For Clear Lake and Webster homeowners
For water damage restoration in Clear Lake, TX, shut off the main valve, photograph everything and start drying in the first 24 to 48 hours. Creek and bay surge water is flood-type water, which usually needs a professional and a flood policy. We take requests from Clear Lake, Webster, Seabrook and La Porte.
Which Clear Lake addresses do you take requests from?
Requests come in from the Clear Lake area of Houston (77058, 77059 and 77062), Webster (77598), Seabrook (77586) and La Porte (77571). A restoration provider confirms whether they can reach your address when they call, since providers differ on how far they drive.
Many Clear Lake addresses carry a Houston mailing line even though the community sits at the southeast corner of Harris County. Wikipedia says part of Clear Lake City was annexed by Pasadena, which has its own Pasadena and Deer Park page. The Fred Hartman Bridge links La Porte to Baytown, and Baytown and Channelview are covered separately.
At the 2020 Census Seabrook had 13,618 residents, Webster 12,499 and La Porte 35,124. Clear Lake City itself is a master-planned community, so it does not have a separate census count in the source used here.
How did NASA shape Clear Lake and Webster homes?
NASA created the neighborhood. Wikipedia says the Clear Lake City Community Association was formed in 1963, after the decision to put the Johnson Space Center nearby, and that land values rose nearly 300 percent as thousands of NASA jobs arrived. Much of the area was ranch and oil land before that.
Wikipedia describes Clear Lake City as the second-largest master-planned community in Houston. Its neighborhoods include Bay Forest, Brook Forest, Clear Lake Forest, Middlebrook, Oakbrook and Pipers Meadow. A community that began in 1963 has plenty of homes that are decades old, so check the age of your plumbing and roof.
Webster followed the same arc. It began in 1879 as a farm colony called Gardentown, grew pears and rice, and found oil in 1937.
When NASA announced its Manned Spacecraft Center in 1961, Wikipedia says the population blossomed. Older pipes fail at joints and old water heaters rust through, so read water heater leaks and burst pipes before you need them.
What does Clear Creek mean for flooding here?
Clear Creek is the boundary and the drain. Wikipedia says Clear Lake and Clear Creek separate Harris County from Galveston County, and that the lake is effectively the mouth of the creek, which empties into Galveston Bay. Webster is on the Harris County side, with the creek as its southeastern edge.
The Harris County Flood Control District names Clear Creek among the creeks on its watershed list. The district also says a major flood occurs somewhere in Harris County about every two years. Your own street may stay dry in one storm and flood in the next, depending on how the water moves.
For scale, the National Hurricane Center recorded 36 to 48 inches of rain in the Houston metro area during Harvey. Check the flood zone page to look up an address, and read why Houston floods for the wider picture. A map does not show every street that floods, so ask neighbors what they have seen.
Does Seabrook flood from the bay?
Yes, from the bay side. Seabrook sits on Galveston Bay at Clear Lake, and Wikipedia says 74.97 percent of its 21.3 square miles is water. Its article also notes marshes in the city through which runoff from inland fields drains to the bay.
Hurricane Ike made this plain. Wikipedia says Seabrook was under mandatory evacuation on the morning of September 13, 2008.
Storm surge knocked out the streets and the power, and boats and debris ended up on the roads. Residents were left without power and running water for up to a month.
The Seabrook library was damaged badly enough that it was rebuilt, reopening on June 28, 2011. Wikipedia also records the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and Hurricane Carla in the town's history. If you live here, the hurricane water damage guide matters more than a generic leak checklist, because surge water is Category 3 flood water.
What is La Porte's housing and storm history?
La Porte is a bay town with a long record of storms. It was founded in 1892 as a speculative real estate venture with a waterfront resort at Sylvan Grove. The 1900 hurricane damaged its attractions, and Wikipedia says a major fire and another hurricane followed in 1915.
The beach itself shrank. Wikipedia says erosion from shipping wakes and land subsidence from groundwater extraction began shrinking the beachfront around 1928, a hurricane in 1943 destroyed most of the tourist attractions, and erosion later eliminated the beach. A beachfront restoration ran from 2009 to 2013.
The housing stock is a mix. Wikipedia says La Porte has many small, 1940s frame houses, and the 2020 Census counted 13,481 housing units, 5.6 percent vacant. Older frame houses can hide a slow leak behind plaster or paneling, which is why the signs of water damage are worth learning.
Which Clear Lake area communities have which water exposure?
Each community meets the water in a different way. Webster is beside Clear Creek, Seabrook is surrounded by bay and marsh, and La Porte faces the bay and the ship channel. The table below uses only what Wikipedia reports and what the 2020 Census counted for each place.
| Community | Water setting | 2020 population | Housing units, share vacant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Lake City | Clear Lake, the mouth of Clear Creek | Not stated | Not stated |
| Webster | Clear Creek on its southeastern edge; 3.24% water | 12,499 | 6,381, 10.7% vacant |
| Seabrook | Galveston Bay and Clear Lake; 74.97% water | 13,618 | 6,424, 10.9% vacant |
| La Porte | Galveston Bay shoreline; 6.91% water | 35,124 | 13,481, 5.6% vacant |
Wikipedia does not give the age of individual houses, so look up the year yours was built.
Will insurance pay for storm surge or creek water?
Usually not. Triple-I says flood damage is excluded under standard homeowners and renters policies and needs a separate flood policy, and the NAIC adds that ground water and rain runoff are typically not covered. FEMA says most homeowners insurance does not cover flooding.
A sudden plumbing leak or a leaking roof is treated differently, and those are typically covered. Sewer backups need their own endorsement, per Triple-I.
Texas gives you timelines. The Texas Department of Insurance says your company has 15 business days to acknowledge a claim, and TDI can extend deadlines by 15 more days after a weather-related catastrophe. Our insurance claims guide lists what to photograph and save, and restoration cost explains how invoices are built.
Is the water in my house clean or contaminated?
Look at where it came from. The IICRC S500 standard puts supply lines and burst pipes in Category 1, washer or dishwasher leaks in Category 2, and sewage and rising flood water in Category 3. The category decides what can be dried in place and what must be thrown out.
- Category 1. A supply line or failed water heater. Dry quickly.
- Category 2. An appliance overflow. Porous materials often need removal.
- Category 3. Bay surge, creek water, street water and sewage. The EPA advises calling a professional experienced with contaminated water.
Ready.gov warns that six inches of moving water can knock a person down. See flood cleanup for what providers do with Category 3 water.
What should I do in the first 24 to 48 hours?
Stop the water, protect people, then start drying. The EPA says to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth, so the first two days set the course for the whole job. That window is short, and it starts when the water stops, not when the claim is filed.
- Shut off the main water valve, and the power to wet areas if you can do it safely.
- Photograph and video everything before moving it.
- Call your insurer and ask what they need before work starts.
- Call a restoration provider and ask what they will measure and how they will record drying.
- Aim for indoor humidity below 60 percent, ideally 30 to 50, as the EPA recommends.
The emergency page has a longer checklist, and mold after water damage covers growth that has already started. Confirm coverage for your address when a provider calls. Nearby guides: Bellaire and Meyerland and Houston Heights.
Sources: Clear Lake City; Webster, Texas; Seabrook, Texas; La Porte, Texas (all Wikipedia, citing the 2020 Census); HCFCD, watersheds; HCFCD, flooding history; NHC, Hurricane Harvey report; TDI, getting your insurance claim paid; EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home; EPA, Mold Cleanup in Your Home; IICRC S500; Triple-I, disasters covered by homeowners insurance; NAIC homeowners insurance; FEMA, flood insurance; Ready.gov, floods.