Revised preliminary flood maps for Cleveland County ready for public view

DENTON, Texas – The revised preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) are available for review by residents and business owners in the City of Norman.  Officials encourage property owners to review the latest information to learn about local flood risks and potential future flood insurance requirements.                                                                                                                                                         For this physical map revision, the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for Cleveland County serve multiple purposes, including defining Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) and setting rates for flood insurance. SFHAs are areas at high risk for flooding. Communities and residents can use the information...

FEMA awards $8.9 million to Brazoria County to elevate 70 flood-prone homes

AUSTIN, Texas – FEMA has awarded more than $8.9 million to Brazoria County, through the Texas Division of Emergency Management, to fund the elevation of 70 flood-prone homes as part of FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). Federal grant funding will provide 75% of the cost of this project, and a local match will provide 25%.  These homes will be elevated to at least 2 feet above the base flood elevation, which is the depth of the water during a 1% chance flood. For a community to participate in the National Flood...

Best Practice: Texans living in low-risk flood areas get flooded, Flood insurance helps them recover, pay losses

AUSTIN, Texas – More than 70 percent of Texas homes that flooded in Tropical Storm Imelda were in areas at low risk for flooding. And most of those with flood damage from Imelda did not have flood insurance. Insurance policies for those who live in low-risk areas are inexpensive and can make a huge difference if, and when flooding occurs.  Charles and Rose Lyons, a retired couple living about 30 miles northeast of Houston, didn’t think they needed flood insurance before the 2019 spring flood, since their subdivision had not flooded...

FEMA Offers Free Rebuilding Tips at Local Home Improvement Stores

AUSTIN, Texas – Disaster survivors affected by the severe storms and floods from Tropical Storm Imelda, can visit local home improvement stores in Cypress, Houston, Pasadena and Orange from Monday, Dec. 2, to Saturday, Dec. 7, for rebuilding tips from mitigation experts. Mitigation specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be on hand to answer questions about home repair, making disaster plans, putting together supply kits and the importance of flood insurance. Assistance will be available at the following locations: HARRIS COUNTYLowe’s14128 Cypress-Rosehill RoadCypress, TX 77429Monday – Saturday, from 8 a.m....

FACT SHEET: “Substantial Damage” – What Does it Mean?

For communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), substantial damage determinations are required by local floodplain-management ordinances. These rules must be in place for residents of a community to purchase flood insurance through the NFIP.Substantial damage applies to a structure in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) for which the total cost of repairs is 50 percent or more of the structure’s market value before the disaster occurred, regardless of the cause of damage. This percentage could vary among jurisdictions but must not be below NFIP standards.  For...

Gujarati Translation: FEMA સ્થાનિક ઘર સુધારણા સ્ટોર પર નિ:શુલ્ક પુન:નિર્માણ ટિપ પ્રદાન કરે છે

STસ્ટિન, ટેક્સાસ - ઉષ્ણકટિબંધીય તોફાન ઇમેલ્ડાથી આવેલા ભારે તોફાન અને પૂરથી પ્રભાવિત હોનારતમાં બચનારાઓ શમન નિષ્ણાતોની પુનર્નિર્માણ ટીપ્સ માટે સોમવાર, નવેમ્બર 25  થી શનિવાર, નવેમ્બર 30  સુધી હ્યુસ્ટન અને પાસાડેનામાં સ્થાનિક ઘર સુધારણા સ્ટોરની મુલાકાત લઈ શકશે. સંઘીય કટોકટી સંચાલન એજન્સી (Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA) ના શમન નિષ્ણાતો મકાનના સમારકામ, હોનારત યોજનાઓ બનાવવા, પુરવઠાની કીટ સાથે રાખવાના અને પૂર માટેના વીમાના મહત્વને લગતા પ્રશ્નોના જવાબ આપવા માટે હાજર રહેશે. થેંક્સગિવિંગ અથવા શુક્રવાર, નવેમ્બર 29  (બ્લેક ફ્રાઇડે) પર નિષ્ણાતો સ્ટોરમાં નહીં હોય. સહાય નીચેના સ્થાનો પર ઉપલબ્ધ રહેશે: હેરિસ કાઉન્ટીHome Depot6800 Highway 6...

FEMA Offers Free Rebuilding Tips at Local Home Improvement Stores

AUSTIN, Texas – Disaster survivors affected by the severe storms and floods from Tropical Storm Imelda, can visit local home improvement stores in Houston and Pasadena from Monday, Nov. 25, to Saturday, Nov. 30, for rebuilding tips from mitigation experts. Mitigation specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be on hand to answer questions about home repair, making disaster plans, putting together supply kits and the importance of flood insurance. Experts will not be in stores on Thanksgiving or on Friday, Nov. 29 (Black Friday). Assistance will be available at...

Best Practice: Flood Insurance points to brighter future, fosters new plans

AUSTIN, Texas – Maddie and Charles Peddycoart know more about the costs associated with flood recovery than most. In the 19 years they’ve lived in their home in Hamshire, TX — about 60 miles east of Houston and 27 miles southwest of Beaumont — it has been flooded by storms four times:  Hurricanes Rita (2005), Ike (2008), Harvey (2017) and Tropical Storm Imelda (2019). Rita and Ike left about 2 inches of water at the ground level of their home; they recovered quickly.  But it was Harvey that provided a valuable...

Best Practice: Montgomery County post-storm home replacements stand the tests of time, weather hazards

AUSTIN, Texas – A new life has literally been built for 54 residents of Montgomery County, Texas — residents whose mobile homes were damaged by the winds and rain of Hurricane Ike in 2008. Little did they know just how much that hurricane would change their lives. Montgomery County, once a mostly rural area, is now one of the fastest growing in the nation. And like many such changing counties around the United States, the availability of affordable housing presents a challenge.  That didn’t deter Dr. Joanne Ducharme, director of Montgomery County...

FEMA Offers Free Rebuilding Tips at Local Home Improvement Stores

AUSTIN, Texas – Disaster survivors affected by the severe storms and floods from Tropical Storm Imelda, can visit local home improvement stores in Houston, Pasadena and Webster for rebuilding tips from mitigation experts. Mitigation specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be on hand to answer questions about home repair, making disaster plans, putting together supply kits and the importance of flood insurance.  Assistance will be available at the following locations: HARRIS COUNTYLowe’s19935 Katy FreewayHouston, TX 77094Monday, Nov. 18 –Saturday, Nov. 30Monday, Nov. 18 – Saturday, Nov. 23 from 8...