On Monday, December 8th, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s new flood insurance maps go into effect.
FEMA’s Cynthia McKenzie says Natomas will be designated as a high-risk flood zone.
“So in order to take advantage of the non-flood zone rate that they’re in right now, they would have to buy the flood insurance by December 7th or earlier.”
McKenzie says right now, the average Natomas homeowner with a federally-backed mortgage pays about $350 a year for flood insurance.
If they buy a policy after this Sunday…
“There are other factors but it likely will triple or close to triple.”
Earlier this year, the Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA ruled that the levees in Natomas are unacceptable and that the flood risk is three times greater than originally thought.