FEMA to Buy Flooded Houston Homes

In the hopes of helping some Houston homeowners rebuild in more sustainable living places, FEMA will buy some homes flooded during Hurricane Harvey.

1 minute read

September 13, 2017, 10:00 AM PDT

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


Harvey Floods Houston

2C2KPHOTOGRAPHY / Flickr

Homeowners looking to recover from Hurricane Harvey don't always want to rebuild where they were. Sometimes it makes more sense to start over somewhere else. To that end, as David Hunn writes in the Houston Chronicle, "The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it is working to accelerate buyouts of repeatedly flooded properties following Hurricane Harvey in hopes of helping Houstonians escape perennially soggy neighborhoods and keeping the federal government from paying to rebuild homes time and time again." 

The costs of the rebuilding are still coming in. "By the end of Wednesday, more than 80,000 Texans had filed claims and FEMA had issued about $76 million in advance payments," Hunn reports.

How feasible a buyout plan will be and what scale it will reach is yet to be seen. FEMA's buyout program typically doesn't come into play until years after a disaster has happened, but officials intend to use the strategy in the short term.

Thursday, September 7, 2017 in The Houston Chronicle

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 14, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail station with bullet train.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself

The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

May 19, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Cobblestone street with vintage street lamps in Savannah, Georgia.

Savannah Reduces Speed Limits on Almost 100 City Streets

The historic Georgia city is lowering speed limits in an effort to reduce road fatalities.

May 20 - WJCL

Sign for Loma Alta Park in Altadena, Los Angeles County.

A Park Reborn: Resilience and Renewal in Fire-Stricken Altadena

Rebuilt in just two months after the devastating Eaton Fire, Loma Alta Park now stands as a symbol of community resilience and renewal, even as some residents hope recovery efforts will continue to support housing stability and long-term equity.

May 20 - Pasadena NOw

Colorful historic homes in Madrid, Spain.

Spain Moves to Ban 66,000 Airbnbs

The national government is requiring the short-term rental operator to remove thousands of illegal listings from its site as part of an effort to stem a growing housing crisis.

May 20 - The New York Times

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.