It has been nearly a decade since a hurricane last shook the nation’s fourth-largest city. In that time, Houston has added nearly 1 million residents and millions of square feet of all property types. With flooding concerns going unanswered, officials worry a rough hurricane season could put Houston through its paces.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there is a 45% chance of an above-normal season in 2017. It predicts a 70% likelihood that there will be between 11 and 17 storms strong enough to name, with five to nine of the storms likely to become hurricanes, including two to four major hurricanes (category three or higher).
Those numbers are particularly worrying for Houstonians who have struggled with storms in the past. A 100-year flood is only supposed to happen once every 100 years, but Houston has had to deal with one two years running now; on Memorial Day in 2015 and on Tax Day in 2016. Combined the two floods took 16 lives and caused over $1B in damages.
“The flooding in Houston, because of the water table, is something that’s a significant challenge for everyone to deal with,” Stream Managing Director of Property Management Bob Nowak said. “When there’s storm surge, water level can rise quickly anywhere in the city. Flash flooding happens within minutes.”
By: Kyle Hagerty