Flooding is a real risk in the Greater Houston area
When I think back to June 2001, I can remember my own personal stories of struggle, fear, shock and disbelief as the entire area of the southeast Texas Gulf Coast had a real life experience of what it must have been like when the local citizens were left behind as Noah floated off in his ark.
Tropical storm Allison was brutal and devastating for many. It was only a big hassle for me. In this photo, you are seeing a freeway
completely covered by water. Dan Wallach shared this photo on www.picsearch.com. It shows three immersed vehicles. What you might notice is that this photo was taken AFTER the water had begun subsiding (note the debris on the roof of the care in the upper left corner of the photo).
I don't tell you all this to scare you. Instead, I want to share some resources and tools to help you to avoid an overwhelming experience the next time a strong storm comes to our area.
Most of the worst damage was done south of Montgomery County and North Harris County where I do most of my work with buyers and sellers. However, this photo was taken on I-45 which is the main corridor into Houston from The Woodlands. The affect of more than 40 inches of rain in the general area causes all of our water-rich community to be cautious.
What can you do to be safe?
The answer is to be flood smart. In this post I will share some information resources that you might use to gather the information you need to determine the area where you want to live and the insurance policies you may want to purchase. If you are relocating to this area, you will want to check out these resources. Harris County (the Houston area south of Montgomery County which includes part of Spring) has done extensive work to map the watershed areas and inform the public. The best source I have found for information is found here http://www.tsarp.org/ and http://www.hcfcd.org/.
Because Montgomery County was not as heavily affected by this storm, not as much information can be found online. But you will find that the county is very careful to assure all building projects are engineered in such a way that flood risk is minimized. And from my experience, they have done an excellent job. I rarely see any property built since the early 90's that has not been spared in flood conditions. However, if you want to check on a specific property by address, go to this site. With this site you can fill in a form with a specific address to find out the flood risk of the particular property that interests you.
Good real estate agents can tell you the areas that experience more flooding than others. They can tap into the information in the county permit office to see if there are any issues getting in and out of your community in times of flooding. But my best advice is to find your home in a community that has taken special care to engineer the watershed in such a way that it reduces your risk.
Many people comment about all the small ponds, larger lakes and water features in The Woodlands. They are asthetically pleasing and a huge benefit to the visitors and citizens every day. When a storm sweeps down on the area dumping more than 10 inches in 24 hours, those waterways become a safety valve - giving the water a place to go other than into the homes of area residents. Yet - one more reason to consider moving into The Woodlands.
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