Flood Risk Tool Uses Hurricane Data to Determine Risk

MELBOURNE, Fla. - June 15, 2020 - PRLog -- Flood Risk Tool Uses Hurricane Data to Determine Risk

Do you know how susceptible your area is to hurricanes? The answer may surprise you. www.myfloodrisk.org, a free true flood risk website, has created a tool that shows how many hurricane eyes have passed within 100 miles of your property in the last century.

June 1st marked the beginning of hurricane season, and the official NOAA forecast (https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/outlooks/hurricane.shtml) is predicting an above-average season, with 13-19 named storms. On top of this, we are in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. During these uncertain times, it's more important than ever to be prepared for this hurricane season.

"Flooding is one of the most damaging effects of a hurricane," explained Amanda Bryant, Director of Operations for My Flood Risk. The free, interactive platform was designed to help property owners determine their true flood risk. "We use several factors that directly impact the flood risk of a property, hurricanes are an important factor."

Recent years' storms have highlighted the damaging flooding they can bring. Hurricane Harvey brought 50 inches of rain to Southeast Texas and parts of Louisiana, causing up to $37 billion (https://money.cnn.com/2017/09/01/news/hurricane-harvey-co...) in flood loss. The following year Hurricane Florence devastated the Carolinas with 40 inches of water and $28 billion (https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/catastrophe/...) in flood damage.

"What all of the major hurricanes have in common is uninsured flood losses. Three-fourths of flood victims for Hurricanes Harvey and Florence were uninsured," said Bryant. Other storms such as Hurricane Irma and Tropical Storm Imelda also left severe flooding damage behind. It was reported that 80% (https://www.captive.com/news/2017/09/21/corelogic-80-percent-hurricane-irma-flood-damage-uninsured#:~:text=An%20estimated%2080%20percent%20of,billion%20represents%20residential%20wind%20loss) of Hurricane Irma flood damage was not covered by flood insurance.

"Hurricane flooding doesn't stop at the coast. Wherever the rain goes, the flooding follows," said Bryant, "Harvey was the perfect example of this, as some of the most devastating flooding happened in Houston, which is fifty miles from the coast." Another example of inland hurricane flooding is Tropical Storm Cristobal which recently brought flooding to parts of the Midwest.

"We hope to change the decades-old perception of true flood risk by raising awareness, which begins with knowledge," explained Bryant. "If our tool can help just one person take steps to protect their property this hurricane season, we are doing what we hoped."

The flood scoring tool also allows users to view the total number of flooding events in their area as well as the dollar amount of FEMA assistance provided to their county and state. To find the data for your property visit www.myfloodrisk.org.