Not in a FEMA flood zone? Your home could still be at risk—and you could suffer more than your neighbor

If you live outside a designated flood zone, you might assume your home is safe from flooding. However, recent evidence suggests that significantly more homes are at risk than official maps indicate. About six million additional properties could be at risk, according to one estimate. FEMA's maps, while commonly outdated, rely on historical flood data rather than future risk projections.

While these maps only answer whether water is likely to reach a neighborhood, they don't assess individual home risks or the potential impact of rising water.

When considering an individual home's vulnerability, several factors come into play. The age of the home, its construction quality, and the level of insurance coverage all contribute to its overall risk. Two homes on the same street in the same flood zone can experience vastly different outcomes from a flood event. One might be newer, well-maintained, and insured, while the other could be older, poorly maintained, and uninsured. The same storm would leave them in different predicaments, with different paths to recovery.

To understand the true flood risk of a home, more comprehensive data is needed. This includes the probable flood depth at the home, its age and construction quality, and insurance coverage. Local governments can help by providing this detailed information. A study conducted by researchers in Houston examined nearly one million homes, building a detailed flood risk score for each.

This score takes into account four key factors: water depth, building characteristics, mobility, and insurance coverage. By analyzing these factors, communities can better identify homes that are particularly vulnerable to flooding, helping residents protect their homes and allowing local officials to allocate limited flood-protection resources more effectively.