Hurricane Harvey: A Harsh Reality for Houston Sends a Dire Warning to the U.S.

With the upcoming Labor Day Weekend, when most people will be grilling and relaxing, it’s important to take notice of how lucky we all are and yet, at the same time, how many of us are in dire need. 

Hurricane Harvey, still an active tropical storm, has left us with many heart-wrenching visuals as the country’s fourth largest city, Houston, enters the beginning stages of what many view as years of recovery. The storm is already projected to be the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, with estimated costs of over $160 billion.

Harvey has also amassed over 50 inches of rain, which according to the National Weather service, broke the U.S. rainfall record for a tropical storm or hurricane. With flooding damage being the primary cause of destruction to Houston, another storm of sorts is brewing regarding the city and it’s 80% of residents that do not have flood insurance.

Flood Insurance

After evacuating their homes or even having to be rescued from the hurricane, Houston residents may also face consequences from being uninsured. Many will be faced with significantly high out-of-pocket expenses for any property damage resulting from Hurricane Harvey’s wrath. The lack of flood-insured properties is not exclusive to Houston as their 80% uninsured rate is roughly equal to national figures. It is estimated that flood damage alone will cost at least $35 billion, more than double what the National Flood Insurance Program covered for flood damage claims during Hurricane Katrina.

Providing Assistance for Relief Efforts

As part of our efforts to assist those affected, we at Oppenheim Law and Weston Title & Escrow are collecting non-perishable items to donate to the Hurricane Harvey relief effort. We are providing the donations to a relief effort organized by the Miami Dolphins who will send the items to Houston high schools currently serving as shelters for storm victims. There are so many ways to give and help. A list of   different organizations may be found here.

We wish and pray for the health and safety of all those affected by the storm.

From the trenches,

Roy Oppenheim