First, what is a 100 year flood?
In the 1960s, the United States government adopted the 1-percent annual exceedance probability (AEP) flood as the standard for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Because a 1-percent AEP flood has a 1 in 100 chance of occurring in any given year, it is commonly referred to as a “100-year flood.”
Importantly, this designation does not mean such a flood happens only once every 100 years. Instead, it reflects the statistical likelihood of flooding in any single year based on historical data and modeling.
What are the chances of my home being flooded by a 100 year flood?
While a 100-year flood has a 1 percent chance of occurring in any given year, the risk increases significantly over time. Over the life of a typical 30-year mortgage, a home located within a 1-percent AEP (100-year) floodplain has approximately a 26 percent chance of flooding at least once.
As many Texas property owners learned during Hurricane Harvey, flood risk predictions and floodplain maps are based on historical data that may not fully account for changing weather patterns, urban development, or extreme rainfall events. As a result, actual flood risks may be higher than expected.
Our large hotel was severely damaged by hail. After significant delays by the insurance company, our claim was denied. We hired Bill Kendall and Grisham & Kendall soon after. Through Bill’s efforts during our lawsuit, we were able to reach a favorable settlement close to trial. We would certainly recommend Grisham & Kendall, PLLC to any property owner whose insurance company isn’t treating them fairly.
D. Patel – Hotel Hail Claim
My wife and I thought we were heading into a complicated legal odyssey with a destroyed commercial property until we hired Bill Kendall. His sustained focus and hard work was so effective that we had a great settlement within hours of the first deposition.
F. Jones – Multi-Family Property Claim (Dallas, TX)Was the flooding from Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey 500 Year Floods?
According to officials at the Harris County Flood Control District, Hurricane Harvey produced rainfall and flooding consistent with a 500-year flood event across much of the Houston area. As of August 31, 2017, some locations experienced flooding that exceeded 1,000-year thresholds.
What surprised many homeowners is that so-called 500-year floods have occurred multiple times in recent history. In fact, the Houston region experienced at least three major flood events classified at or above the 500-year level within just three years — including the Memorial Day floods of 2015 and 2016, followed by Hurricane Harvey.
So how often do “500-year” floods actually happen?
Despite the name, a 500-year flood does not mean flooding occurs once every 500 years. Instead, it refers to a flood event with a 1 in 500 chance (0.2 percent probability) of occurring in any given year.
According to the National Weather Service, the probability of a 500-year flood occurring remains the same each year, regardless of whether a similar event happened recently. This means multiple “500-year floods” can — and do — happen within a short time span, especially in flood-prone regions like Texas.
Is my property in a flood zone?
The National Weather Service web site provides flood zone maps. We recommend you check the map for your area, especially if you are near a body of water, river or stream.
https://water.weather.gov/ahps/
Prepare yourself for a weather emergency by using the information on the Weather.gov web site. https://www.weather.gov/safety/
