Know your zone before the Gulf asks.

Flood zones · Zone AE dominates the riparian corridors along Dickinson Bayou and its tributaries (Borden's Gully, Benson and Gum Bayous); higher ground away from the bayou maps mostly Zone X. Harvey (2017) flooded thousands of Dickinson homes when the bayou left its banks.

Evacuation · Zip-Zone A (zip 77539) — surge pushes inland via Dickinson Bayou.

For your equipment · Bayou-adjacent homes should elevate condensers and generators above base flood elevation and consider float-switch protection — post-Harvey rebuilds here often pair new interiors with ground-level outdoor equipment that remains flood-exposed.

Flood zones · Extensive Zone AE tracing Clear Creek and its watershed; most master-planned sections sit in Zone X. League City participates in FEMA's Community Rating System at a level earning residents a 25% flood-insurance discount.

Evacuation · Zip-Zone A (zip 77573) — bordering Clear Lake and Galveston Bay.

For your equipment · In a Special Flood Hazard Area, League City requires generator pads elevated to base flood elevation plus 24 inches — one of the reasons a permit-savvy installer matters here.

Flood zones · Zone AE follows Clear Creek through the heart of town; Harvey pushed Clear Creek beyond even the 500-year floodplain, flooding streets that had never flooded before. Elsewhere mostly Zone X.

Evacuation · Zip-Zone B (zip 77546) — inland, but routes can flood in major storms.

For your equipment · Creek-adjacent homes benefit most from elevated equipment and backup power; 'Zone X' on the map is not a guarantee — a large share of flood claims nationally come from outside mapped high-risk zones.

Flood zones · The Gulf side and West End map heavily Zone VE (surge plus wave action — the strictest construction zone); the interior and bay side are predominantly Zone AE. Ike (2008) put 15–22 ft of surge on parts of the island.

Evacuation · Zip-Zone Coastal (77550/77551/77554) — the island evacuates first, every time.

For your equipment · City code requires mechanical equipment — explicitly including generators — elevated at least 18 inches above base flood elevation, and platform structures over 30 inches need engineered, 150-mph-rated plans plus a TDI windstorm (WPI-8) certificate.

Flood zones · Risk splits at the Texas City Hurricane Protection Levee: inside it, most neighborhoods map Zone X (the levee held against Ike's 17.5–19 ft Gulf-side surge); outside it, marshland maps AE/VE.

Evacuation · Zip-Zone A (77590/77591) — levee or not, isolation risk puts the city in the second tier.

For your equipment · Inside-the-levee homes carry lower flood elevation requirements but full windstorm (WPI-8) exposure — anchoring and tie-down certification matter as much as elevation here.

Flood zones · Shares the Texas City levee system's protection on its eastern side; areas outside the protected footprint map AE, with surge able to flank through connecting waterways.

Evacuation · Zip-Zone A (zip 77568).

For your equipment · New Delany Cove-area construction and post-war originals face the same evacuation clock — a standby generator sized before June beats a portable bought in a parking-lot line in September.

Flood zones · Mostly Zone X with pockets of shallow-flooding AO/AE — flat terrain sheds heavy rain as sheet flow rather than channeling it into big waterways.

Evacuation · Split: eastern sections Zip-Zone A, western sections Zip-Zone B (zips 77510/77517).

For your equipment · Acreage properties on wells lose water when they lose power — generator sizing here starts with the well pump's starting load, not the AC.

Flood zones · Predominantly Zone X on paper, but flat, heavily paved terrain floods streets fast in cloudbursts — the city's own ordinance requires new construction a foot above base flood elevation as freeboard.

Evacuation · Zip-Zone B (zip 77598) — Clear Lake-adjacent, third evacuation tier.

For your equipment · Clinics, restaurants, and multifamily properties along the I-45/NASA corridor lose revenue by the hour in an outage — light-commercial standby power is the Webster conversation.