Houston Chronicle photographer Brett Coomer surveyed by plane some of the worst impacted areas, including the Addicks Reservoir and Cypress Creek.
Despite gradually slowing rains from Tropical Storm Harvey, still much of Houston sits under 40 or more inches of water.
Earlier Tuesday, Houston Chronicle photographer Brett Coomer surveyed by plane some of the worst impacted areas, including the Addicks Reservoir and Cypress Creek.
This is how Houston looked five days after Hurricane Harvey made landfall.
« All these people taken out in boats, they have a second problem: They have no insurance, » said Robert Hunter, director of insurance at the Consumer Federation of America who used to run a federal flood insurance program.
Hunter estimates that total out-of-pocket costs for flooded homeowners could reach $28 billion, the largest in U. S. history.
Hunter expects flood damage alone from the storm to cost at least $35 billion, about what Katrina cost. But in that 2005 hurricane about half of flooded homes were covered by flood insurance.
With Harvey, only two of 10 homeowners have coverage, Hunter estimates.
Homeowners insurance typically covers just damage from winds, not floods. For that, you need separate coverage from the federally run National Flood Insurance Program. The insurance must be bought by homeowners with federally-backed mortgages living in the most vulnerable areas, called Special Flood Hazard Zones.
People in those areas and near them have complained for years that the premiums are too high, though they would be much higher still if not subsidized by the federal government.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
