances in the basement are covered, such as washers and dryers, portable air conditioners and freezers. But refrigerators are not covered. Most personal belongings--including furniture, clothing and electronic equipment--are not covered when they're in the basement.
4. Building and contents insurance required
A standard home insurance policy automatically covers personal belongings up to a certain percentage of the home's insured value. With flood insurance, you must purchase contents coverage as well as building coverage to get both.
5. No additional living expenses provided
If your home is destroyed by fire, homeowner insurance pays for the cost to rent comparable living quarters until the house is rebuilt. But flood insurance does not include coverage for additional living expenses. You typically foot the bill to rent a place to live while your home is being repaired after a flood.
However, when the president of the United States issues a major disaster declaration and homes are uninhabitable, FEMA can help affected homeowners and renters with alternative living expenses, says Gina Cortez, a FEMA spokesperson. This assistance may last up to 18 months.
6. No replacement cost coverage for personal belongings
Unlike standard home insurance, which lets you purchase replacement cost coverage for personal belongings, flood insurance features only actual cash value coverage for possessions.
Replacement cost coverage reimburses you for the cost to buy a new item to replace a destroyed belonging. Actual cash value coverage takes depreciation into account and reimburses you for the value of the item at the time it was destroyed. So if a flood destroys your 3-year-old television, flood insurance reimburses you for the value of a used TV--not for the cost to buy a new one.
To qualify for replacement cost coverage to rebuild part of a destroyed building, the home must be your principal residence, and you must have insured it for at least 80 percent of the cost to rebuild or up to the $250,000 cap. Otherwise, reimbursement for rebuilding is based on the actual cash value.
7. Limited coverage on valuables
The coverage for valuables, such as furs and fine art, is limited to $2,500. Currency, precious metals and valuable papers, such as stock certificates, are not covered at all.
8. No flood coverage for hot tubs and swimming pools
Flood insurance doesn't cover property and belongings outside the home. That includes hot tubs, swimming pools, decks, patios, fences, landscaping, walks, wells and septic systems.
Likewise, flood insurance pays for removal of debris in or on the home's structure, but not in the yard, Willey says.
Finally, don't wait until water is lapping at the front door to purchase a policy. Flood insurance has a 30-day waiting period from the date of purchase until the time it goes into effect. The only exceptions are if you're buying additional insurance when renewing a policy or as a result of a map revision, or if a lender requires flood insurance for a home loan.
Flood insurance misconceptions: 8 facts you should know

 

[/pine]

Very sad, hate crimes taking place.

Don't call them cowboys until you see them ride...!

 

[RedNeckGeek]

An 800 year flood zone means there's going to be, on average, a flood in that area every 800 years. In other words, a known hazard. If you choose to live in such an area, you're gambling that the flood won't happen while you're there, knowing full well that it might. Not much difference in that and living in the inundation zone of a dam, at least the way I see it.

Here's another example. I used to live in the San Francisco Bay Area, near the Hayward Fault. That fault is still active, and when I looked it up on the USGS site, I decided to purchase earthquake insurance when I bought my first house. I knew it wouldn't cover everything, but it would cover enough that I could afford to start over. When I moved up here, the USGS maps showed a low incidence of earthquakes, and no major faults anywhere near. I dropped the earthquake insurance, but even if I'd decided to maintain it, the premium would have been a fraction of what it was in the Bay Area. Tthese days, I'm fortunate enough to be able to self insure just in case there was a total loss. If that wasn't the case, I'd still probably have the insurance. I wouldn't have to go out looking for a government handout.

And just one more. This new place is in wildfire country. I carry fire insurance, but I also spend a lot of time each spring cleaning brush and and keeping flammables away from the house. Known hazard, known mitigation strategies. I don't know how you do that in a hurricane zone, unless it means building on stilts or just not moving there to begin with.

 

[Thisusername4sale]

Your are comparing buying property near a dam (which is visible and carries with it an inherent risk of failure and flood), and a 800 year flood event, which no one could have predicted?

You don't see why one may not be like the other?

I really don't see the impetus behind this blame the victim mentality these days. Perhaps someone can explain it to me.

Right. I find these posts somewhat hypocritical. It's fundamentally unamerican for someone or the government to tell me what I can build on my property when I'm not infringing on my neighbors ability to do what they want. Sure maybe some of the land was "low" but as someone who develops stuff that should be generally my call. Now, and I'm sure I will screw this up a bit as I've built in a 100 year or worse flood zone twice but when I'm in those zones that's when I need to (or the banks make me) buy flood insurance. Now, if you want to say the FEMA flood zones are inaccurate then well I'm not an engineer or scientist but there are so many variables it's hard to predict just like (on a small scale) predicting when we'll die seems we can generally get +/- 20 years on that. But predicting a flood event so great as to have the worst in recorded history in Houston? Everything we do has risk in it and well, predicting it is not a perfect science. We will see $100B of aid go to Houston in various forms as a result of this.

My point is. Everything we do in life is pretty much a risk/rewards-cost/benefit thing. If the City had allowed a fireworks factory to be built next to a school and it blew up well I'd say yah that should have never been allowed but to play armchair quarterback on a once in a multigenerational flood event I'd say that's not fair. Unless we're saying that things are getting exponentially worse because of global warming