Homeowners felt safe to forgo flood insurance
The risk was deemed tiny, then the worst happened
FRIENDSWOOD,he comfortablethis and well-heeledhis wife redbrick TEXAS Houstonbought house Before theirsuburb, in Michaelone of the Granberryfirst questionsrecalled he asked his real estate agent before settling on the home: Will it flood? The agent assured the couple before the biggest purchase of their lives nearly 15 years ago — and about a year after Tropical Storm Allison battered the Houston area, causing billions of dollars in property damage — that they had nothing to worry about. Their home, the agent noted, sat on a 500-year floodplain on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s flood maps — meaning experts had determined his neighborhood faced a rather infinitesimal possibility of with filled water, majorThatYet, Tropicalwith may Granberry,flood flooding.about once-in-several-lifetimesbe Stormcameone2 feet whoseof Harvey.this theof murkyhome luckyweek ones.of Houston-areaHe’s among residentsthe minority with coverage homeowners— onlyin the about region 20% with of flood damage have insurance protection, according to a Consumer Federation of America estimate. “Every year, I debate whether I want to pay for it or not,” said Granberry, adding that he didn’t purchase a $500-peryear policy until 2011 despite his trepidation. “But then I thought to get peace of mind, I better get that flood insurance. We do it every year now, but
Much Texas of was Southeastnot considered on FEMA-mapped zones as at risk of flooding despite pressure on drainage systems.
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