FEMA map update shows flood risk to local homes

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Mar 26, 2008 | by Martin Ricard

SAN LEANDRO -- The odds of experiencing a flood in the Bay Area are pretty slim. But that shouldn't prevent homeowners from taking precautions, flood control managers say.

In fact, if your home or property sits near a flood zone and has a federally backed mortgage, you may be required to buy flood insurance.

Luckily, residents here -- and in San Lorenzo and Castro Valley - - can check out in the coming weeks whether that mandate applies to them.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently revised San Leandro's flood plain maps as part of a nationwide project to provide more refined data on the country's levees.

That means in addition to the 2,133 properties already designated at risk of flooding in the event of a disaster, another 425 properties have been added to the flood plain maps, particularly near the San Lorenzo Creek drainage canal at the southern part of the city, which includes homes in the Heron Bay neighborhood, along Lewelling Boulevard and Neptune Drive, and those adjacent to San Leandro Creek.

The Alameda County Flood Control District will hold several meetings starting next week to allow residents to see if their homes are in flood-prone areas and, therefore, whether they need to buy flood insurance.

Hank Ackerman, principal civil engineer in charge of the flood control program for Alameda County Public Works, said the new maps provide a much clearer picture of the amount of water actually flowing in the creek during heavy storms.

The new maps are based on 60 years of data and analysis, Ackerman said, and show more precisely where the canals could potentially overflow -- although the event of that happening is still rare.

"It's not that there is more risk," he said. "We've just become more aware."

Some of the properties included in the maps, however, may not require the insurance.

When the maps were revised, FEMA didn't want to take any chances and basically included properties near anything that could contain water.

William Schock, the city's zoning enforcement official, said that shouldn't change things too much, but it will at least give people a better idea if they can actually opt out of paying for the insurance.

"(The maps) makes it easier for people to understand if they are in or out," Schock said. "Along San Leandro Creek, for example, there were a couple houses included that, when we looked at them, didn't make sense because water is not going to go up a hill."

A 90-day public review period also is under way to allow residents to review and appeal the revised maps if they believe their properties are not in the flood zone.

Martin Ricard can be reached at 510-293-2480 or mricard@bayareanewsgroup.com.