April 18, 2016 - As a result of the severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding that occurred March 7-29, 2016, the state and FEMA are working to provide technical assistance to Texas communities about flood insurance and rebuilding issues.
BEFORE Starting Repairs after ANY Damage to Your Home or Business, Contact Your Local Building Official and/or Floodplain Manager
- Learn about National Flood Insurance Program regulations regarding substantial damage and improvement BEFORE starting to make repairs.
- Ask for a Substantial Damage Determination from your local building official or floodplain manager. They will provide specific details regarding local ordinance requirements which will help you decide the best options for rebuilding.
- Local Floodplain Management requirements for new construction will apply to substantial improvements. The building must be brought into compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This may include elevating the building, relocating the building to an area outside of the high-risk flood zone, or demolishing the building and rebuilding in compliance.
- Learn specific re-building requirements for your community.
Building Permits - Necessary after Any Natural Disaster
Consult local building officials for information and permits when considering new construction or repairs on property affected by recent flooding, tornados/high winds, fire, winter storms, and/or earthquake.
Obtaining building permits for homes or businesses located within a high-risk flood area is especially important, as additional permits may be required, such as a development permit, land use permit or zoning permit, depending on the property location.
- Local governments cannot reduce or ignore the floodplain requirements for building or repairs no matter what the cause of the damage.
- Repair projects must meet community building codes and flood-damage prevention ordinances.
- Residents are required to start construction and repair only after they have received permits from their local building department.
Whether or not your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program is a local decision. To participate in the program, communities establish and enforce standards to meet the minimum NFIP standards. The local standards are applied uniformly to all structures within their jurisdiction.
For additional information on the NFIP program and flood insurance, please see www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/.
Substantial Damage Determinations
According to National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) standards, if a structure – not including land value – has sustained damage by any source that is 50 percent or more of the pre-disaster market value, it is considered to be substantially damaged.
In Texas, local officials may request the Federal Emergency Management Agency provide technical assistance to collect information about damage to structures from the severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding that occurred March 7- 29, 2016. From that information, local officials make a substantial damage determination based on their own local ordinances.
If your local officials have determined a residential structure in a special flood hazard area has been substantially damaged by any source, the owner generally has three options:
- Elevate the building to the base flood elevation or a height determined by local officials if higher than base flood elevation;
- Relocate the structure outside the floodplain; or
- Demolish the structure.
Non-residential structures may be made compliant by “floodproofing.” For guidance on flood proofing, see www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program-2/floodproofing.
