"Because we are in the middle of a bone dry desert -- there is really no chance of flooding in our area." -- WRONG! According to the Clark County Flood Control District website, Clark County has experienced at least 11 floods since 1960, costing more than a million dollars each. During this same period, 31 lives were lost in 21 separate flash flood events. While floods can occur here during any month of the year, the most damaging storms occur between July and September.Today, March 20th, the NOAA released it's Spring Flood Outlook, which spurred me to post this. To see if your home is in a FEMA flood district visit FloodSmart.gov or FEMA's Flood Map Service Center where you can search by typing in your address to determine your Flood risk. If your own , you may be required by Federal law to carry the mandatory Flood insurance on your property (this is different than your regular personal property insurance). For instance, I live in a High Risk Flood area, determined by FEMA to have a 1% annual flood risk and a 26% risk of flooding over the life of a 30-year mortgage. So that means I have a 1 out 4 chance of having my property washed over every 30 years. Because of this, I must carry minimum FEMA insurance that will cover the cost of my home in the event of a flood. If you do carry flood insurance on your property, be sure to check to see if your personal property is covered in this policy ... In many cases, folks think their personal property is covered by their Flood Insurance Policy, when in reality only their building is covered. Unfortunately for these people, they find this out after the flood has washed everything away. Bottom line -- TALK TO YOUR INSURANCE AGENT -- KNOW YOUR INSURANCE COVERAGE, and keep in mind that it takes 30 days on average for a Flood policy to take effect.
If you have questions about your property and flooding visit FEMA's Flood Website and the County's Regional Flood Control District's Flood Threat Recognition System which collects hydrometeorologic data primarily for the purpose of detecting situations which could cause flooding. There are some really cool live interactive map tools on this website, which include up to date Rain, Water Level maps, and some other related things.
VOTE for your favorite Flood Awareness License Plate online at RFCD's License Plate Billboard Contest. The winning plate will be featured on Billboards around the area.
