Inspected Thoughts

Note: As Hurricane Ike approaches, many people seem to be finding this post, which is just meant to direct you to the government site for these maps. Please be aware that much of the area in and around Houston can flood, depending upon what the storm does. I was told not too long ago that all of Houston is now considered to be in the 100 year flood plain. The best advice is to make sure that you have water, canned food, batteries, flashlights, and a battery operated radio.  Please be safe. Do not wade out into flood waters, or drive in them.

I have added a category for posts dealing with repairs to your home after the hurricane, so you will know what to look for when the time comes.

This is the time of year that our concerns turn towards flooding in Houston. One of our worst floods in recent years came from a tropical storm, Alison, rather than a hurricane, but with such a flat area, any good rain can turn into a flood. After my home inspections, many clients ask me if their perspective home may be in a flood plain. This has nothing to do with the inspection, but I do try to help by providing the best answer that I can.

Most people who are familiar with maps showing areas that flood use two general terms to refer to them: flood plain map; or a 100 year flood plain map. The second name confuses many, because it seems to imply that floods occur every 100 years. This title indicates the time period over which an area is studied, not how often a flood may occur. When you are in an location that is said to flood every one hundred years by this map, it means that you have a 1% chance of having a flood each year. Another term to refer to these maps is FIRM. This heading is applied by FEMA, and it stands for Flood Insurance Rate Map. The last phrase which you may hear used is Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), which is used by municipal governments.

What I have noticed is the organization which oversees water distribution to your area will be the place to inform you about these maps. You do not have to wait for their reminder though to check your neighborhood. By going to FEMA’s website, you can locate the map that you need. All that is required is your street address and zip code. Once entered, you will be asked if you wish to purchase the map or view it. By viewing it, you are brought to a page with the detail of your area. By creating a FIRMette, you can have this map for your own computer. I noticed that with dial up, this takes a long time.

You may be surprised to find that a flood has occurred in your area. I remember the surprise of friends and acquaintances when the experienced flooding in El Paso. If you are curious, go to the link above to find what is happening on your street.

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Frank Schulte-Ladbeck A Houston home inspector TREC# 9073
This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 15th, 2008 at 1:15 pm and is filed under Living in your Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can share your thoughts, or trackback from your own site. RSS