We beat the deadline by one week. That says a lot about Sacramento’s commitment to flood awareness and safety. The deadline was set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after the city discovered 35 building permit violations in the North Natomas floodplain.
It was our fault, and we are determined to make good on the mistakes.
In February, FEMA requested a corrective action plan to address the violations.
The city utilities department spent six weeks preparing the plan.
Next steps call for FEMA to review and hopefully accept the plan. We expect FEMA to review the action proposal over the next 30 days.
The corrective process has been difficult and collaborative. A complete resolution would require either the removal of 10 homes or elevating the houses above flood levels.
As these homes are in-fill and surrounded by previously built homes, removal or elevation would be problematic. And nine of the 10 are occupied.
The collaboration included proposals to partially flood-proof the nine occupied homes, plus provide privately funded insurance (paid for by the builder) to the homeowners.
The city will also begin community outreach, reminding residents about the importance of flood insurance in a community shaped by two rivers.
And we remain transparent. City officials have posted the corrective action plan on the Web.
We just completed a press conference on the topic (Thursday, April 1, 2010) at City Hall.
As always, our primary concern is the safety of residents and the security of their property.
The city’s commitment to safety and the quick submission of a corrective action plan demonstrate our alignment with FEMA when it comes to keeping Sacramento safe.
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