Mandatory Flood Insurance Deadline Outreach

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

When the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) released new maps placing one-third of Sutter County in a high-risk flood zone, Sutter County had to explain to thousands of property owners how, for the first time in four decades, the federal government would require flood insurance on mortgaged properties and require expensive, and in some cases impossible, flood-proofing measures on new construction. The county responded with a communications campaign that involved partnerships with key flood control organizations, the local media, and community groups; a series of direct mail pieces to the impacted property owners; a series of outreach meetings by the Sutter County Division of Water Resources for property owners, insurance agents, real estate agents, developers, and engineers; the use of new media; the creation of Flood Awareness Month; and the staffing of three qualified people to read flood maps and answer phone calls about flood insurance.