HOUSTON, TX (CoveringKaty.com) – The Harris County Flood Control District urges residents to prepare now for the upcoming 2014 Hurricane Season, which begins June 1. Although forecasters are predicting a fairly “easy” season this year, it only takes one destructive storm to make it a difficult season for Harris County.
Harris County hasn’t suffered a hurricane impact since Ike came ashore at Galveston in 2008, but that’s no reason to be caught napping. Don’t wait until the last minute – when grocery stores are crowded and supplies are low – to stock up on bottled water, canned food and other ingredients for a family emergency kit.
In observance of national Hurricane Preparedness Week May 25-31, the Flood Control District offers these tips and tools for planning, preparing and protecting against stormy weather ahead:
Family Flood Preparedness Guide, http://www.hcfcd.org/famfloodprepare.html, includes printable lists for a family emergency kit, emergency contact list, and much more to keep your family safe in case of a hurricane or tropical storm.
Hurricane Tracker mobile website, www.thehurricanetracker.org, and desktop version, www.hcfcd.org/hurricanetracker, allows residents to track a current storm, view evacuation routes, and access preparedness lists and information from our Hurricane Guide.
Flood Warning System website and mobile website, www.harriscountyfws.org, users can monitor rainfall and bayou levels near their homes, places of work and daily commuter routes. This website provides data from a network of gages that continually measure rainfall and water levels in bayous and major streams throughout Harris County.
Flood Education Mapping Tool, www.harriscountyfemt.org/ provides information about mapped floodplains in Harris County. Residents can type in their address and view maps based on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM or floodplain map) for Harris County.
Flooding can occur in any neighborhood, so act early to obtain flood insurance! Most people don’t realize that typical home insurance policies do not cover flood damages, or that new flood insurance policies typically take 30 days to go into effect. Contact your insurance agent for more information about purchasing flood insurance, or visit the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) website at www.floodsmart.gov or call 1-888-379-9531.
Flood Control District officials will be participating at the 2014 Hurricane Workshop May 31 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the George R. Brown Convention Center. The National Weather Service and the City of Houston host this free event, which includes family-friendly interactive exhibits, hurricane forecasting and much more.
The Harris County Flood Control District provides flood damage reduction projects that work, with appropriate regard for community and natural values. With more than 1,500 bayous and creeks totaling approximately 2,500 miles in length, the Flood Control District accomplishes its mission by devising flood damage reduction plans, implementing the plans and maintaining the infrastructure. To learn more about the Flood Control District, visit www.hcfcd.org.