(unrelated, when typing that, I momentarily questioned my spelling of ‘flood’ because it looks like it should be pronounced like ‘food’ with an L – I pity everyone that has to learn ESL)
While house hunting, I’ve noticed units in areas that are at risk according to flood hazard maps ([example](https://maps.app.goo.gl/rMDfCnaJDbqZfLmLA)) are priced at a pretty significant discount to similarly situated areas without said flood risk. But many of these areas are also quite built up, with 20+ story residential buildings, and multitudes of shops, etc.
So…how screwed are people there if flooding does occur? Like, if you own a home on 3f of a 7f normal mansion, what are the future implications? What about a newer 20+ story residential building? Does it cause lasting problems for all the businesses and such in the city? Does the whole city just wash out into the ocean, its residents fading away into seafoam? It feels like the risk can’t be as bad as I’ve heard some say, because if it was, nobody would go there…right?
11 comments
Don’t buy in a flood zone. Even on a higher floor, flooding can cause damage depending on the structure. The city won’t likely wash out to sea but it can take weeks/months to clean up after bad flooding and after that the economic recovery. How many of those businesses are just going to close up because everything is lost? or move to a safer area. It was quite a bit more expensive(About 7m more for the same size house) when we bought our house to be in a non-flood zone but the peace of mind that we don’t have to worry about flooding is nice.
In a good flood, there’s a non-zero chance you’ll be bloody moon food before the thing is finished. No need to brood over it.
It really depends. There could be a lot of damage. Electricity would likely be out if the building has floodwaters still hanging out. This could lead to mold issues due to lack of ventilation, food spoilage as fridges and freezers fail, etc. There would also be water seeping into the spaces between walls and wicking upward causing structural and/or mold issues.
There have been some ‘once in a 100 year floods’ in Japan now every year for the last few year.
Probably best to look at the flood zone data, and assume it’s going to be worse. Who knows how it will change in the next 20-30 years.
Look at whether you can get flood coverage in your homeowners insurance, how much that would cost, what the coverage would be, and look at historical data for the area in order to make a risk based determination if it is worth it for you.
The implications are that you roll the dice and gamble that you get lucky.
The financial discount when buying is directly related to how large the risk is and the likelihood of a flood actually happening in the future.
You might not lose all your possessions in the flooding if you’re in a higher floor but if the foundations are damaged/compromised then everyone is out of luck and back house hunting.
Also worth noting that depending on the area that you’re located in flood risk can also cover mudslides or tsunamis as well. Personally for me if there’s any potential risk of that scenario then i wouldn’t touch those properties with a bargepole
I think it’s part of human irrationality. But on the other hand, there is a probability to have a super huge earthquake in Kanto yet population in Kanto hardly leave Kanto.
I am thinking about building a house in a flood area, where I can be neighboor to in-laws. Because whatever happens, I want to be close to family.
With luck I will suffer no flood and we will be together in happiness. With bad luck then we will be together suporting each other in the bad luck. That part of irrationality but I’d rather be happy most of the time and sad surrounded by family than be sad most of the time and super sad far from all family.
That’s why I disagree with people saying “don’t ever buy in flood area”. More globally, I disagree with strong opinions that consider only what they consider important and don’t consider the rest. There are always subjective weights to take into account.
Have a look at the [Edogawa City Hazard Map (Flood Disaster)](https://www.city.edogawa.tokyo.jp/documents/519/sassien.pdf). It should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Nature isn’t something that mankind can completely control.
It’s happened before, and it’ll happen again.
Personally, I will not choose to live in Edogawa City, and perhaps the areas adjacent to it – or any other designated flood zones; but many people still do, and I think as long as you’re aware, and prepared for it, you ought to be ok.
IMO, if you’re in a severe flood zone, you generally want to have a place outside of it that you and your family can evacuate to when the alerts/warnings come in (eg, your JP spouse’s family home, or a very close and compassionate friend) , where you can stay while waiting for the floods to subside, and the subsequent recovery efforts to complete.
Overall, humans are pretty resilient, and stubborn. Flood us out, and we’ll just return and rebuild – over and over. We’ve done it for hundreds of years, and will continue to do so for hundreds more.
Ok so apartment hunting or apartment? Sorry cause it’s sometimes interchangeable
If apartment then talk to the manager about if they repair. I’m not in a flood area but had bad water damage and they did a… meeeeeh but free
If a house I wouldn’t unless you have experience in renovation.
One my customers said by to me cause a flood from like two years ago warped the beams that went unnoticed and now he needs a new roof.
For mansions since your structure is all concrete while you might need to rebuild the interior at least the skeleton of the house is still in tact but you need to be more careful with houses since black mold can quickly build up on wet wood that’s submerged for a long time.
Typically flood prone areas the value of the land and property is adjusted so it will be cheaper than a non flood risk area so I guess people roll the dice and still purchase houses/property that could be flooded easily.
Personally I would avoid purchasing near rivers and near the sea especially in Kanto. With more extreme weather events we are likely to see frequent overflowing of rivers and flooding due to global warming and rising sea levels.
Definitely do not buy in an area at flood risk. A flood is a major problem on many levels, even if you live on a higher floor that is not directly flooded. And consider this as well: flood risk will go up over time, as climate change continues and both the level of the ocean and the prevalence of severe storms rise.
Small structures: the idea is to get insurance and rebuild after. The land doesn’t get washed away, 99.9% of the time.
Modern multi storey buildings: occasional flood should have been factored in when foundation was designed. Ground floor units and basements will be redone, units above the waterline will be fine, the residents will suffer for a few days until rescued, so make sure you have fresh water.
Utilities may be out for a long while, but then again that’s also the case with earthquakes, gale winds, fires, etc. the idea is that your ward or city has an emergency response plan to take care of the residents. Trust the system…