By Tannistha Sinha, Defender
Several people are moving to Texas in an attempt to move away from high-fire-risk counties and regions that are endangered by wildfires, flooding, and extreme heat, says a report from real estate brokerage Redfin.
To be exact, 63,365 moved out of these counties, with a majority coming to Texas. Other factors include low taxes and relatively affordable housing prices. The report adds that this could also mean residents are becoming more responsive to climate risk.
“Ballooning insurance costs and intensifying natural disasters are driving thousands of Americans out of risky areas, but those people are quickly being replaced by other people for whom climate change isn’t the top concern,” said Redfin Senior Economist Elijah de la Campa.
Campa has also observed that for several Americans, factors like cost of living and nearness to family outweigh natural disasters and climate risks.
According to a Redfin survey, about one in 11 people say such risks are one of the reasons for migrating to a different city.
Why Texas?
Texas is also fire-prone, home to five of the 10 high-fire-risk counties, but it also saw a significant increase in its migration numbers last year. People are moving here because Texas has not made national news like California and Florida, the two states known to be the “epicenters of the housing insurance crisis.”
Redfin also warns potential homebuyers: Texas also has expensive insurance due to frequent hurricanes and flooding.
- More than 97,000 moved into high-fire-risk U.S. counties, and around 34,000 moved out,
- Of the total of 97,000 people, 35,175 or 36.1% moved to Texas — a significant jump from 28.7% in 2022,
- Five high-flood-risk counties, all just outside of Houston, in Texas, saw an inflow of more than 2,000 people last year. The city was impacted by Hurricane Beryl which led to flooding and power outages.
- One in three (31.4%) homes in Harris County face high flood risk, and all homes face high heat risk.
Moreover, Texas had more wildfires last year (7,102) than any other state except California. It also has the largest number of homes in the Wildland Urban Interface or a region where developed land meets undeveloped land and is susceptible to wildfires.
What’s happening in Houston?
The Redfin report says Harris County, which is at high flood risk, is an outlier and saw an outflow of more than 22,000 people in 2023. People moved to suburbs, a popular destination during the COVID-19 pandemic
“The main climate issue in Houston is flooding, but the major factor driving me away is the heat. I don’t want to go through another Houston summer,” said real estate agent Nicole Nodarse, who is leaving Houston this month for Salem, Oregon. “But a lot of people are still moving here because they like the low prices and the politics. Homeowners insurance is becoming a big deal, though; it’s much more expensive than it used to be, and a lot of people who installed 30-year roofs are now having to replace them after 15 years because some insurers won’t cover the home if the roof is older than that.”
