Flooded cars
Do not start it. Water height, towing, titles, transit, company cars, salvage.
Home / Flooded cars
Status, maps, and claim portals change by the hour. Open the org site. Do not trust a screenshot from last night.
- Texas Department of Insurance storm resources Claim FAQs and complaints. Help line 800-252-3439 if you cannot find your carrier.
- METRO Bus and rail alerts. Routes drop when underpasses pond.
Company cars and what to tell your employer
Tell work the same day, in writing, the unit or plate, that you did not start it, and where the company car sits.
Comprehensive insurance and flood: what to ask
Flooded cars are usually a comprehensive claim, not liability and not your NFIP house policy, so call the auto number and ask five specific questions.
Do not start a flooded car: why people regret it
If water reached the intake, carpet, or computers, do not crank the car, because a start can hydrolock an engine that might have been totaled honestly.
How to tell how high the water got in the cabin
Look for a silt line on carpets, seat foam, seat belts, and the cabin filter, because water height decides the argument with the insurer and the shop.
Motorcycles, scooters, and outdoor equipment
Bikes, scooters, mowers, and generators sit lower than a car, so do not start them, and treat fuel systems like they drank the street.
Parking garages that filled: liability questions
In a flooded downtown or Midtown garage, photograph your stall, contract, and water line before you argue about who pays.
Salvage paperwork if the car is done
A totaled flood car needs a claim number, a title path, plates, a loan payoff, and a lot that is not charging you surprise rent.
Title branding and buying a flooded car later (warning)
A flooded Houston car often comes back as a branded title, so say so if you sell it and assume the bayou is still in the wiring if you buy one later.
Towing to a shop vs totaling in place
Ask the insurer whether they want the car towed to a shop or inspected in the stall before you spend a tow on a repair they will not fund.
Uber, transit, and getting around without your vehicle
With the car out, use METRO, METRORail, a borrowed ride, or a tight rental market, and plan the work week before surge pricing teaches you.