Data shows Texas households are opting out of flood insurance policies

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]And we start tonight with a question. Do you have flood insurance?

[00:00:02]>> New research shows that despite all the flooding that we get in Texas, more families in our state are opting out of the national flood insurance program.

[00:00:10]Take a look at the numbers. Nationwide flood policies fell more than 3% year-over-year, but Texas is declining at more than twice that rate as you can see, and more than 7%.

[00:00:21]>> So, we don't exactly know why that's happening, but we do know that flood damage can be financially devastating, especially if you don't have coverage.

[00:00:29]>> KPRC 2 News reporter Gate Golding reminds us of the risk that you would be taking.

[00:00:33]>> When you think of flooding in Houston, storms like Hurricane Harvey, Tropical Storm Allison, and the Tax Day Flood of 2016 come to mind. As scorching hot as a Houston summer can be, we sure have our fair share of problems with water.

[00:00:45]>> If you live in the Houston area, you are at risk of flooding.

[00:00:49]>> And after all, Houston is nicknamed the Bayou City simply because, well, we have a lot of waterways, which makes it even more difficult to swallow the statistic that not hundreds, but thousands of Texans across the Lone Star State are dropping their flood insurance policies.

[00:01:04]Data from FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program shows a decline in policies across the nation, but no one has dropped more flood policies than right here in the Lone Star State. A staggering 45,000 plus plans canceled in the last year alone.

[00:01:18]>> I mean, we're situated here along a massive bayou. They're designed to move water, but the reality is is they can only handle so much.

[00:01:25]>> That's right, and we can't plan for every rain event.

[00:01:27]>> Now, look, I don't have to tell you that life is getting more expensive. I'm sure you can think of things that you've adjusted or cut out of your budget just to make the dollars make sense.

[00:01:35]>> It's across-the-board affordability challenges that are going on, and people are going to look for ways to save money.

[00:01:41]>> Daniel Potter is a researcher with the Kinder Institute at Rice University. His research showing that 2/3 of Houstonians are struggling with housing affordability.

[00:01:50]>> Insurance is one of those things that, especially with flood insurance, I don't necessarily need to have it. I don't have to have it. People are going to look to make cuts there.

[00:01:58]>> There's also this. Our last major flood across the Houston metro was Hurricane Harvey, nearly a decade ago. Are we becoming too comfortable?

[00:02:06]>> You're right. It You become complacent, and it becomes much more of a comfortable issue versus one that you need think you need to take action on.

[00:02:13]>> But if we've learned anything over time, history repeats itself in Houston.

[00:02:17]>> Every place has a natural disaster that they face. Ours in Harris County happens to be flooding.

[00:02:22]>> Reporting in Houston, Gage Goulding, KHOU 11 News.