The only Harris County residents who qualify for TWIA are those who live east of Texas 146. Your options are private insurance, the National Flood Insurance Program (administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency) or, for Gulf Coast residents in 14 counties and part of Harris County, the state-run Texas Windstorm Insurance Association. You may need additional flood insurance and/or windstorm protection. Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer 2. Properly caulked windows improve energy efficiency, but also help keep water from seeping in during a storm with heavy wind and rain. Hector Mejia applies caulk around window frames at a Houston building. An easy option is to record a video on your phone walk through each room, narrating as you go. Now is also a good time for everyone to get an inventory of what’s in your home. Renters should consider getting a renters policy, since your landlord has no coverage for your personal belongings. Don’t forget to ask your agent if your policy has “sub limits,” which place limits on what you will be reimbursed, regardless of the amount of damage. This is not a fine line: replacement cost buys you a new product while actual cash value reimburses you for an item’s depreciated value. See More CollapseĪnother thing to ask is whether your policy covers the replacement value or actual cash value of anything lost or damaged. Wind storm: For information on Texas Windstorm Insurance Agency, go to .įor weather information: We’ll toot our own horn and suggest you go to other sources of good information include the National Weather Service (), the National Hurricane Center (), or your own municipality, including /#get-prepared. Insuranceįlood insurance: For information on the FEMA-run National Flood Insurance Program go to. (Photo: Briggs & Stratton) Business Wire 1. Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Show More Show Lessĭon’t wait until a storm is on the way to get your home ready. With a little forethought and manpower, you can mitigate the damage and stress a storm can bring to your home and your family.Ī portable generator can keep families and homes comfortable and safe during prolonged power outages caused by hurricanes and other severe weather. Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Show More Show Less 3 of3Īn employee with Jones Road Tree Service cuts a tree at home Monday, Jin Tomball. Get it repaired before our first big storm to mitigate damage in your home. With a new hurricane season beginning, check your roof for missing or lifted shingles, a sign of a damaged room. Keeping your roof strong is part of a home’s regular maintenance. ( Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle ) Melissa Phillip, Staff / Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of3 The City of Houston is offering a program to help repair roofs of homes where many have had blue tarps attached since Hurricane Ike.

A blue tarp is shown on a roof of a home Wednesday, Sept.

Tropical Storm by Melissa Good