Hurricane season is coming to the Texas Gulf Coast area and no one knows if we will get a hurricane or a tropical storm. For those of you that remember Tropical Storm Allison, we can get a storm that will flood the city. As many of you may know, regular homeowners insurance will not cover flood damage. You have to get flood insurance.
The cost of flood insurance is determined by what is known as the base flood elevation mainly. The baseflood is a mark establised by FEMA as a mark at which the likelyhood of flooding is little to none. Basically, for flood insurance, you want your house to be at a certain level in comparison to sea level. For instance, if you are at 1 foot above sea level you would probably be more likely to get flooded than a house that is 100 feet above sea level.
The way to determine what your base flood elevation is to have a Registered Professional Land Surveyor (R.P.L.S.) complete an elevation certificate for you. An elevation certificate is a necessity when obtaining flood insurance. It could save a homeowner anywhere from $100 up to as much as $3000 on annual flood insurance.
Make sure you have an elevation certificate next time you get flood insurance, and make sure you contact PRO-SURV for help.