Yilun Cheng

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng |Claire Partain

FEMA's flood insurance rate maps delineate 100- and 500-year floodplains based on rainfall data, terrain features and models that predict how water moves. Owners of homes located within a 100-year floodplain are generally required to have flood insurance if they have a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender. Properties in a 500-year floodplain or areas outside designated flood zones are usually not required to carry flood insurance.

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Caroline Ghisolfi |Yilun Cheng

MethodologyMapping floodplainsThe Chronicle sourced floodplain data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Floodplains appear in the data as a series of zones with different risk designations in the event of a flood. The data used in this story was first collected in a November 2019 FEMA study and was last revised or updated on April 15, 2024. Mapping historical floodingIn the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, FEMA studied the effects of the storm on 12 impacted counties in Texas.

3 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng

Texas has some of the country's strongest flood hazard disclosure regulations. Before selling a property, a homeowner must reveal whether the house has previously flooded, if any flood damage claims have been made, if the property is located within a 100-year or 500-year floodplain and if it sits in a floodway, flood pool or reservoir. Carefully reviewing the disclosure form is the first step toward understanding a property’s flood history.

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng

The Houston Housing Authority’s new chief executive officer, Jamie Bryant, said he will stop accepting proposals for a controversial property tax break program as criticism mounts that some deals do little to benefit low-income renters. Created under an obscure Texas law, the Public Facility Corporation program allows apartment owners to claim 100% property tax breaks if they agree to reserve half their units as affordable. It was intended to spur affordable housing development.

2 months ago | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has long leaned on local law enforcement and access to county jails to deport people already living in the country without legal permission. An ICE detainer, or immigration hold, is essentially a request asking local jails to notify ICE before releasing someone suspected of immigration violations, and to hold the person for up to 48 hours longer so federal agents can take them into custody for possible deportation.