Flood maps - practical tips no matter what zone you're in & the rule of 100
I thought this was a great article from David Gibson on flooding. Most customers don't "get this" and David has explained it very well.
Unfortunately, the last few months, we have gotten more than our fair share of rain iand flooding here in Westchester NY.
It’s hard not to crack at least a small smile when my buyer clients announce that the house they have fallen in love with is “outside the flood zone.”
Ok, so the front yard or back yard is in the flood plain but where the house sits isn’t in the flood plain :-)
Time to gently convey my axiom # 1 - The water can’t read the maps. Those computer generated maps don’t mean a thing to flood waters looking for houses to penetrate.
I speak from experience having once lived in a house that flooded twice with 90 days one Houston summer. (Note to self - never again buy a house with the word “River” in the street name)
Before I hit my next two points, this is a good time to review the rule of 100. If you have a tropical storm or hurricane coming, take the number 100 and divide that by the forward speed of the storm. That will give you approximately how many inches of rain you can expect.
Hurricanes tend to have damage from winds more than rising water. Let’s say a hurricane has a forward speed of 20 miles hour. 100 divided by 20 = 5 inches of rain.
But that slow moving tropical storm is what will flood your house. In the Gulf Coast it is not uncommon to have lazy tropical storms that are only moving at 5 miles an hour. 100 divided by 5 means you can expect 20 inches of rain. No matter what your map says, 20 inches of rain will flood a lot of houses.
Much of the flooding comes from the fact that the rising tide pushed in by the storm inhibits the storm drain system. When the rain can’t get out through the storm drains it will back up into houses. My house that flooded twice had a drainage ditch behind it but it didn’t flood from the ditch, it flooded from the street because the storm drains couldn't handle the water.
So regardless of what the map says look at where the storm drains are and the elevation of different parts of the street. Don't count on the maps to be accurate about where the drains are or the exact elevation of different parts of the street or lots.
It is common for the storm drains to be at the corner house or next to it. The houses in the middle of the block are often at the highest point in the block. If you buy that house near the corner you may flood.
Cul-de-sacs can pose flooding problems. They often have poor drainage. If they have a storm drain and it backs up all the houses are in trouble.
Final tip is to pay for your flood insurance separately from your mortgage payment if possible.
If you escrow your flood insurance and have a claim, the check will be payable to you and the mortgage company. Getting the mortgage companies' endorsement so you can spend it has caused many flood victims enormous grief and delays.
If you pay for the flood insurance separately the check should be payable to you alone.
What was axiom # 1 - repeat after me - The water can’t read the maps.David Gibson - Independent Broker
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