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Water Damage Restoration in Howard County, TX
Beals Creek runs east through Big Spring, the Howard County seat, and despite the county's semi-arid 19.5 inches of annual rainfall, storm bursts still drive flash flooding — a Flood Watch was active in July 2026. Homeowners connect 24/7 with vetted local water-damage pros.
Recent floods · Howard County
Howard County averages just 19.5 inches of rain a year, so water damage here stems less from steady rainfall than from sudden storms and the flash flooding that can follow a heavy downpour. Beals Creek rises west of the county seat, Big Spring, and runs eastward through town toward the Colorado River, putting nearby structures at risk when it rises. The National Weather Service issued a Flood Watch across the area in July 2026, and severe storms account for part of the county's 20 federally declared disasters.
Water-damage risk in Howard County
8
flood, hurricane & storm disasters declared in Howard County (FEMA)
2021
most recent flood/storm declaration: Severe Winter Storms (FEMA)
0.4"
rain forecast for Howard County in the next 24 hours (NWS)
Sources: FEMA OpenFEMA — federally-declared disaster history (county FIPS 48227) · NOAA NCEI — 1991–2020 Climate Normals (BIG SPRING, TX US)
Recent events in Howard County
- Flood Watch — Dawson +8 Jul 18, 2026
- Flash Flood Warning — Howard, TX +2 Jul 6, 2026
- Severe Thunderstorm Warning — Howard, TX +1 Jul 6, 2026
- Severe Thunderstorm Warning — Borden, TX +5 Jul 6, 2026
Live from the DisasterStatus event tracker — Howard County is named in each event's affected area.
Why Howard County homes flood
Howard County sits on the semi-arid Southern High Plains, where flooding comes less from a standing river than from sudden runoff. Beals Creek, the county's major drainage, rises from a salt lake where Mustang Draw and Sulphur Springs Draw meet about four miles west of Big Spring, then runs east through the city on its 67-mile course to the Colorado River near Pecan Crossing. The creek crosses a floodplain surfaced by sand, gravel, and mud that fills quickly when storms stall over the watershed.
Because the county averages only 19.5 inches of rain a year, much of it in intense warm-season downpours, the draws stay dry for long stretches and then flood fast. That pattern shows in the record: of the county's 20 federally declared disasters, the water-related share includes three hurricane and three severe-storm declarations, and NWS Midland/Odessa issued a Flood Watch for the area in July 2026. Property nearest Beals Creek and the low draws through Big Spring carries the most exposure.
For a homeowner, water damage here often arrives with little warning after a single heavy storm rather than a slow river rise. Checking a specific address on the City of Big Spring FEMA flood zone map, and acting fast on any intrusion, matters more than the dry climate suggests. See the water damage restoration guide for next steps.
Flood repair permits & inspections
Repairs in Howard County are permitted at two levels. Inside Big Spring city limits, the city's Building Permits and Inspections Department issues building permits for reconstruction such as reroofing, water-heater and gas-line replacement, and structural repair, then inspects the work before signing off. Property in a mapped floodplain also needs a floodplain development permit, and the city directs applicants to FEMA elevation-certificate information. In the unincorporated county there is no general building-permit program, but the County Engineer administers floodplain development under the county's Flood Damage Prevention Order. Structures with damage meeting the community's substantial-damage threshold must be brought into floodplain compliance before rebuilding.
| Permit / inspection | When it applies |
|---|---|
| City of Big Spring building permit (repair/reconstruction) | Required within Big Spring city limits for reconstruction and repair work. The city's permit FAQ lists roofs, water heaters, gas lines, decks and similar work as permit-triggering, while purely cosmetic work such as paint and carpet is exempt. Issued by the City of Big Spring Building Permits and Inspections Department at 217 E. 3rd St., not the county. |
| Floodplain development permit — City of Big Spring | Applies to repair or rebuilding of structures in a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area inside Big Spring. The city's Assistant City Manager serves as its designated floodplain administrator, and the permits page directs applicants to FEMA elevation-certificate information for floodplain properties. |
| Floodplain development permit — Howard County (unincorporated areas) | Covers property in the unincorporated county, outside any city limits — the county, not a city, is the issuer. The county runs no general building-permit program, but the County Engineer is the designated county floodplain administrator and reviews floodplain development under the county's Flood Damage Prevention Order. |
| Building inspections & Certificate of Occupancy — City of Big Spring | Big Spring inspects permitted reconstruction against its General Inspection Checklist and processes a Certificate of Occupancy application on completion. The department enforces the 2012 International Building Codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code for permitted repair work. |
Floodplain & drainage ordinances
- Flood Damage Prevention Order of Howard County — Art. 3 §C & Art. 4 §C (Floodplain Development Permit)
- In unincorporated Howard County a Floodplain Development Permit must be obtained before repairing, reconstructing, or altering a structure in a mapped special flood hazard area; the application goes to the county Floodplain Administrator and must show the lowest-floor elevation of any substantially improved structure.
