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It's Flood Season! Make sure you are prepared and don't forget to BUY FLOOD INSURANCE!

Hurricanes & Flood Events Series Hurricanes & Flood Events This series will give you an overview of how to prepare for a flood, staying safe during a flood, and what to do after a flood. Click the tabs to play each episode. Preparedness is the single most important step in keeping your family and your home safe

It’s flood season! Don’t let all the attention of COVID-19 catch you off guard!

Why Flood Awareness Is Paramount During the Coronavirus Pandemic Floods are the most common natural disaster in the U.S. Nearly half of U.S. states are expected to experience significant flood events during the spring of 2020, according to the Pew Charitable Trust. In just the past few years, major flood disasters such as Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Florence, and .....

I received this from National Flood Services:
Many researchers are predicting a worse than average Spring flood season as well as more severe hurricane months. Some forecasts predict nearly 30 severe storm events this year.

GREAT news that the insurance industry is stepping up to help their customers. Farmers Insurance will give all auto insurance customers a 25% reduction in their April premium. They are also providing business insurance customer flexible payment options.
Travelers is rebating 15% of March and April's premiums to customers, similar to Safeco and Allstate.
Progressive is crediting auto insurance customers 20% of their April and May premiums.
Several homeowner's insurance companies are offering payment extensions, as well.

Coronavirus COVID-19 Notice: Farmers Insurance Coronavirus COVID-19: Your wellbeing is top of mind for us.

Good news for Progressive Insurance customers.
Late fees waived and cancellation for non-payment extended to 5/15/20.

A Note About COVID-19 We hope you and your family are healthy and holding up well. We’re committed to making sure that you have the protection and support you need.

Good news if your flood insurance renews soon!

FEMA provides a 120-day grade period for National Flood Insurance Program The Federal Emergency Management Agency is extending the grace period to renew flood insurance policies from 30 to 120 days.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Study-Third-reservoir-won-t-stop-13837093.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Premium)&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral

Study: 'Third reservoir' won't stop flooding in northwest Harris County A long-discussed idea for a third reservoir to prevent extreme Hurricane Harvey-level flooding in the beleaguered neighborhoods along Cypress Creek might not be the flood mitigation panacea it was conceived as, according to a Rice University study.

Just because you didn’t flood in Hurricane Harvey doesn’t mean you are safe from further flooding.

Where overnight storms dumped the most rain in the Houston area Close to 10 inches of rain fell in some parts of Harris County over the last 24 hours

http://katytimes.com/news/article_72d873e0-5610-11e9-b8eb-33d2932869d3.html

City reveals newest flood prevention plans

By Claire Goodman
Managing Editor

Apr 3, 2019 Updated Apr 3, 2019

The day after Hurricane Harvey flooded the area, city officials began making plans to ensure that Katy would never again experience the same devastation.

“We made this commitment that we would never let this happen again,” said Kayce Reina, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the City of Katy.

In a March 27 meeting with the Katy Business Association, Reina and Mayor Chuck Brawner laid out the plans the city has initiated to prevent another Harvey-level flood.

Since that day, city officials have regularly met with state and national representatives to make sure Katy has the plans and resources needed to make the improvements to the infrastructure that will prevent future flooding.

In the 1940s, the Army Corps of Engineers realized that under extreme rain, the city would experience a devastating flood. The Army Corps of Engineers recommended three improvements to the city to pull water away from residential areas, only two of which were ever implemented.

“The Army Corps of engineer said back in the 40s that we need the Barker Reservoir, the Addicks Reservoir, and a third levy. It was supposed to be triplets that would all work together but only two-thirds of that got built,” explained Reina.

When the United States entered World War II, all the funding for improving infrastructure was diverted to the war efforts. After the war, however, the city never revisited the original plan, and the third levy was never built.

According to Brawner, one of the first issues the city will address is the need for a new watershed north of the city. While some of the water from Harvey came from the failures of the Barker and Addicks Reservoirs, most of the water in Katy specifically drained from the Cypress.

“Adding a watershed in Cypress would keep the water from that area from moving into Katy,” said Brawner.

The need is so obvious that water movement into the city has become formulaic. “When (Cypress) gets a lot of rain, we know exactly what streets (the water) is going to come down,” he added.

Brawner noted that homes in the northern part of Katy have flooded multiple times as a result of inadequate drainage.

“We have the Pine Forest area: those homes have been flooded during (the ‘Tax Day Floods’ in April of 2016) and then turned around and got flooded after Harvey, so we're undergoing a major drainage improvement in that area.”

The city is also awaiting federal funding to add a retention pond to the area that will contain water and prevent it from flowing down into Katy.

Old Katy

First Street is a notorious thoroughfare for flowing water. During Harvey, water overflowed from the roads and into buildings. The city will be overhauling the First Street by lowering the road and raising the curbs and gutters.

The city will install pipes with greater capacity and larger diameters in order to carry a greater water volume from businesses and residences down into Cane Island Creek.

During Hurricane Harvey, the First Street bridge became a defacto dam for flowing water. The city will be raising the bridge to give the water and anything it’s carrying more room to flow unobstructed.

Reina explained, “In our bonds, we have money to raise that bridge up to get more clearance so debris that comes through may be able to pass through and not serve as a dam.”

The city also has plans to add numerous smaller retention ponds throughout the area to alleviate flowing water.

“We’re excited to have some progression on these projects, and what we’re doing is very important, obviously,” said Reina. “They knew in the 40s what needed to be done, and so we have a commitment now to make sure it’s done.”

Reina added, “Harvey had us down, but it hasn’t had us out.”

City reveals newest flood prevention plans The day after Hurricane Harvey flooded the area, city officials began making plans to ensure that Katy would never again experience the same devastation.

THINK YOU DON'T NEED FLOOD INSURANCE? THINK AGAIN

Current NOAA rain retention standards are to retain 10.4" of rain in a 24 hour period. This is the amount the developers are digging their retention ponds to retain. According to this NOAA study, that is insufficient.

https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/noaa-updates-texas-rainfall-frequency-values

NOAA updates Texas rainfall frequency values | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration