Corte Madera residents get 20% flood insurance break
Flood protection efforts in Corte Madera will result in 20% discounts for residents on their federal flood insurance.
The average discount for the 428 property owners with policies is about $266 annually, said Michael Nakagaki, floodplain management and insurance chief for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. That would equal a townwide savings of $113,000.
Nakagaki represents FEMA’s Region 9, which in addition to California, includes Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and island nations.
“This is a very prestigious award that is a recognition that very few communities across the nation have earned,” Nakagaki told the Town Council at its June 24 meeting. “In the town of Corte Madera, your residents are safer, and your neighborhoods are more resilient to the damaging impacts to flood hazards.”
Corte Madera is part of what’s called the community rating system by the National Flood Insurance Program. There are 10 class rankings as part of the rating system. The town enrolled in the program in 2003 at a class 8 ranking, which provided a 10% discount at the time.
There are more than 22,500 communities within the program. However, only 1,520 of those communities participate in the rating system. There are 251 class 6 communities in the nation, Nakagaki said.
A few years ago, the town worked its way up to a class 7 ranking, which provided a 15% discount, said R.J. Suokko, public works director.
“We’re one of 17 jurisdictions in the state of California to have this rating,” Suokko said. “That’s something to be proud of.”
Nakagaki said the new discount was effective as of April 1, and the rate will be applied automatically when insurance policies are renewed.
Councilmember Charles Lee said he was encouraged by the accomplishment and wants to “figure out how we can take it to the next level.”
Councilmember Eli Beckman said he was on the town’s flood control board when it was pursuing the class 6 designation five years ago.
“So it’s been a long fight to get to this point,” he said. “And you know 266 bucks in savings is nothing to shake a stick at. That’s a tank of gas, right? So, that’s incredible.”
More information on the program is at bit.ly/3NzVBQj.