How to Understand New Draft Floodplain Maps
5/28/27 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) is sponsoring a series of virtual information sessions about the recently released draft floodplain maps for Harris County.
If you’ve wondered what the updated draft maps show for your home or neighborhood, these sessions will help you understand where to look and how to interpret what you find.
What Sessions Will Cover and When
The sessions will cover:
- What floodplain maps are and why they’re being updated
- What’s changing in the new draft maps that FEMA is now reviewing
- How to use the online Navigator tool to find your property
- What happens next and how you can stay involved
It’s important to note at this time that these are draft maps and do not yet have regulatory or insurance impacts.
Four more sessions remain:
May 29, 2026
12:00 PM
Click to Register
June 8, 2026
12:00 PM
Click to Register
June 23, 2026
4:30 PM
Click to Register
July 1, 2026
12:00 PM
Click to Register
For General Public
HCFCD designed these sessions for the general public. You need no prior knowledge. Whether you own a home, rent, run a business, or simply want to learn more about flood risk, these sessions represent a quick, easy way to learn more.
If you are unable to attend, materials and resources will be made available after the meeting.
Approval Stages
The maps will go through several stages before they become the effective regulatory maps.
Draft – (Where we are now)
Draft maps are shared with FEMA, local jurisdictions and technical partners to identify issues or mapping discrepancies. Draft maps are provided for awareness only and are not open for formal comments or appeals.
Preliminary (Public Review) – Proposed maps for public input
Once FEMA releases the maps for public review, residents can submit comments and formal appeals. During this period, the maps are still not yet effective for regulatory or insurance use.
Final (Effective) – Official regulatory maps
After the review and protest process, FEMA incorporates all approved changes. Then it issues the final, effective maps. These become the official versions used for insurance, permitting, and development.
The entire process may take several more years. The purpose of releasing draft maps is to help you better understand your flood risk.
Why Maps Needed Updating
The old maps developed after Tropical Storm Allison show significantly less risk. Since 2000, the Houston area’s population has grown 68%. The region is now approaching 8 million residents and is one of the fastest-growing major metros in America.
That means a lot more impervious cover. Much more runoff. And faster, higher flood peaks. During Hurricane Harvey, of the 154,170 homes that flooded in Harris County alone, 105,340 or 68% were outside the 1% (100-yr) floodplain. So, you can easily see why the maps needed updating.
The time to learn about them is now. Hurricane season starts in days. But it’s still not too late to buy flood insurance.
Learn more about this new map program at www.hcfcd.org/MAAPnext.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/28/26
3194 Days since Hurricane Harvey
