Time To Re-Think Home Building Plans In Hurricane Alleys?

[fmdog44]

We have seen hundreds of years of film from destroyed towns and cities from storms. If the ocean is warming as some claim that could lead to more powerful storms. Aerodynamics dictate round corners and radii versus squared surfaces and sharp corners like jet planes versus the old squared of prop planes and modern versus old automobiles. Seems to me if you put a dome home next to a square home the dome would stand a better chance of surviving a strong wind storm. I think I saw eight systems currently brewing in the Atlantic, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico today!!

 

[Aunt Bea]

I think that they should rezone the areas that are prone to the worst hurricane/flooding and prohibit building in those areas.

If an existing home in one of those areas is destroyed the insurance carrier would still be required to pay the claim, with the government picking up the cost of the land, but the zoning would require the person to rebuild in a different area.

The land itself and the beach/low-lying areas would eventually become conservation areas that everyone would be able to enjoy and should not require much cleanup/restoration after a tropical storm.

 

[tortiecat]

We have the same problem here in Quebec with flooding and flood zones.No one wants
their property to be declared in a flood zone for re sale and insurance purposes.

 

[Manatee]

In this area homes built after 1974 are required to have the living spaces above the one hundred year flood level.

If a home is older than that, it must be updated to the current code if it has more than 50% damage in a storm.

 

[Liberty]

In this area homes built after 1974 are required to have the living spaces above the one hundred year flood level.

If a home is older than that, it must be updated to the current code if it has more than 50% damage in a storm.

Heck, here in Texas we've had floods almost to the 500 year flood plane! Go figure, we built above the 500 yr flood plane. Wondering what that means now.

 

[jujube]

Heck, here in Texas we've had floods almost to the 500 year flood plane! Go figure, we built above the 500 yr flood plane. Wondering what that means now.

Time to start worrying about the 1,000 year flood plain?

 

[Liberty]

Time to start worrying about the 1,000 year flood plane?

Well, so far we are ok. Sitting high and dry with flood insurance, but just are wondering what these "flood planes" really mean anyway, you know.

 

[Butterfly]

I think that they should rezone the areas that are prone to the worst hurricane/flooding and prohibit building in those areas.

If an existing home in one of those areas is destroyed the insurance carrier would still be required to pay the claim, with the government picking up the cost of the land, but the zoning would require the person to rebuild in a different area.

The land itself and the beach/low-lying areas would eventually become conservation areas that everyone would be able to enjoy and should not require much cleanup/restoration after a tropical storm.

I strongly agree. I've seen news reports during and after previous hurricanes where people have said that this is the second or third time their home has been destroyed by a hurricane and yet they intend to build again. To me, this makes no sense at all. It brings to mind the old "doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity" or words to that effect.

 

[jujube]

My insurance company tried to charge me for flood insurance years ago because they said I lived in a flood plain. I didn't and produced the proof. I think they were just trying to see who they could get to pay for it when they didn't need it.

 

[Pecos]

We have seen hundreds of years of film from destroyed towns and cities from storms. If the ocean is warming as some claim that could lead to more powerful storms. Aerodynamics dictate round corners and radii versus squared surfaces and sharp corners like jet planes versus the old squared of prop planes and modern versus old automobiles. Seems to me if you put a dome home next to a square home the dome would stand a better chance of surviving a strong wind storm. I think I saw eight systems currently brewing in the Atlantic, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico today!!

A friend of ours build a large dome house back in a forested area of the county. It took him 18 years to get that ferro-cement structure completed and you are right, they can stand up to serious winds and probably bomb blasts for that matter. But it sure is an ugly thing and the inside is dark and somewhat spooky.

 

[Patio Life]

Here is Phx we have a very large dry river bed - except when it floods. Many years ago the city declared or made the river bed a riparian protected area. They bought the properties using eminent domain, paid a very good price too. 40 yrs later there are lots of birds and critters living there.

 

[C'est Moi]

Heck, here in Texas we've had floods almost to the 500 year flood plane! Go figure, we built above the 500 yr flood plane. Wondering what that means now.

Houston had three 500-year floods in three years. Our subdivision is not in a flood plain and we don't carry flood insurance. So far, so good.

