For Kingwood and Humble homeowners
For water damage restoration in Kingwood, TX, shut off the main valve, photograph everything and start drying in the first 24 to 48 hours. River water counts as flood water, which usually needs a professional. We take requests from Kingwood, Humble and Huffman.
Which Kingwood addresses do you take requests from?
Requests come in from Kingwood (77339 and 77345), Humble (77338, 77346 and 77396) and Huffman (77336). Kingwood and Humble also have PO box ZIPs, which are not street addresses. A restoration provider confirms whether they can reach your address when they call, because providers differ on how far northeast they travel.
This corner of Harris County has three very different kinds of ground. Kingwood is a planned community on the east fork of the San Jacinto River. Humble grew up around an oil field. Huffman is mostly subdivisions and farmland beside Lake Houston. Atascocita sits between them, and its homes are in the same flood conversation.
Does Kingwood flood?
Yes. Wikipedia says Kingwood suffered evacuations and severe flooding in 2017 from the after-effects of Hurricane Harvey, and that the flooding was made worse by the San Jacinto River Authority's decision to open floodgates. The community sits on the east fork of the San Jacinto River.
Harvey's rain was huge. The National Hurricane Center recorded 36 to 48 inches in the Houston metro area, and 9 of the 19 official river gauges in Harris County reached all-time high flood stages. The Harris County Flood Control District says a major flood occurs somewhere in the county about every two years.
Water that comes in from a river is flood water. The IICRC S500 standard classes rising river water as Category 3, and the EPA advises calling a professional experienced with contaminated water. Start with flood cleanup and check how to read the flood zone map for your address.
How do the San Jacinto River and Lake Houston shape the risk?
The west and east forks of the San Jacinto River meet in northeast Harris County, where the river is dammed to form Lake Houston. Huffman's article says the lake opened in 1953 as a water reservoir for the City of Houston.
Ready.gov warns that six inches of moving water can knock a person down and a foot can sweep a vehicle away. Do not wade through it. The guide on why Houston floods explains the flat ground and slow drainage behind all of this.
What kind of homes do Kingwood's villages have?
Kingwood is built in villages, and most of the community is built out. Friendswood Development Company and King Ranch created it in 1971, and Trailwood, the oldest village, saw its first homes finished that year. Newer homes are still going up in Royal Shores and Woodridge Forest, per Wikipedia.
Plumbing, water heaters and roofs in the oldest villages may be original or patched. Nothing in the sources says what any one house is made of, so ask a plumber about yours. Most Houston-area houses sit on slabs, which makes a slab leak a quiet problem.
- Find the main shutoff and the water heater valve before you need them.
- Check the attic air handler and its drain line each spring.
- Photograph each room now so a claim has a before picture.
How do Kingwood, Humble, Huffman and Atascocita compare?
They differ in age, growth and what they sit beside. The table below uses only what Wikipedia reports and what the 2020 Census counted in each place, so check your own street before you assume any of it applies to your house.
| Place | What Wikipedia says | Water angle |
|---|---|---|
| Kingwood | Planned in 1971; east fork of the San Jacinto River | River flooding in 2017 |
| Humble | Oil boomtown from 1904; 6,651 housing units, 7.5% vacant | Older core, rental homes |
| Huffman | Farms, subdivisions and apartments near Lake Houston | Lake and farm drainage |
| Atascocita | 88,174 people in 2020; 29,171 housing units, 4.4% vacant | Lake Houston shoreline |
Why is Humble different from Kingwood?
Humble grew from an oil field, not a master plan. Wikipedia says oil was discovered there in 1904, and by 1905 it was the biggest producing field in Texas. Humble Oil and Refining Company was founded there in 1911 and later became part of Exxon.
The city had 16,795 residents in 2020. Its downtown sits on a salt dome, with shallow oil production encircling the city by about 2.5 miles. Its 2020 rental vacancy rate was 8.1%.
Renters should know about a Texas rule. House Bill 531 requires landlords to tell tenants whether a dwelling is in a 100-year floodplain and whether it has flooded in the last five years, for leases made or renewed from January 1, 2022. Read the renters and condo guide before you sign.
What about Huffman and Atascocita near Lake Houston?
Both sit near the lake. Huffman is centered on FM 2100 and FM 1960 and is mostly subdivisions, scattered farms, apartments and small businesses. Atascocita is much larger, and its eastern edge is the shore of the 12,000-acre Lake Houston.
Atascocita grew from 35,757 people in 2000 to 65,844 in 2010 and 88,174 in 2020, with construction starting in the 1970s. Rapid growth means a wide mix of house ages, so check the age of your own water heater and supply lines.
For a wet carpet or wall, read wet carpet drying and drywall water damage repair. North of here, see our pages for Spring and Klein and New Caney and Porter.
Do storms and freezes damage Kingwood homes too?
They do, and they hit different parts of a house than river water does. Wind and trees damage roofs, while cold snaps burst pipes. The National Weather Service reported that Hurricane Beryl in July 2024 brought numerous trees and power lines down across the area, with widespread outages.
Freezes burst pipes in attics and exterior walls. The Texas Department of Insurance counted 112,163 reported claims in Harris County from the February 2021 winter storm, and damage included frozen pipes. The American Red Cross says to leave the heat no lower than 55 F when you are away. See the burst pipe page and roof leak and storm damage.
Will insurance pay for flooding or for a leak?
It depends on where the water came from. The Insurance Information Institute says flood damage is excluded under standard homeowners and renters policies and needs a separate flood policy. A sudden plumbing or appliance leak is a different matter and is often covered.
The NAIC adds that ground water and rain runoff are typically not covered, and a sewer backup is not covered by a typical homeowners or flood policy either. In Texas, the TDI says your insurer has 15 business days to acknowledge a claim and 15 business days after getting what it needs to say whether it will pay. Call your agent before you sign a work order. Our insurance claims guide lists what to photograph.
What should I do in the first 24 to 48 hours?
Stop the source, make the house safe, and start drying. The EPA says to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth, so the early hours matter more than the later ones.
- Shut off the main water valve, and the power to wet areas if you can do it safely.
- Photograph and video everything before you move 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 document drying.
- Keep 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 what to do if growth has started. Nearby pages cover The Woodlands and Houston Heights.
Sources: Wikipedia, Kingwood, Houston; Humble, Texas; Atascocita, Texas; Huffman, Texas; San Jacinto River; NHC, Hurricane Harvey report; Harris County Flood Control District; Ready.gov, floods; IICRC S500; EPA, mold and moisture; EPA, mold cleanup; NWS, Hurricane Beryl summary; TDI, Winter Storm Uri report; TDI, getting your claim paid; American Red Cross, frozen pipes; Triple-I; NAIC; Texas HB 531.