Neptune Flood Research Group Analyzes Impact of FEMA's Proposed 2026 Harris County, Texas, Flood Map Update
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.--( BUSINESS WIRE)--For nearly 20 years, FEMA's flood maps in Harris County, Texas, remained largely unchanged, leaving homeowners with an incomplete picture of their true flood risk. Hurricane Harvey proved it: roughly 70% of flooded homes sat outside the officially mapped high-risk zone. The new draft maps proposed for Harris County, released in February 2026, represent a step forward in aligning public policy with the region's actual hydrological risk.
Neptune Flood examines the first major flood map overhaul in nearly 20 years in Harris County, TX and its positive implications for homeowners, insurers, and the national coverage gap
What the proposal does:
Updated maps don't create new risk; they reveal risks that already exist. This problem extends far beyond Harris County and is systemic nationwide, with millions of properties facing meaningful flood risk while falling outside officially designated high-risk zones. Research from the First Street Foundation estimates 10 million high-risk properties fall outside FEMA's official maps nationwide.
By combining updated public maps with AI-driven private-sector tools that provide instant, property-level risk assessments, communities can move toward a more resilient future where every property owner has the information needed to make risk-based decisions.
"The 50,000-acre expansion of Harris County's high-risk flood zones is a long-overdue alignment with the region's actual risk. By leveraging newer technology to reflect modern rainfall realities, these maps provide a critical 'red flag' that increases consumer awareness and drives the mandatory insurance adoption necessary to protect Houston's homeowners. Our mission is to close the national coverage gap, and this update is a vital step toward a more resilient and better-insured Houston."
— Trevor Burgess, CEO, Neptune Flood
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About Neptune Flood
Neptune Flood (NYSE: NP) is a leading, data-driven managing general agent offering a range of easy-to-purchase residential and commercial insurance products, including primary flood and excess flood insurance, distributed through a nationwide network of agencies. Leveraging proprietary artificial intelligence and advanced data science, Neptune delivers fast, accurate, and accessible coverage for residential and commercial properties across the United States. The Company operates without human underwriters, using Triton®, its cutting-edge platform to streamline underwriting, pricing, and policy issuance.