Nov 5, 2008 11:37 pm US/Pacific
FEMA: Flood Insurance Required For At-Risk Homes
NATOMAS (CBS13) ―
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has warned some Natomas residents that a flood could threaten their homes, and is now mandating that at-risk homes be protected with flood insurance.
In a hypothetical break at the north end of the Natomas Basin, homeowners would have hours to get out. It would take 20 hours for a foot of water to flow into neighborhoods, and days for several more feet.
If the levee broke at Garden Highway near I-5, there would be much less time. "That's the worst levee break scenario," said one official.
Christine Mattos' house would be covered by a current of floodwater.
"We're a single story," she said. "We'd lose everything."
Christine was one of the homeowners who stopped by a workshop in Natomas, part of the City of Sacramento's effort to warn Natomas neighbors that time is running out to get the FEMA-mandated insurance.
The average homeowner who signs up before December 8th, would get a one-year discount and pay only about $350, but after that, the price can skyrocket to as high as $1,900 a year.
The premiums are sky-high in preparation for a doomsday scenario FEMA fears will come once in a hundred years.
To find out if your home is at risk, check the flood maps on the City of Sacramento's
website.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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