How the City Prepares
How You Can Prepare
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How You Can Prepare You can prepare for a flooding emergency before it happens. While less than 25% of the City of Sacramento is within the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), any property in or out of the SFHA is at risk of flooding. One of the best ways to prepare for potential flooding is to carry flood insurance to protect your home. This is because Sacramento is a natural floodplain that will always be at risk of flooding and homeowner's insurance policies do not protect against flooding damages. The SFHA, as designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, represents the 100-year regulatory floodplain. This means that in any given year, your property has a 1-in-100 chance of becoming flooded. In SFHA, flood insurance is typically mandatory for all homeowners who carry a mortgage on their property. To see if you are in an area where flood insurance is mandatory, please click here. For information about flood insurance, please visit www.floodsmart.gov or call 800-427-4661. |
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Much of the City is protected by levees that meet a 100-year level of protection. This increased level of protection allows homeowners in these areas to qualify for preferred risk flood insurance policies (PRPs). A PRP affords you the same levels of flood insurance protection as mandatory flood insurance, but at a discounted rate. In fact, most PRP policies will cost you half of what a mandatory flood insurance policy costs. For more information about Preferred Risk Policies (PRPs) please click here or contact your local insurance agent. If you have questions about your property, flood elevations of your neighborhood, or for floodplain information, please call the City's Floodplain Information Line at 808-5061. Be prepared to leave your name, address, phone number and Tax Assessor's Parcel Number. A Utilities Staff Member will return your call as soon as possible. You can also get your family ready by preparing a written emergency plan now. In this plan, consider each of your family members (including your pets) and what you will need for each of them. Additionally, you should follow these tips to prepare yourself and your family for a flooding emergency: 1. Keep emergency supplies on hand and together. This should include a battery operated radio or television, flashlight, extra batteries, and enough food and clean water for each person for three days. Be sure to check your supplies each year to ensure that food and water is fresh. 2. Find a family member or friend who lives outside of the area and ask them to be a central point of contact in case your family is separated in an emergency. Make sure each family member knows the number and to call it in if you are separated from one another. 3. Be familiar with all of the routes in and out of your neighborhood. Listen carefully in emergency to directions given by Emergency Officials via television and radio broadcasts and follow them in case of evacuation. 4. Keep all of your important paperwork in a safe place- such as a safe deposit box. If you keep them at home, be sure to take them with you if you leave. 5. Find high points in and around your home. If you are caught in a flood, stay out of the water if at all possible. If you are moving to higher ground, upper floors, or your roof, be sure to take your emergency supplies with you. 6. Know what your insurance policies cover and don't cover. 7. Teach your children to dial 9-1-1 in case of emergency. 8. Prepare an emergency kit for your pets. Include food and water for at least 3 days (up to 2 weeks is preferable), all medications, paperwork and medical records, a crate, a leash and muzzle, and be sure that your pet has identification on. Microchips work best since an animal can never lose it (it is embedded under their skin). For more information on preparing for emergencies with your pets, check www.sacpetsearch.com 9. Keep sandbags, plywood, plastic sheeting and lumber on hand. Remember when placing them, do not stack sandbags against your building's foundation. For more emergency preparedness tips, please click here. Additional information regarding flooding can be found at www.fema.gov |
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