As everyone has said, (for the most part) only folks in a designated flood plain with mortgages have flood insurance. This is impacting WAY past any projected flood plain. The question for many folks is this really an "800-year event", or will it possibly happen every few decades? The cost of Harvey may be over $100B, which will impact insurance rates going forward.

As everyone has said, (for the most part) only folks in a designated flood plain with mortgages have flood insurance. This is impacting WAY past any projected flood plain. The question for many folks is this really an "800-year event", or will it possibly happen every few decades going forward?

The fact that people are building in designated flood plains will guarantee this is not a "800-year event".

I think this is what irritates, and causes me to lose sympathy the most. I was listening to an NPR interview a couple in Houston yesterday and this was the 3rd time this couple's house had flooded in the past 5 years. They were saying that "people" (govt, builders, etc) had told them that the first 2 times were extraordinary events and would not happen again. Then this happens. When asked if they planned to move they talked about how they had built a community and their friends were too close to leave. And how other parts of Houston just weren't the same, so they planned to rebuild. I seem to remember they hadn't even gotten the government aid money from their last flood yet, but here they are planning to rebuild again. At some point it just has to stop.

Like Joel Osteen and his 16,800-seat Houston megachurch who told evacuees to not come there?

If there is one thing I learned from that is not to donate to any government agency. The Red Cross is okay but the best choice by far is a local church. They will get aid to people where governments will store it in a warehouse and it will go bad long before anyone touches it.

Like Joel Osteen and his 16,800-seat Houston megachurch who told evacuees to not come there?

Well, at least you are predictable. I knew when I wrote it that someone would go after that one church getting the headlines and ignore the hundreds of others that do good work when there are problems.

I lived through a far more devastating typhoon in the Philippines and after 30 days, when the media and large organizations disappeared, it was the churches from around the world that sent people and money to help. They didn't get the attention on CNN and didn't send out massive appeals but they did the real work. People like you who only read the headlines and look for ways to go after churches, simply miss the real story.

My bet is that every single person attacking Joel Osteen have no idea what goes on behind the scenes and were attacking Christians and the Church long before the flooding. It's just the way people operate.

Not at all what I said or implied. Just that donors should be somewhat judicious and not simply give to any local church. Joel Osteen does not need another 11 million dollar house, no matter what Jesus told him.

At some point it just has to stop. //

It either has to stop or the new construction building codes have to take the 100 year floods into account. Houses have to be on stilts, and/or made out of concrete. For shit sakes, build the frigging houses so that can withstand this sort of stuff, did they never hear about the 3 little pigs in Texas or Florida, of the res of the south on the coast down there??

Apropos of nothing more than you brought up the "year event" language, I learned this week that a "100 year event" or a "500 year event" does not mean that it is expected to happen only every 100 or 500 years (since i heard on the radio that Houston had something like eight 100 year events in the last decade), only that there is a 1 in 100 chance of an event of that magnitude happening in a given year. 500 year event is 1 in 500 chance. etc.

IDK the specifics of it but post Sandy there were restrictions I think put on construction regarding base flood elevation (BFE). New homes have to be a certain height. A lot of existing homes in the area I go to have over time been raised. I remember right after Sandy people worrying about meeting height requirements because FEMA hadn't established them yet.

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"I think I've cracked the code. double letters are cheaters except for perfect squares (a, d, i, p and y). So Leddy isn't a cheater... "

I don't live in a floodplain, but still have flood insurance. Purchased through FEMA it costs me $450/yr, but only covers $250K structural and $100K for household items. I think if my house flooded like those in Houston, the $250K wouldn't cut it and I would be out of luck. I'm almost positive the govt would tell sorry we are not helping you, you have insurance.

I am not in a floodplain but only because I am protected (hopefully) by a levee. We have had flood insurance for years since my brother-in-law lost his house during Katrina. He also was not in a floodplain because he was protected by a levee - right up until the levee broke two houses down from him and their house was basically washed away. But the maximum levels allowed from the FEMA backed flood insurance is $250000 building and $100000 contents - so you are bang out of luck if you own more than that. Flood insurance is only required by mortgage companies if you are in the "special flood hazard area - Zone AE". Commonly known as the 500'year floodplain. Many people in Houston will not have had flood insurance because they will have mis-understood the risks. You don't have insurance for the risks that you can self insure against (bike insurance for instance) you have insurance for the catastrophic events that you can't self insure against. I am still waiting to see if my house will get flooded as the Brazos rises these next days.

I haven't worked flood claims, but I would think that $250k would go a long ways as long as it was water intrusion only versus coastal surge. While you would have to replace drywall, insulation, flooring and appliances - you would still have the structure of the house. I think much of the wiring would probably be okay as well, though the outlets and switches would probably need to be replaced. Think about how much of the house would still be standing and okay. I think most million dollar (in Houston market) houses could be restored from flood for less than $250k.