Harvey’s Aftermath: More Than 130,000 Houston Area Homes Damaged Or Destroyed

HOUSTON, TX — The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey will ultimately cost consumers in the Greater Houston area billions to recover, and while much of that will be in the public sector through infrastructure and services, the majority of the cost will be to replace homes and private property.

It is estimated that nearly 135,000 homes in the nine-county area of Greater Houston sustained some type of damage from the flood waters, as Hurricane Harvey dumped trillions of gallons of rain in a four-day span.

Of those nearly 135,000 homes, 99,803 were in Harris County, and the Houston Metro area. (Want to get daily news updates and other events going on in your area? Sign up for the free The Woodlands Patch morning newsletter.)

RELATED: Spring Man Who Survived Harvey's Wrath Shares Hope Of Rebuilding

And of those 99,803 homes that were damaged, 15,725 either sustained major damage, or were completely destroyed, according to a report in the Houston Business Journal.

The communities in Harris County most affected by the flooding, other than the Metro Houston region, included Pasadena, Clear Lake, Humble, Meyerland, Katy, Greenspoint, and Jersey Village, which shows just how widespread the flooding was duirng Hurricane Harvey.

Galveston County also saw significant damage to homes, with 20,235 sustaining flood damage, and 6,835 of those homes sustaining major or irreparable damages.

Other counties listed that saw some level of damage from the storm included:

• Austin
• Brazoria
• Fort Bend
• Waller
• Montgomery
• San Jacinto
• Liberty

Some in those counties were renters, who only had renters insurance and were shocked to learn that they’d truly lost everything.

“I can’t believe it’s all gone,” said Tina Wells, who was leasing a home near Cypress Creek in northwest Houston.

She was there when the water started coming into her home on Sunday night, a day after the storm made landfall.

She and her teenage daughter spent three days in a motel near Waller, until they were able to return and see the damage and devastation left behind,

Plaster hung from the walls and the ceiling where the water had reached nearly 7 feet in some places.

“I don’t want to start all over, but I guess I don’t really have a choice,” she said.

Larry Campbell, whose home is in Spring, is among those who sustained major damage and has spent nearly two weeks dragging out the wet sheetrock, insulation and ruined furniture from his home.

Campbell thought he was covered, but learned after the rain stopped that he hadn't had flood insurance since 2014.

“My wife is distraught; we lost five cars a Harley, childhood memories...everything that was downstairs is gone,” he said. “I just have to swallow my pride and go forward.”

He and a lot of other homeowners will also need to be extra careful of scams from contractors, as they work to recover.

In a press release issued Wednesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton warned of contractor scams and offered tips to safeguard against unscrupulous individuals looking to take advantage of vulnerable Texans, such as:

• Contact an insurance adjuster to get an estimate of the damage and repair cost.
• Don’t sign a check from your insurance company over to a contractor.
• Only do business with licensed or bonded contractors or builders. Get multiple estimates.
• Be cautious of contractors who solicit services door-to-door, especially those that are unfamiliar or from out of town and try to pressure you into signing a contract on the spot.
• Get the salesperson’s license plate number.
• Consult the Better Business Bureau to ensure you are working with a trustworthy business.
• Ask for referrals from people you trust and for references from contractors.
• Get more than one estimate on work, so you know if you’re being overcharged. Don’t be rushed into signing a contract and never pay in full up-front for promised work.
• Consider paying by credit card to avail yourself of additional protections.
• Get everything in writing, including the terms of any warranty, and keep a copy of all documents.
###/ulhttps://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/disaster-scams. Consumers can report suspicious or fraudulent activity by filing a complaint online at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/file-a-consumer-complaint.

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