F.O.R. has a table at the Brazos Bend
Earth Day Celebration
Saturday, April 14th from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00
p.m.
If you can help man the table after noon,
please contact Fred Kanter at:
979-482-6429
Thanks,
Friends!
Everything you wanted to know about Floods
But Were Afraid to Ask
After
all the recent rains and with Hurricane Season
less than 2 months away, this would be a good
time to consider floods and their effects on all
of us reading this post. Floods affect everyone
not just those of us who live along the San
Bernard River.
In plain English, a flood is an
excess of water (or mud) on land that is
normally dry. Floods often happen when bodies of
water overflow or tides rise due to heavy
rainfall. Flash floods can strike anywhere
without warning when a large volume of rain
falls within a short period of time.
As more and more buildings, roads
and parking lots are built where forests and
prairies used to be, the land loses its natural
ability to absorb water. This fact, coupled with
changing weather patterns has made floods more
severe.
Consider the following flood
facts taken from
www.floodsmart.gov
-
Floods and flash floods happen in
all 50 states.
-
EVERYONE lives in a flood zone.
-
Hurricanes, winter storms and
snow melt are common (but often overlooked)
causes of flooding. New land development can
increase flood risk, especially if the
construction changes natural runoff paths.
-
Just an inch of water can cause
costly damage to your property.
-
A car can easily be carried away
by just 2 feet of flood water.
-
Flash floods often bring walls of
water 10 to 20 feet high.
-
Most homeowners insurance does
not cover flood damage.
-
If you live in a Special Flood
Hazard Area or high risk area, your mortgage
lender requires you to have flood insurance.
-
Federal disaster assistance is
usually a loan that must be paid back with
interest. For a $50,000.00 loan at 4% interest,
your monthly payment would be around $240.00 a
month ($2,880.00 a year) for 30 years. Compare
that to a $100,000 flood insurance premium,
which is about $500.00 a year ($33.00 a month).
-
It takes 30 days after purchase
for a policy to take effect, so its important
to buy insurance before floodwaters start to
rise.
