Homeowners’ Flood Insurance Costs May Dip

Flood insurance costs for thousands of homeowners along the Santa Ana River may be reduced at least temporarily, according to an Orange County congressman who met with Federal Emergency Management Agency officials Thursday.

Such coverage has been mandated for residents, but recent channel widening and other improvements made along the river basin have diminished the threat of flooding, said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach).

Rohrabacher said he was encouraged that FEMA officials responded positively to his suggestion that they allow an interim reduction in flood insurance for an estimated 40,000 homeowners until the Santa Ana Mainstem project is completed in 1999.

“This is terrific news,” he said. “I thought it would take a lot more pressure and time because when I started this issue, everybody was saying you can’t do it.”

A revision to the flood plain map reflecting the improvements could save each property owner in the river basin about $500 annually on flood insurance, or about $15 million countywide, Rohrabacher said.

At the meeting with Rohrabacher were Richard Krimm, FEMA’s associate director, and Michael Buckley, chief of hazard identifications.

Buckley said Thursday that FEMA will accept a formal application seeking a reduced rate designation that is expected to be submitted by Orange County within two weeks.

“We’ve estimated a 90-day review period,” Buckley said. “Once the review is completed, and we confirm that all requirements have been met, then we will issue a letter of map revision.”

Already, $500 million has been spent on the river project, Rohrabacher said. He argued that even though the flood work is not completed, the flood zone designation should be lifted from the area that is already improved, from the mouth of the river in Newport Beach to near Anaheim Stadium.

A map revision would affect homeowners in Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley and Santa Ana and could lower flood insurance on an interim basis until the project’s completion date in 1999, Buckley said. “Then we will remove all the flood plain designation and flood insurance would then not be required,” he said.