Texas Counties See Drop in Flood Policies, Insurance Department Says

A number of flood-prone Texas counties have seen a decline in the number of flood insurance policies in place, the state insurance department reported

Despite hurricanes, Corpus Christi region has had a decrease in the number of flood insurance policies, and counties in the San Antonio area also have experienced lower rates of such policies in the last couple of years.

The Texas Department of Insurance said in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey the number of flood insurance policies in counties around Corpus Christi increased. But new data from Federal Emergency Management Agency data shows those gains are eroding.

Nearly all Corpus Christi-area counties have fewer federal flood policies in place than two-plus years before. Across nine counties, the number of policies in effect is down by more than 1,200:

• Aransas (down 5% as of September 7, 2020, compared to July 2018)
• Bee (down 2%)
• Calhoun (down 5%)
• Jim Wells (down 3%)
• Kleberg (down 3%)
• Matagorda (down 5%)
• Nueces (down 1%)
• Refugio (down 7%)
• San Patricio (down 8%)

Goliad County has experienced a 2% increase in flood policies and Live Oak County saw a 3% increase.

Bexar County, where San Antonio is located, has seen a 13% decline in flood insurance policies over the past two years, TDI said.

Federal data also shows declines in nine nearby counties. According to FEMA data, the number of flood policies in 10 San Antonio-area counties fell by more than 1,400 in the past two years:

• Atascosa (down 8% as of September 7, 2020, compared to July 2018)
• Bexar (down 13%)
• Caldwell (down 6%)
• Comal (down 3%)
• DeWitt (down 1%)
• Gonzales (down 5%)
• Guadalupe (down 8%)
• Karnes (down 7%)
• Lavaca (down 2%)
• Wilson (down 2%)

Source: Texas Department of Insurance