District Working with FEMA for Flood Protection
The Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (District) has sent flyers to property owners (PDF, 277KB) along the San Lorenzo Creek flood control channel advising them of changes in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) designation of flood-prone areas and inviting them to community meetings.
The District has been working with FEMA to re-examine flood protection during major rainstorms. As part of its nationwide modernization initiative, FEMA is updating all its Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) around the country. New, much more extensive stream information and analysis shows increased flood risks since the last study of San Lorenzo Creek. There is now 60 years of data and a much better calculation of the amount of water that’s actually flowing in the creek during major storms.
The flood control infrastructure already in place will continue to function as originally designed. The flood risk FEMA maps will show is from water flowing over the top of levees or the channel during very heavy rains. The FEMA maps will show properties in newly designated flood-prone areas, which will be required to have flood insurance.
Flood insurance will not be required until the maps are final in 2009. However, because there is always a risk of flooding, property owners and renters might consider purchasing insurance before then, even for this year’s rainy season.
To find out if your property is in a newly designated FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, click here.
