Lofgren Announces Completion of Map Revisions for Guadalupe River Flood Project
September 13, 2005
Residents and Business Will See Flood Insurance Relief
Media Contact: Heather Wong, 202.225.3072September 13, 2005
Congresswoman Lofgren (D - San Jose) today announced the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will expedite the map revisions process so that the Federal flood insurance requirement can be eliminated for residents and businesses affected by the Guadalupe River Flood Protection Project in the cities of San Jose and Santa Clara. This will offer relief from the high cost of flood insurance for thousands of residents and businesses in the Guadalupe River area.
Approximately 3,500 property owners will be eligible for a substantial reduction in their flood insurance after October 6, 2005 when the new maps are effective. The savings would amount to a 40 percent reduction in insurance rates for about 3,500 property owners. Currently, pre-discounted flood insurance rates are just over $1000 for a median priced home. After the final flood map is approved in about 18 months to two years, the need to carry flood insurance will be eliminated all together. However, homeowners are encouraged to maintain some flood insurance for their residences, which is likely to be more affordable now that flood exposure has been dramatically reduced through the flood control project.
"I am pleased to have seen the Guadalupe River Flood Protection Project through. Unfortunately, we now know what can happen when areas that are prone to flooding are not protected; and we have also seen how important it is for us to provide assistance for families who would be affected," said Congresswoman Lofgren. "Now that we have accomplished the task of providing protection, I am happy that San Jose residents will be able to save money on their homeowners insurance."
As a member of Congress and in her role on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Lofgren has worked to get federal funding for the Guadalupe River Flood Protection Project, in order to protect the community from the known threat of flooding in a way that is environmentally sensitive.
“We have learned a tremendous amount from the recent tragedy caused by Hurricane Katrina and it is crucial that our community is protected from the devastating effects of flooding,” said Richard P. Santos, chairman of the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors. “This project provides flood protection for approximately 100,000 people. The reduction of flood insurance premiums is an added bonus for the community that further promotes economic vitality to one of the nation’s most important business zones.”
The Santa Clara Valley Water District and the Corps of Engineers have completed substantial flood protection improvements on the Guadalupe River providing protection form the river's base flood with critical freeboard from Interstate 280 downstream to the Union Pacific Railroad in Alviso, thereby eliminating previously mapped flood hazards.
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