The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is in the process of updating the Flood Insurance Rates maps for Butte and Sutter Counties.

Portions of Sutter County were recently “mapped” into a Special Flood Hazard Area by FEMA because the levees protecting the area do not provide 100-year flood protection, which is the minimum federal standard. In this area, property owners with mortgages are now required to purchase and maintain higher-cost flood insurance. In addition, new construction or significant improvements to existing structures must meet stricter building requirements.

FEMA’s draft working maps show the majority of Sutter County in Special Flood Hazard Area. If these maps take effect, all property owners with mortgages will be required to purchase flood insurance. In Butte County, updated FEMA maps are expected to take effect sometime in 2010.

SBFCA’s goal is to improve 44 miles of levees in Sutter and Butte Counties, increase flood protection and remove more than 30,200 properties from Special Flood Hazard Areas.

Proposed Assessment V. Mandatory Flood Insurance

It is believed that the proposed assessment will improve flood protection and save property owners tens of millions of dollars in mandatory flood insurance costs.

Here’s an example: A typical home* in the southwestern portion of Yuba City (Benefit area F2, in 4-6 foot flood depths) would pay $188 per year for the proposed benefit assessment. The cost for mandatory flood insurance for a $150,000 home is between $1,091 and $1,577 each year (structure and contents).**

In the majority of all cases, mandatory flood insurance is far more costly than the proposed assessment for single-family residential properties.

* 1,700 square feet on .20 acre, in flood depth zone of 4-6 feet
**Source: National Flood Insurance Program: www.floodsmart.gov