Howdy! I apologize in advance...this is a long post. I have a question in regards to building in an area that was previously a flood zone per FEMA, but had engineering/fill work to remove this designation.
Back story- I live in a new subdivision (completed in 2017) in south Texas. We have had 2 bad storms since I moved in 2 years ago. The first was in May 2018, and the most recent was Hanna this past weekend.
We are located alongside to 2 drainage canals ( to the North and West of us) and we normally drain very well as a subdivision. However, when the 2 drainage canals next to us fill up...water from the Outside street starts to pour like into our neighborhood like white water rapids emptying into our neighborhood. There is a video circulating on social media showing the "river" flowing from outside our subdivision gates into our streets. Therefore, we have essentially become a retention pond when the 2 canals fill up, and all outside water rushes into us. It seems like we are a "bowl" to assist with excess water.
There is a FEMA report from 2016 that shows work/fill was done to remove the flood zone designation prior to the subdivision being developed/built.
None of us living here knew about this until this past weekend, and I suppose since it was repaired it was not necessary for us to know ahead of time. We are not required to buy flood insurance. But, we clearly flood and some of our neighbors do get water inside their homes with heavy rains. When this happens our sreets become unusable and we are stuck inside our homes until the water recedes.
I do not want to move or sell our house. We've invested a lot into our home, and I would just like the flooding issue fixed. Obviously, some of our neighbors are looking into legal action against the developer, or the company that did the fill work to remove the flood zone designation as it appears to have not been done properly. I am not really sure? As of today though...it seems like no one wants to touch the developer or hold anyone accountable locally.
What is our best course of action at this time?
I've included a photo of our retention pond community. All input is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Back story- I live in a new subdivision (completed in 2017) in south Texas. We have had 2 bad storms since I moved in 2 years ago. The first was in May 2018, and the most recent was Hanna this past weekend.
We are located alongside to 2 drainage canals ( to the North and West of us) and we normally drain very well as a subdivision. However, when the 2 drainage canals next to us fill up...water from the Outside street starts to pour like into our neighborhood like white water rapids emptying into our neighborhood. There is a video circulating on social media showing the "river" flowing from outside our subdivision gates into our streets. Therefore, we have essentially become a retention pond when the 2 canals fill up, and all outside water rushes into us. It seems like we are a "bowl" to assist with excess water.
There is a FEMA report from 2016 that shows work/fill was done to remove the flood zone designation prior to the subdivision being developed/built.
None of us living here knew about this until this past weekend, and I suppose since it was repaired it was not necessary for us to know ahead of time. We are not required to buy flood insurance. But, we clearly flood and some of our neighbors do get water inside their homes with heavy rains. When this happens our sreets become unusable and we are stuck inside our homes until the water recedes.
I do not want to move or sell our house. We've invested a lot into our home, and I would just like the flooding issue fixed. Obviously, some of our neighbors are looking into legal action against the developer, or the company that did the fill work to remove the flood zone designation as it appears to have not been done properly. I am not really sure? As of today though...it seems like no one wants to touch the developer or hold anyone accountable locally.
What is our best course of action at this time?
I've included a photo of our retention pond community. All input is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.