Newsroom

Tuesday, January 7th

Today, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo will hold a media availability following her meeting with Pete Gaynor, the Acting Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Following the meeting, Judge Hidalgo will discuss areas of ongoing attention between Harris County and FEMA, including the importance of increased adoption of flood insurance among residents in Harris County and the urgent need to focus on mitigating the threat of future disasters.

Who: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo
What: Media Availability to Urge Residents to “Resolve” to Purchase Flood Insurance
When: Tuesday, January 7 12:15 pm
Where: Harris County Administration Building,1001 Preston, Houston

Flooding is the most common and costly disaster, and purchasing flood insurance is the only way for families to protect themselves financially from this ongoing threat to Harris County.

Key Facts:

• Standard homeowners and renters insurance does not typically cover flood damage.Additionally, residents should not wait for a pending storm to purchase insurancesince typically there is a 30-day waiting period from the date of purchase until floodinsurance policies go into effect.
• According to FEMA, just 1 inch of water can cause $25,000 in damage.
• Many flood claims come from outside of high-risk flood zones. Of the 3,990 homesflooded from Imelda, 2,479 (62%) were outside the 1% (100-yr) floodplain. Of those whoresponded to a survey following Tropical Storm Imelda, over 77% self-reported nothaving flood insurance.
• Flood insurance can pay regardless of whether or not there is a Presidential DisasterDeclaration.

To learn more about flood insurance, or to find out how to get covered residents can click the link on ReadyHarris.org or visit floodsmart.gov.