Recent heavy rain brings back bad memories

While historic and catastrophic floods like the one that happened here in 1998, or even the flash flood of last week, linger in residents' minds, there is only a minor risk of such a natural disaster in Victoria.

Texas is a hurricane and flood-prone state, however, and statistics show that 94.5% of Texas homeowners aren't protected with flood insurance.

Many Victorians remember it well: The 1998 flood of the Guadalupe River— when the water level in Victoria crested at 33.85 feet — which means that the water level rose 12.8 feet above the 21-foot flood stage.

That flood brought devastating loss of life and properties throughout the region. Some residents' homes were left under five feet of water and some businesses never recovered— closing for the storm and never reopening.

Last Thursday's flash flooding was a stark remind of the havoc rising waters can do to homes and vehicles.

Flood insurance is optional for homeowners who don't live in high flood-risk areas and homeowners insurance does not covering flooding. In Texas, over half of flood damages happen outside of high flood-risk areas.

Only 66.8% of homes outside of high flood risk areas have flood insurance policies. Of the 11,654,971 homes in Texas, only 5.5% of homes have flood insurance.

Often times, homeowners drop flood insurance coverage as a cost-saving measure. The average cost of flood insurance in Texas is $791 a year.

According to Neptune Flood Insurance, FEMA's Risk Rating of 2.0, an assessment that calculates premiums across all policyholders based on the value of their homes and property's flood risk, has led to significant premium increases, contributing to affordability concerns and declining policyholders.

According to ValuePeguin by Lending Tree, a personal finance researcher and analysist, there was a 4% drop in homes with flood insurance coverage in 2024.

• Number of Texas homeowners with flood insurance in 2023 — 666,011

• Number of Texas homeowners with flood insurance in 2024 — 639,256

Since 2005, over 52% of National Flood Insurance Program claims in Texas have occurred outside FEMA-designated high-risk flood zones according to Neptune Flood Insurance.

With more and more housting developments being built in high flood risk areas, a surge in home construction and rapid population growth, the risk for flood damage in Texas grows each and every year.

Flooding occurs behind coastal regions and low-lying areas and, while rare and often times sudden, the destruction these storms can bring can be devastating.

Any Texas homeowner can get flood insurance, but since flood insurance enrollment comes with a 30-day waiting period, homeowners should enroll as soon as possible to protect themselves.