In Santa Clara County, whether you own a house or business, or rent, you can purchase flood insurance from FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program to protect your home from the hazards of flooding. If you live in a Community Rating System (CRS) participating community, there may be discounts available from FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). When shopping for flood insurance, contact your insurance provider to ensure premiums include any possible discounts.
Lenders are legally responsible for determining if flood insurance is required for a loan. Call the FEMA Mapping and Insurance Exchange (FMIX) center at 877-336-2627 or go online at floodsmart.gov to find a local agent. Typically, there’s a 30-day waiting period from the date of purchase before your policy goes into effect, so get insurance ahead of time.
Federal law requires flood insurance if you have a federally insured mortgage and your property is in an area shown on FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM), which are areas designated as being high risk for flooding during a 1 percent flood event, or a flood that has a 1 percent chance of occurring in any given year. While the chances may seem slim, the real odds of a 1 percent flood are greater than one in four during the term of a 30-year mortgage.
For more information on flood risks, interpreting the FEMA flood maps, flood insurance or an elevation certificate for your property, contact your local floodplain manager.
Valley Water can also assist in providing flood map reading information. Contact our Community Projects Review Unit at 408-630-2650 or at [email protected], for any inquiries on basic flood information, such as flood insurance, zones, mapping, etc.