06-23-08 Drainage and Flooding Committee Minutes

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Despite these problems, the Harris County Flood Control District does support the use of mitigation funds for acquiring and clearing repetitive flood loss propertiess. Eligibility for the program is determined by several conditions: . The property must be a severe repetitive flood loss property . The action of buying out the property must meet the FEMA designated benefit-cost ratio . The property must not be located in an area where a planned capital project will reduce the flooding problem, as it would be a duplicative solution. ID. Elevation Raising the structure above the flood level is generally viewed as the best flood protection measure, short of removing the building from the floodplain. All damageable portions of the building and its contents are high and dry during a flood, which flows under the floor instead of into the house. Houses can either be elevated on fill, posts/piles, or on a crawlspace. A house elevated on fill requires adding a specific type of dirt, called structural fill, to a lot and building the house on top of the added dirt. A house elevated on posts/ piles is either built or raised on a foundation of piers that are driven into the earth and rise high enough above the ground to elevate the house above the flood level. A house elevated on a crawlspace is built or raised on a wall-like foundation that elevates the house above the flood level. If a crawlspace is used, it is important to include vents that are appropriately sized: one square inch for each square foot of the building's footprint. An example of an elevated house is shown in Figure 3-2. Cost: Most of the cost to elevate a building is in Figure 3-2: A slab house that has been the preparation and foundation construction. The elevated cost to elevate six feet is little more than the cost to elevate two feet. Elevation is usually cost-effective for wood frame buildings on crawlspaces because it is easiest to get lifting equipment under the floor and disruption to the habitable part of the house is minimal. Elevating a slab house is much more costly, disruptive, and dangerous, but it can be done. All of the houses in the Brookglen study area are on a slab. The actual cost of elevating a particular building depends on factors such as its condition, whether it is masonry or brick faced, the soil conditions, and if additions to the house have been made over time. While the cost of elevating a home on a slab can be high, there are funding programs that can help. The usual arrangement is for a FEMA grant to pay 75% of the cost while the remaining 25% is paid by a non-Federal source. In Harris County, the County pays the non-Federal portion.o 5 For more information on the Harris County Flood Control District buyout program, please see htto://www.hcfcd.org/buvout.a8P?flash=ves or call 713-684-4020 or 713-684-4035. Brookglen Area Analysis - DRAFT 18 9/812008