 

[terry123]

I am not in a flood plain either here in Houston and I don't carry floods insurance because I cannot afford it. I have a 2 bdr 2 bath condo and its over $800 a year. My daughter has a large house in Seabrook, closer to Galveston than me and she pays $500.00 a year for flood insurance. Go figure. If I got flooded every time I would not keep rebuilding. To me that is stupid! With Harvey I had some water come under my carpet in the living area which was a condo building problem and was promptly cleaned and repaired. We are now in the midst of a revamping project here in the complex to avoid things in the future.

 

[C'est Moi]

I am not in a flood plain either here in Houston and I don't carry floods insurance because I cannot afford it. I have a 2 bdr 2 bath condo and its over $800 a year. My daughter has a large house in Seabrook, closer to Galveston than me and she pays $500.00 a year for flood insurance. Go figure. If I got flooded every time I would not keep rebuilding. To me that is stupid! With Harvey I had some water come under my carpet in the living area which was a condo building problem and was promptly cleaned and repaired. We are now in the midst of a revamping project here in the complex to avoid things in the future.

That's weird that you'd have to pay more for your condo insurance than your daughter pays in Seabrook!

You probably remember that after the reported 50-60" of rain dumped on Houston during Harvey, some meteorologists were calling it a 1000-year flood.

 

[Liberty]

I am not in a flood plain either here in Houston and I don't carry floods insurance because I cannot afford it. I have a 2 bdr 2 bath condo and its over $800 a year. My daughter has a large house in Seabrook, closer to Galveston than me and she pays $500.00 a year for flood insurance. Go figure. If I got flooded every time I would not keep rebuilding. To me that is stupid! With Harvey I had some water come under my carpet in the living area which was a condo building problem and was promptly cleaned and repaired. We are now in the midst of a revamping project here in the complex to avoid things in the future.

terry...now that is weird - why would it cost more for a condo? We have a large house and payed $450 last year for flood insurance - not in Houston- northwest, but still in Harris county. It doesn't make sense why you would pay more. Is that what others in your complex pay, too? Sounds like a

That's weird that you'd have to pay more for your condo insurance than your daughter pays in Seabrook!

You probably remember that after the reported 50-60" of rain dumped on Houston during Harvey, some meteorologists were calling it a 1000-year flood.

You got it...think they just ran out of ages ago flood year disasters to compare it to...remember them then calling it "epic".

 

[C'est Moi]

You got it...think they just ran out of ages ago flood year disasters to compare it to...remember them then calling it "epic".

Actually, the flood designation has nothing to do with comparisons, but is a calculation. When creating the National Flood Insurance Program, the government used a measure called the 1-percent annual exceedance probability flood (AEP) to estimate the chance of repeat flooding of a certain level in a certain area. The AEP defines a flood that, statistically, has a 1-in-100 chance of being equaled or surpassed in any one year, thus the term “100-year flood” was born. The 500-year flood” is equal to an AEP of 0.2 percent, or a 1-in-500 chance an area will see a repeat of flooding at a certain level.

 

[Marie5656]

A friend of ours build a large dome house back in a forested area of the county. It took him 18 years to get that ferro-cement structure completed and you are right, they can stand up to serious winds and probably bomb blasts for that matter. But it sure is an ugly thing and the inside is dark and somewhat spooky.

This brought back a memory of people building homes in old missle silos.

https://www.realtor.com/news/unique-homes/nuclear-missile-silo-home-turned-luxury-listed/

 

[C'est Moi]

I was watching a documentary on NOVA about super-storms. Experts predict that with the population growth in coastal areas, there will be a bigger emphasis on sheltering in place in the future (as opposed to the huge traffic jams of evacuating.) Focus will be on building more hurricane-proof structures, which is a good idea IMO.

 

[Lc jones]

I was watching a documentary on NOVA about super-storms. Experts predict that with the population growth in coastal areas, there will be a bigger emphasis on sheltering in place in the future (as opposed to the huge traffic jams of evacuating.) Focus will be on building more hurricane-proof structures, which is a good idea IMO.

We are in Florida and have a hopefully hurricane proof home. I don’t think any shelter is 100% hurricane proof but ours is a concrete type bunker with rebar and steel shutters and our entire neighborhood is composed of these materials so this article is accurate, I’ve heard of individuals trying to evacuate getting stuck in a traffic jam and being exposed to the elements during a huge hurricane and having run out of gas what a nightmare and many people don’t want to be in that situation so many decide to shelter in place.

