Back in December of 2006, Harris county released new flood plain maps and many properties in Houston that weren't in a flood plain were now classified to be in a flood plain, therefor making it mandatory that the homeowners carry flood insurance. When the maps were released, new homeowners in the new flood plain boundaries were allowed 6 months to obtain flood insurance at non-flood plain rates. The current deadline is June 18, 2008.

Here were are in May, 2007, and this deadline is quickly approaching! If your home is located within the new flood plain boundaries, be sure to take advantage of the cheaper flood insurance offered by the National Flood Insurance Program.

Find Out If You Are In A Floodplain

To get the latest maps, be sure to head over to http://maps.tsarp.org/ to see if your property is located in a flood zone. If the map isn't working, be sure to call the Harris County Flood Control District at 713-722-7227.

You will then want to call your insurance provider and ask for flood insurance coverage and make sure your rates are grandfathered from the pre-floodplain rates. Don't worry about shopping around, because the rates are set by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).