Proposed Change to New Construction in Houston May Protect More Homes

Houston mayor Sylvester Turner is asking to change the requirements for new construction on floodplains, at two feet above the projected water level in a 500-year storm, with 0.2 percent likelihood of occurrence in any given year.

A report from Houston Public Works includes a data chart detailing how such requirements would limit damage to Houston homeowners, and is being cited by city officials behind the changes. Should new construction be required at two feet above the 500-year water level, over 25,000 homes would be protected of the 31,822 homes analyzed, The Houston Chronicle reports.

Current rules mandate that buildings be constructed one foot above the flood level in a less severe 100-year storm, and apply only within the 100-year floodplain, where properties are considered to have a 1 percent annual chance of being inundated. Minimum home elevations would be imposed within the 500-year floodplain for the first time. ... For what it's worth, even those skeptical of the proposal have framed the issue in essentially the same terms.

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