SAN DIEGO–Residents in the unincorporated areas of San Diego County will pay less for flood insurance with a new Class 7 rating the County has earned from FEMA – the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The new rating means an additional automatic rate reduction of 5 percent. This is the third such rate decrease for the County.
To receive the Class 7 rating, San Diego County had to go beyond minimum floodplain management requirements and develop extra measures to provide protection from flooding as outlined in the Community Rating System (CRS) standards. Categories include public information, mapping and regulation, flood damage reduction, and flood preparedness with credit points awarded for each of 18 separate activities.
The County also received credit points for its restrictions on development in flood-prone areas, implementing the reverse 911 system, and the StormReady certification that was presented by the National Weather Service to the County Board of Supervisors in December 2009. That award also recognized the County for being better prepared for rapidly changing weather patterns and severe weather through advanced planning, education and awareness.
“Flooding can and does occur in San Diego County,” Chairwoman Pam Slater-Price said. “During this past winter, we experienced heavy rain storms forcing the closure of many roads, severe beach erosion, and property damage. Insurance rates reduction due to the aggressive work of the Public Works Department will be a great help to many.”
For more information about the community rating system or the StormReady program and its impact, please contact Cid Tesoro in the County Department of Public Works Watershed Protection Program at (858) 694-3672.
