Building in flood-prone areas in the city of Houston should be more rigorous and meet a stiffer standard, Houston’s mayor said Wednesday.
“We need to build a stronger city,” Turner said to the city council.
Turner plans to push a proposal to require buildings built inside the 500-year floodplain meet the same standard as current rules in the 100-year floodplain. Harris County adopted similar rules in December.
The last three major floods – Tax Day, Memorial Day and Harvey – were 500-year floods.
Turner’s proposal would place buildings two feet above the flood level, he said. In some cases, renovations and existing homes could be affected, he said.
Developer rules would also change, ending “grandfathering” developments in under current rules, Turner said. If you build a development, you should build adequate drainage for the entire project, he said.
Doing this “puts us in the position to tell the Feds, this is what we’re doing” to ensure we’re implementing tough standards.
“These are the steps we are taking and they are not easy steps,” Turner said.
A taskforce will meet Wednesday afternoon to discuss the proposal. You can see an interactive floodplain tool provided by the county here.
Turner will also propose allowing FEMA trailers inside city limits for those recovering from Hurricane Harvey. Current rules don’t allow them.
The plan would be to allow them for an initial six-month period, then allow for an additional six-month period if rebuilding is ongoing.
