Johnson Creek floods. This is not speculation — it is documented history that Arlington homeowners who live anywhere near the creek’s corridor through the central and southern parts of the city can confirm from personal experience. After major rain events, the creek rises, overtops its banks, and pushes water into nearby properties. The flooding is not catastrophic every time, but it is recurring, and it is exactly the kind of water damage that standard Texas homeowners insurance refuses to pay for.

This is one of the most consequential insurance gaps for Arlington homeowners, and it is one that most people do not discover until they are standing in their flooded living room trying to figure out who is going to pay for it. This post explains what is covered, what is not, and how the National Flood Insurance Program works for properties in and around Arlington’s flood-prone areas.

What Standard Texas Homeowners Insurance Covers

A standard Texas HO-3 homeowners policy covers water damage in two general scenarios. First, it covers sudden and accidental water damage from internal sources — a burst pipe, an appliance failure, an HVAC condensate overflow. Second, it covers water that enters through a storm-created opening — a roof breach from hail or wind, a broken window during a storm — as part of the storm loss. In both cases, the water originates from above or from inside the structure.

What it explicitly excludes is water that enters from outside and below — rising water, creek overflow, storm drain backup, and surface flooding. This exclusion is standard across virtually every homeowners policy issued in Texas, and it is not negotiable or waiveable within the standard policy form. If Johnson Creek floods your property, your HO-3 policy will not pay for it.

What the National Flood Insurance Program Covers

The National Flood Insurance Program, administered by FEMA, provides flood coverage that standard homeowners insurance excludes. NFIP policies cover direct physical damage to your building and its foundation, electrical and plumbing systems, HVAC equipment, appliances that are part of the building, flooring, walls, ceilings, and debris removal.

NFIP building coverage maxes out at $250,000 for residential structures. Contents coverage — furniture, clothing, electronics, and personal belongings — is a separate policy with a $100,000 maximum, and it must be purchased in addition to the building policy. Many homeowners purchase building coverage without contents coverage and discover the gap when they are trying to replace everything inside a flooded home.

NFIP policies do not cover living expenses while your home is being repaired, landscaping, vehicles, or property outside the insured building such as decks, fences, or detached garages unless those are specifically included in the policy. For more information on NFIP coverage, the FloodSmart.gov website maintained by FEMA is the authoritative resource.

The 30-Day Waiting Period

NFIP policies have a mandatory 30-day waiting period between the date of purchase and the date coverage becomes effective. There are limited exceptions — a new home purchase, a loan closing that requires flood insurance, or a map revision that places a previously uninsured property in a flood zone — but for a homeowner purchasing a new policy in response to a weather forecast or following a recent flood event, the 30-day clock applies.

This means that purchasing flood insurance in response to a flood warning does not protect you from that event. The policy that covers the next spring flooding event along Johnson Creek needs to be in place before that event arrives. If you live in or near a mapped flood zone and you do not currently have flood coverage, the time to buy it is now, not when the creek starts rising.

Am I in a Flood Zone?

FEMA maintains flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs) that designate flood zones for every parcel in the country. Properties in Zone A or Zone AE are in the 100-year floodplain — meaning a 1 percent annual probability of flooding. Properties with federally-backed mortgages in these zones are required to carry flood insurance. Properties in Zone X are outside the mapped floodplain but may still experience flooding from sheet water or storm drain backup.

The FEMA Flood Map Service Center at msc.fema.gov allows you to look up any address and see its flood zone designation. Note that Arlington has undertaken drainage improvement projects over the years that have revised flood zone boundaries — a property that was in a mapped flood zone a decade ago may have been remapped, or vice versa. Check the current map, not your recollection of what it showed when you bought the home.

Private Flood Insurance

Private flood insurance has grown significantly in Texas as an alternative or supplement to NFIP coverage. Private policies can offer higher coverage limits than NFIP’s $250,000 building cap, shorter waiting periods, and in some cases broader coverage terms. For higher-value properties in Arlington’s flood-prone areas, a private policy or a combination of NFIP and private excess flood coverage may be appropriate. Discuss options with your insurance agent. The Texas Department of Insurance consumer resources at tdi.texas.gov include guidance on flood insurance options in Texas.

If your Arlington home has experienced flood damage and you need help with the cleanup and restoration process, our flood cleanup page covers the full remediation process from extraction to drying to insurance documentation.