 

[Marie5656]

@Lc jones up here, we have had situations where folks have gotten stuck on highways during blizzards with no way off the highways. Some of the highways here are now closing to traffic during storms

 

[C'est Moi]

We are in Florida and have a hopefully hurricane proof home. I don’t think any shelter is 100% hurricane proof but ours is a concrete type bunker with rebar and steel shutters and our entire neighborhood is composed of these materials so this article is accurate, I’ve heard of individuals trying to evacuate getting stuck in a traffic jam and being exposed to the elements during a huge hurricane and having run out of gas what a nightmare and many people don’t want to be in that situation so many decide to shelter in place.

The 2005 Hurricane Rita evacuation in the Houston area was total gridlock. Of the reported 120 deaths from the storm, 108 of them DIED from the evacuation. It was 100 degrees and people sat in their cars for hours...even days. They ran out of gas and were stranded; it was a horrible ordeal.



We had decided to shelter in place and watched the horror on TV. After seeing the traffic mess I told my husband I'd rather die here in the house than in a car on the side of the interstate. (We also stayed in our house for Ike in 2008 and then Harvey in 2017.)

 

[Liberty]

The 2005 Hurricane Rita evacuation in the Houston area was total gridlock. Of the reported 120 deaths from the storm, 108 of them DIED from the evacuation. It was 100 degrees and people sat in their cars for hours...even days. They ran out of gas and were stranded; it was a horrible ordeal.

View attachment 75978

We had decided to shelter in place and watched the horror on TV. After seeing the traffic mess I told my husband I'd rather die here in the house than in a car on the side of the interstate. (We also stayed in our house for Ike in 2008 and then Harvey in 2017.)

Remember that storm C'est...or should I say "storm panic" since the storm didn't even come here anyway. So many people ran out of gas. Remember a weatherman really causing fear and panic on tv. We stayed put and stayed during Ike. Lost lots of trees -40 of them, mostly big... one fell over the pool and lodged up against the house. Got a metal roof and concrete/rebar/cement house so it was ok. Hope we never see one that kind of bad storm again though. Only been through 2 canes in 40 years. Can't begin to imagine what the poor folks in Freeport, Bahama areas went through for over a solid day!

 

[C'est Moi]

Remember that storm C'est...or should I say "storm panic" since the storm didn't even come here anyway. So many people ran out of gas. Remember a weatherman really causing fear and panic on tv. We stayed put and stayed during Ike. Lost lots of trees -40 of them, mostly big... one fell over the pool and lodged up against the house. Got a metal roof and concrete/rebar/cement house so it was ok. Hope we never see one that kind of bad storm again though. Only been through 2 canes in 40 years. Can't begin to imagine what the poor folks in Freeport, Bahama areas went through for over a solid day!

I have lived on the Gulf Coast for most of my life, so I've been through many hurricanes and tropical storms. The worst was the two weeks without power after Ike in 2008...hot, humid misery. We were unscathed by the floods of Harvey, thank goodness.

 

[Liberty]

I have lived on the Gulf Coast for most of my life, so I've been through many hurricanes and tropical storms. The worst was the two weeks without power after Ike in 2008...hot, humid misery. We were unscathed by the floods of Harvey, thank goodness.

C'est...do you have a good generator? Thank heavens we've not needed to use it a lot but its a Godsend when we do need it. Can run the tv, fridge/freezer, lights and fans...and the gas lasts a long time. We've got a Yamaha. Highly recommend it as it does make all the difference in the world during those stressful "down" times. Just be sure to follow the directions for "long term storage" when the power comes back on, like draining the carburetor, etc.

 

[terry123]

The 2005 Hurricane Rita evacuation in the Houston area was total gridlock. Of the reported 120 deaths from the storm, 108 of them DIED from the evacuation. It was 100 degrees and people sat in their cars for hours...even days. They ran out of gas and were stranded; it was a horrible ordeal.

View attachment 75978

We had decided to shelter in place and watched the horror on TV. After seeing the traffic mess I told my husband I'd rather die here in the house than in a car on the side of the interstate. (We also stayed in our house for Ike in 2008 and then Harvey in 2017.)

We left a little earlier and got ahead of the ordeal that you see. We went to my sisters in La. as every hotel was booked.Now my daughter keeps her car gassed up and we keep our meds filled at the start of hurricane season just to be sure. It can change in a heartbeat. I have a to go bag and all I have to do is put my meds in it and we are out of here. It already has a couple of changes of clothes, address book, etc. I grab my meds and keys and we are gone. Sounds maybe extreme to some but its something you have to do living here.