A Texas coastal engineer says a simple home-buying decision saved his home from Hurricane Harvey — and could help other homeowners in flood zones.

• Stronger hurricanes are becoming more frequent and causing more damage to U.S. coastal cities.

• As a coastal engineer, Jens Figlus works to protect coasts from these threats.

• He lives in Texas, a country ravaged by Hurricane Harvey. But his house was safe because it is 16 feet above sea level.

Jens Figlus vividly remembers the day floodwaters from hurricanes swept through his neighborhood.

“People across the street were evacuated from their roofs with helicopters,” he said. But Figlus, his family and his property remained unscathed.

“We were basically sitting in the living room with the electricity, the internet, everything – watching the boats go by on our street,” he told Business Insider.

Although this scene is from 2017, when Hurricane Harvey ravaged Texas and Louisiana, killing more than 100 people, Figlus’ secret to saving his family and his possessions is more relevant than ever this year.

2024 could be the worst hurricane season in history

A coastal engineer at Texas A&M University, Figlus is an expert on flooding. He is acutely aware that climate change is causing sea levels to rise and making dangerous storms like Hurricane Harvey more common. And this year looks particularly bad.

This week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its first hurricane forecasts for this year’s season. It predicts that an unprecedented 17 to 25 named storms could ravage the North Atlantic this hurricane season and potentially make landfall in the United States. Other scientists at the University of Pennsylvania predicted an even higher number – 33 named storms – in April, marking the highest number of storms ever predicted.

Overall, the data suggests that 2024 could be one of the worst hurricane seasons in history. Meanwhile, another team of scientists argued earlier this year that we need to add a Category 6 to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to account for the increasing severity of hurricanes and better inform people about it. who is waiting for them.

Coastal cities, like Houston, are particularly vulnerable. What’s more, Houston is one of the fastest growing cities in America. Between 2022 and 2023, Houston experienced the second largest population growth in the country, welcoming approximately 140,000 new residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“People who move to this area are generally not familiar with the kind of dangers they face — flooding, primarily,” Figlus said of Houston.

During Harvey, the development Figlus lives in ended up being “excluded from the rest of civilization for five days, just because of the floodwaters,” he said. “But not at my house.”

What is Figlus’ secret? “Elevation matters,” he said. Figlus and his family live on a ridge 16 feet above sea level. It’s the high point of their development, he says. Due to their elevation, floodwaters could not reach them.

He knew that living in the greater Houston area meant his family’s home would be vulnerable to flooding, but because of his job he has to live near the coast. It is 25 miles north of the Gulf Coast and 10 miles west of Galveston Bay.

That’s why elevation was an important factor in his home buying process. But you don’t have to be a coastal engineer to make an informed choice when shopping for a home in a flood zone.

How to assess flood risk

When shopping for a home in an area vulnerable to flooding, like the greater Houston area, it’s often up to buyers to assess risk, Figlus said.

“The risk to the potential buyer cannot be disclosed,” he said. “And the developer has no incentive to say to people, ‘Here’s the risk, let me explain it to you.'”

Even though Texas faces more frequent and intense hurricanes, Figlus doesn’t expect developers to stop building homes in high-risk areas. He also doesn’t expect to see fewer people moving to Texas despite increased flooding.

He only hopes that potential buyers will try to make informed decisions about where to live, as he did.

“If you spend a little time, you can make smart decisions about flood risk,” Figlus said.

Asking the seller about the area’s flooding history is a good place to start. If you need more information, use the FEMA Flood Map Service Center to find the address of your potential new home. This online service provides a detailed breakdown of flood risks in a given area.

You may also consider purchasing flood insurance. This way, even if your home floods, you are financially protected. But before purchasing your own insurance policy, ask the seller if they already have flood insurance. In some cases, they can transfer their contract directly to the new owner.

Overall, Figlus thinks people can still live in flood zones relatively safely, as long as they understand the risks.

“With a little extra knowledge, due diligence and asking the right questions of the right people, you can very well make this work,” he said.

Read the original article on Business Insider