We are relocating to Texas, I am worried about storms and floods, where are the better places to consider?

Question

Also, where is good for families with kids?

Answer 1

Now Texas is bigger than any other state (except Alaska) and it is bigger than many nations (it's bigger than France) so your question covers (literally) a lot of ground.

I sympathze with your worry. I was in Florida in 04 and sat through 4 (count 'em 4) hurricanes, and  though none were a direct hit, that was enough for one lifetime.  That being said, storms and floods are sensationalized and hyped by the news-people. Think about it, if they were really as bad as the folks on TV say, NOBODY would live near the coast.  Your best bet would be to go where the jobs are...Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and not worry about storms.

The problem with Katrina wasn't FEMA, and it wasn't the storm. Places that got hit a lot harder than New Orleans (I worked in Cameron La for a bit, ground zero for Rita where she hit) did not suffer nearly as badly as New Orleans.  The problem in New Orleans was a massive failure of the New Orleans Local Govt. and the Louisiana State Govt.  The damage came when the levees failed and the people who stayed in houses that were BELOW SEA LEVEL when a full blown force 3 hurricane was hitting them (not the smartest move) and there were huge numbers of school busses that COULD have evacuated them sitting parked a few miles away, got into trouble...then came the looting. The New Orleans Aquarium lost all it's fish but not because of the storm. It came through the storm fine. It lost it's fish when the ride-out team had to be evacuated because law and order broke down and thugs were shooting at Coast Guard helicopters and looting. Without the ride out staff to keep the bubblers going and take care of the fish the fish all died. It's not "P.C." to say it, but most of the damage to New Orleans was self-inflicted. In a city where the Government is more capable than the average two year old, things like Katrina don't happen.... (Katrina also hit Mississippi..it hit it harder than it did N.O. and Mississippi didn't have anywhere near the problems New Orleans did.)

That's not to say a hurricane is something you can just ignore, but if you are more than a few miles inland, and don't live below sea level, you won't have storm surge problems, and that is where most of the damage comes from. Just keep your hurricane kit handy (bottled water, etc.) Also hurricanes don't hit the whole state...there is about a 20% chance Houston may get a visit from Hurricane Gustav, but the last time we got hit by one was 1983. These things happen every summer...but they don't happen WHERE YOU ARE every summer.

Flooding can be another matter. Tropical Storm Allison (google it) did more damage to Houston than any hurricane. It was a freak storm that got over downtown and stalled...for hours. It just kept dumping rain in the same spot, and dumping, and dumping...the storm drains couldn't handle it all and it backed up into the streets.  I lost my car in that one, the water came half way up the yard to our apartment...it was exciting.

The key to flooding is just ask to look at a plat of the subdivision you are buying in and look for the highest spot. Some subdivisions are built on low ground, some on higher ground. Check the local maps and plats...Check with your realtor about that, or rent a second floor apartment.

Dallas doesnt' get hurricanes, but it is right smack in the middle of the great plains, they get tornados on occasion, and can catch a nasty blizzard or two on occasion as well. Houston gets a dusting of snow every five years or so, but it never sticks.

If you are really worried...I'd go with San Antonio. It is further south than Dallas, and further inland than Houston...but if you have a job or relatives in Houston or Dallas and don't have that in San Antonio then go where the job or the relatives are.  Hurricanes aren't nearly as big a deal as the idiots on TV make them out to be.

Where is nice for kids depends on your neighborhood more than anything else. Every city has it's good parts and it's bad parts. I'm really happy with the public schools here in Houston, if you know where to look you can find excellent public schools here, and most are magnet schools so kids from every neighborhood can transfer in if there is space.

Answer 2

Every place has some type of problem like that.  Cali has earthquakes.  The south and east coasts have hurricanes.  Almost everywhere has tornadoes.  Anywhere with water will have floods.

Answer 3

Ft. Worth and Dallas if you want big cities.  East Texas around Tyler, Longmont and Marshall are good places to live having moderate types of weather.  Anything north of an east/west parallel line running through Huntsville will keep you out of the danger of hurricanes because by the time one gets to Huntsville, it mostly has lost strength down to a tropical depression or a Low pressure area.  If you want to avoid hurricanes, stay away from the coastal areas except for brief trips on vacation.  This would include, but is not limited to, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Galveston, Houston, Port Arthur, Beaumont, and Orange.

Any place can flood from rains if there is enough rain and it doesn't get absorbed by the ground.  You have to find out where the 50 and 100 year flood plain areas are when you are buying a home and don't get your home where it is located.  Tornadoes can happen anywhere as well, so trying to avoid them is pointless too.

I hope this helps.

Answer 4

Lots of better places. Seattle's nice and affordable I believe. NYC is great, but you will have to pay a higher cost to live there.