Is Your House in a Flood Zone?

9/11/2019 (Permalink)

House flooded in Lake Lotawana, MO

Is Your House in a Flood Zone?

When you bought your house, you may not have thought about whether or not it was in a designated flood zone. However, consider the following:

• Weather patterns are changing.
  
• Storms are becoming more severe.
  
• Hurricane season is getting longer.
  
  

How do you find out if your home is in danger?

Flood Insurance Rate Map

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) compiles several maps and documents that homeowners can use to find out if they are living in an area with a higher than average expectation of flooding. One of those is the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). This will tell you what the predicted level of danger is for Lake Lotawana, MO. There are different levels of risk: B, C and X are low to moderate risk areas, A designations are at a high risk of a flood, and V areas are coastal and can expect a lot of storm activity that can lead to floods.

Things Change

Keep in mind you don’t have to be in a flood zone for the water to rise. Nearby construction can drastically change the runoff patterns in an area. Even if you have not had issues on your property in the past, a new subdivision can change how the water moves, and you could end up with a wet basement even if it has never happened before.

Stronger Storms

Construction isn’t the only thing that can change your flood zone designation. Storm activity is getting stronger, with much heavier rainfall in a shorter length of time, which can contribute to problems. When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in 2017, 2 feet of rain fell in the first day and more than 200,000 homes were flooded, many of them outside a FEMA zone.

While you can find out if your property is located in a risky area, keep in mind that other factors can figure into the situation. If your home has water damage, make sure to find storm damage restoration experts that are Here to Help.