- Flood Damage Prevention Order of Howard County — Art. 2 (Substantial Improvement / Substantial Damage, 50-percent rule)
- A repair counts as a substantial improvement when its cost reaches or exceeds 50 percent of the structure's market value before work starts, and a flood-damaged home is substantially damaged when restoration would cost 50 percent or more of its pre-damage value; either triggers full current flood-code compliance.
- Flood Damage Prevention Order of Howard County — Art. 5 §B(1) (Residential Construction, lowest-floor elevation)
- Where base flood elevation data exists, new construction and any substantially improved residential structure must have its lowest floor, including any basement, elevated to or above the base flood elevation, verified by a registered engineer, architect, or land surveyor certification submitted to the county.
- Flood Damage Prevention Order of Howard County — Art. 5 §A (General Standards, anchoring and flood-resistant materials)
- A substantial repair must be anchored to prevent flotation, collapse, and lateral movement, built with methods and materials resistant to flood damage, and have electrical, heating, ventilation, plumbing, and air-conditioning equipment located or designed so floodwater cannot enter the components during flooding.
- Flood Damage Prevention Order of Howard County — Art. 3 §A & §B (jurisdiction and adopted flood maps)
- This order governs only special flood hazard areas in the unincorporated parts of the county, based on the FEMA Flood Insurance Study and Flood Insurance Rate Maps dated October 6, 2010; property inside Big Spring city limits instead falls under the city's own floodplain regulations.
Local water-damage notes
- Beals Creek and its draws drain through the city — Big Spring sits in the valley of Beals Creek, an intermittent tributary of the Colorado River that begins at Salt Lake just west of town where Sulphur Springs Draw meets Mustang Draw, then flows into, through, and past the city. Because the channel and its feeder draws stay dry through most of the semi-arid year, they carry water mainly during heavy rain, when runoff concentrates quickly along the creek and the draws that cross town.
- Beals Creek at Big Spring is a long-standing federal flood-control concern — Beals Creek where it passes through Big Spring was the subject of a 1971 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers interim report prepared under the Colorado River and Tributaries flood-control review, which examined flood-plain management along the creek in response to earlier Flood Control Acts. The study shows the creek corridor through the city has been treated as a flood-control problem, not just a seasonal draw.
Cleanup & recovery services nearby
- City of Big Spring Sanitary Landfill (Big Sandy Landfill) — Municipal disposal site at 3601 Old Colorado City Highway, open Monday–Saturday, taking Howard County residents' storm and water-damaged debris and bulk waste (proof of residence required)
- Reliable Self Storage — Drive-up self-storage units, plus RV and vehicle storage, at 1908 Wasson Rd with 24/7 access and video monitoring — for belongings moved out during repairs
- Let Us Dump It — Locally owned roll-off dumpster rental in 15- to 30-yard sizes for residential cleanouts, demolition, and storm debris, serving Big Spring across the Permian Basin
- Johansen Landscape & Nursery — Family-run Big Spring firm at 700 Johansen Road offering tree removal, pruning, and trimming across the county and neighboring counties — for storm-downed or hazardous trees
- Lion In The Tree Trimming Service — Locally owned Big Spring tree service handling tree removal, emergency storm-damage response, and stump grinding across the West Texas area
By the numbers
- Median year homes built — Half of the county's housing stock predates 1966, an age range where original supply lines, drains and fixtures raise the odds of leaks and hidden moisture.
- 1966
- Total housing units — The full count of housing units across the county, per the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
- 14,048
- Owner-occupied homes — Owner-occupied of 12,191 occupied units, so most repair decisions fall to resident homeowners rather than landlords.
- 8,474
- Median home value — Median value of owner-occupied homes, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
- $155,600
Other restoration services
Counties served: Howard County