"Builders Said Their Homes Were Out of a Flood Zone. Then Harvey Came."

"THE WOODLANDS, Tex. — Leslie Martinez heard the floodwaters before she saw them. They rushed across the lawn, seeped around the doors and into the house. It was 2:15 a.m. on Aug. 28, three days after Hurricane Harvey made landfall. Her young daughter was asleep in her arms. Ms. Martinez’s first reaction was to spread towels around the floor.

After all, Ms. Martinez recalled, the home builder had assured her that “flooding was not even a possibility” when she and her husband purchased the house in this suburban enclave north of Houston in 2011. They would never have bought here otherwise. Flood insurance, of course, was neither required nor needed.

Now, with the rains outside lashing and the water inside rising, the family and their terrified pet, a one-eyed goldendoodle named Coco, took refuge on the second floor. Later that day, rescue boats came and ferried them to safety."

John Schwartz, James Glanz, and Andrew W. Lehren report for the New York Times December 2, 2017.