Houston TX USA : In Harris County, floodwaters have a habit of ignoring official maps, repeatedly inundating thousands of homes the federal government has marked as safe or low risk.
Flood maps are supposed to show where flooding is most likely to happen during major storms. The Federal Emergency Management Agency creates them with help from local governments and uses them to determine where flood insurance is required. Local officials rely on them to shape building codes and guide development.
But experts say these maps are wildly outdated. To help residents get a clearer picture of how much flood risk their homes carry, we put together a tool that shows how their properties fared during Hurricane Harvey and what the potential for negative impacts from flooding looks like for communities in and around the floodplains in Harris County.
