According to Supervisor Spellman due to the new digital Flood Zone Maps for Calaveras Couny that became effective December 17, 2010, many unsuspecting homeowners are receiving notices in the mail requiring them, if they have a government backed loan ie: Fanny Mae, to obtain flood insurance or purchase it through FEMA.
Supervisor Spellman said he felt this new requirement was a "backlash of Catrina...that FEMA was trying to recoup those costs by creating new flood zones" and requiring insurance, offered through FEMA, to "generate more revenue."
Spellman attended a meeting with a representative from FEMA where Spellman acted as an advocate for a veteran whose home now lies in the new flood zone. Arriving at the meeting he presented 123 years of rainfall reports showing no subsequent flooding. At the culmination of the meeting Spellman stated that the representative agreed to complete another study of the area via aerial photography to determine which areas are at a flood risk.
When asked if he felt this current interest from the Federal Government in potential flooding occuring downstream from damns, known targets for terrorism, might be the driving force for the new flood zones, Spellman was certain that was not the case. He stated that currently FEMA's guidelines for a flood plain is, "1% chance of one day in a 100 year time that water is 1" deep." Though pointing out that some residents in the County are in need of flood insurance, approximately 5%, but that "the maps do not seem realistic."
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