Last year, on Dec. 5, Harris County, which surrounds the city of Houston, approved an amendment of its flood regulations, prolonging it from storm levels with return periods of 100 years, representing a 1% chance of flooding. In a given year in the plains with recurrence times of 500 years. The new standards require that in some areas newly built houses be built up to eight feet higher than before.
The new Harris County rules are the most severe development restrictions associated with flooding in the United States. When it comes to a future flood caused by Harvey, almost all the houses in the region are safe.
For a configuration, stagnant water is a terrible enemy. Even a small part of a flood in a house can exile its residents for weeks and require expensive repairs. According to Harvey, tens of thousands of displaced people have lived in hotels or with friends, while workers in their houses have torn dry walls to inhibit the spread of mold, which can cause the residents gruesome. And other storms are coming in like Harvey: a new MIT study concludes that the floods of Harvey's Texas flood are six times more common today than at the end of the year. 20th century, and that they will be more likely with the passage of the century.
As the recovery takes place in Texas and hurricane season is approaching, survivors of Hurricane Sandy may ask: What can I do to make sure my property does not flood again?
If you are rebuilding in an area of high flood risk, you may have to elevate your home to meet the minimum elevation standards as built in your community. This will prevent damage due to bad weather in the future. There is a local company that most reliable to trust in the process of house raising. If you want to repair your house for avoiding damage from future disasters please visit their site here to rebuild your house more resiliently and safely.
More than a million people live in floodplains with 100 and 500-year return periods throughout the area of Houston, and hundreds of thousands live in other cities in the United States, as well as Miami and New York. The action of Harris County follows the advice of civil engineers, climate experts, and the insurance industry. If you live in a flood-prone area - or will soon be - raising the house is the best way to avoid recurring, expensive and upsetting destruction to your home.
Houses have no built-in safety margin to prevent flooding in the same way as wind resistance; even a few inches of water can be overwhelming. This margin must be assimilated by increasing the construction. The IBHS recommends raising houses at least three feet above the rainforest with a return period of 100 years.
According to census data, 59% of new homes across the country are at "slab level", as it is recognized in the construction industry. The technique is relatively what it seems to be: the concrete is decanted into a superficial mold and forms a plate several centimeters thick. Since the frozen ground can break the plate the technique is mainly used in warmer climates. It's easy and inexpensive. But it results in a house with little elevation, which clearly is not perfect in a flood zone.
