Bay Area: Flooding, Hurricanes, Tornados???? (Houston, Pasadena: big house, living in, codes)

[TootsieWootsie]

Nassau Bay, El Lago, Webster, Seabrook, Clear Lake, somewhere? considering moving to. Can anyone tell me if all these areas flood?
Lived in Bellaire in 2001 and lost a room and a new Camaro. No fun at all!
How has it been about evacuating in a hurricane? Is this particular area one that they have mandatory evacuations? How dangerous is this area, really?
Any input is appreciated. The Bay Area looks like it might be attracting some retiring boomers soon, too. Does anyone have any information or statistics on that issue?

[tstone]

Northern Clear Lake (close to Ellington field) doesn't flood. The main streets pool up by the curbs and that's about it. However when it does rain hard, it's impossible to get out of the area because every other place floods around us. I have to call into work 1-2 times a year.

Webster floods a little bit in spots, and League City even moreso. This is mostly street flooding, though. Not sure about the other places you mentioned as they are even closer to the water.

Hurricanes are always a threat but we don't live in Florida either. Clear Lake is in a Cat 3 or 4/5 area depending on how far inland you are. The Cat 1/2 evacuation zone is strictly limited to the Galveston area.

Tornados are around but few and far between. The storms are almost always much gentler than what you see in DFW.

[TootsieWootsie]

Every year, when there are heavy rains, Route 45S floods badly with a few trucks stuck in the water. Haven't they fixed that YET? Good grief.
Are there no side roads out of that area. I'll dig my Houston map up in the car and look. If not, that is pretty scary for the Bay Area/Galveston people. How do they get out of the area in case of flooding...followed by a hurricane?

[Poltracker]

Everywhere in Houston area floods if it gets enough water dumped on it. Some areas do flood at the drop of a hat though. Generally, most flooding is confined to street flooding but homes can flood during heavy rains (read this as 10 inches in a 2-hr period or similar). The I-45 S feeders may flood but I have not seen the freeway itself flood for many years except during a hurricane storm surge. The freeways that tend to flood during heavy rains are ones like 288 (btwn 59 and 610), 225 (at Richie), 59 S (btwn 288 and Shepherd), 45 N (around N Main), and I-10 W just west of downtown.

Storm surge during a hurricane is another matter. Generally, all of the southeast portion of Harris Co. and all of Galveston County are in the surge zones (require mandatory evacuation) Seabrook is in a Cat 1 surge area, Clear Lake ranges from Cat 1 surge area around Armand Bayou and the eastern portions of the lake to a Cat 4-5 surge area at the western portions. Most of League City is in a Cat 3 surge area. That is not to say those areas will flood during a hurricane because it is very dependant on how the hurricane comes in. For example: Hurricane Carla was a Cat 4 that hit Matagorda quite a ways down the coast. Many of the areas now designated as Cat 2 flooded entirely (Seabrook and surrounding area, Texas City etc.) even my house located in a Cat 4-5 area has water in the streets as a combo of rain and surge.

Storm surge maps are not an indicator or what rain flooding can do.

[tstone]

Pasadena floods like crazy. You can take Space Center north and you'll get stuck at the city limit (Genoa Red Bluff). You come to understand why the big houses there are so "affordable." BW8/45 floods, and 45 floods all the way to downtown, and on both sides of the street. Edgebrook/Airport is terrible. 45/610S interchange is also bad -- the main lanes get shut down regularly there. 610 all the way west to the Galleria gets flooded too. Flooding is mostly on the feeders, but if you can't get off the freeway.........

I suppose you could hit NASA Rd 1 to 528 to 35 north which becomes Telephone road, but that also floods. Maybe 35 south to 6 in Alvin, then up and out north. Don't know if that floods, though.

In the case of a hurricane, like Rita, it will probably be hot & humid but not rainy before storm, allowing for at least dry gridlock.

[davidt1]

Does flooding happen every year? Are you able to drive at all? How often do you have to stay home and miss work because of the flooding?

[Poltracker]

Flooding happens frequently (coupla times a year) though is not usually city wide and not usually severe when it does flood. It is usually a minor inconvenience as the street floods then the water goes down pretty quickly. Usually don't miss work but may be late getting there or leaving if it rains at the wrong time. Every once in a while, it will flood badly like during TS Erin, Allison, the 1994 floods etc.

In the Houston area one must understand that the storm sewer systems were designed to be primary drainiage, and the roads are mostly designed to be the secondary back up and keep water from homes and businesses (that is why they are set lower and codes require structures to be so many feet above the road crown). The bad areas exist where the storm sewer system is mismatched and does not drain off quickly.

[I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA]

Flooding can happen any where in Houston any time it rains. But almost everyone knows if you spit on Edgebrook it floods

[TootsieWootsie]

Dang...and I thought I had found the perfect place in Bay area. Sigh.
Been thru one flood. Lost a new Camaro and a room in my house. Ugh....
I even saw some video of the Heights flooding, which surprised me; because you know how high the Heights is from I-10...but does it ever flood!

[texas7]

I love living in the Bay Area - the streets flood but my home has never flooded. Despite the risk, I wouldn't live anywhere else in the greater Houston area - just like the people, the friendliness and the casualness of it all. However, that is just my opinion, there are likely people here who don't like it all either -- to each his own.