OAKLAND, Calif. — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is updating portions of Sonoma County’s flood maps in 2020. The new maps identify the current flood hazards along Todd Creek and its tributaries that help building officials, contractors and homeowners make effective mitigation decisions, thereby contributing to safer and more resilient communities.
Before the new Sonoma County Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) become effective, there is a 90-day appeal period from Dec. 18, 2020 to Mar. 18, 2021. During that time, residents with technical and scientific information, such as detailed hydraulic or hydrologic data, can appeal the flood risk information on the preliminary maps. View the preliminary FIRMs at fema.gov/preliminaryfloodhazarddata.
Flood hazards are dynamic and change frequently for many reasons, including weather patterns, erosion and community development. Officials from FEMA, Sonoma County and the cities of Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa worked together to collect new data and provide detailed information along Todd Creek and selected tributaries to reflect the new flood risk. These changes may also affect future building standards or insurance requirements.
The local mapping project is part of a national effort led by FEMA to increase local knowledge of flood risks and support actions to address and reduce the effects of flooding on new and improved structures. FEMA encourages residents to review the preliminary flood maps to learn about local flood risks, potential future flood insurance requirements and identify any concerns or questions about the information provided.
Risk of flooding affects almost every corner of the nation. In total, 98% of counties have experienced a flood event, which makes floods the most common and widespread of all weather-related natural disasters.
For more information, contact Sonoma County at (707) 565-1146 or Nathan.Quarles@sonoma-county.org, Santa Rosa’s storm water and creeks manager at (707) 543-4204 or Claire Myers at cmyers@srcity.org, or Rohnert Park Development Services at (707) 588-2232 or visit rpcity.org/city_hall/departments/development_services/engineering/mapping_and_geographic_information_systems/flood_maps.
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