ST. GEORGE — Homeowners throughout Utah are being urged to buy flood insurance after the devastating results of flash flooding in Washington County last month.
"Conditions are prime for spring flooding all over the state of Utah," said Derek Jensen, a spokesman with the Department of Public Safety. "That's our biggest concern right now. With a wet fall saturating the ground and above-normal snowpacks in our mountains, flooding is a real possibility."
Homeowners are required by law to purchase flood insurance if their property is located within a designated flood hazard map. Mortgage companies can also require the special insurance if property is located near, but not inside, an identified flood hazard area.
But those maps are aging — and could provide a false sense of security, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and its Flood Hazard Mapping Program.
In fact, 79 percent of Utah's Flood Insurance Rate Maps (called FIRMs) are more than 10 years old, according to FEMA and its Spring 2003 Utah State Profile. Most of the St. George FIRMs were produced by the federal agency in 1987, according to FEMA's Web site.
"The result of the aging is that the maps may not accurately reflect flood hazard conditions, potentially creating a false sense of security and placing buildings, infrastructure and individuals at risk," the report states.
"Flood hazards are dynamic and may change rapidly due to community development as well as natural processes in the watershed. Up-to-date flood maps are crucial to comprehensive flood plain management."
FEMA's National Flood Insurance program manager for Utah is Barb Fitzpatrick. She acknowledges that the federal agency is having a difficult time getting its maps revised within the time frame allotted by Congress.
"The goal is to be updated every five years," said Fitzpatrick during a telephone interview from her Denver office. "That hasn't happened. One of the problems is that there's not enough money. We also have a new mapping process and it's going to take some time to map the entire United States, which is what Congress has asked us to do."
Of the 162 homeowners in Washington County who purchased flood insurance, only two were affected by the recent flooding.
"A lot of homes that fell into the river were constructed outside of the flood plain area. Some were close to it, but legally the people built where they did correctly," Fitzpatrick said. "People need to realize that debris jammed up the river and forced it to go elsewhere. That changed everything."
Flood plain maps include the flood way, or the predicted path of the flood based on engineering measurements and past experience, and the flood fringe, where the water will likely move based on topography and development outside of the flood way.
Washington County residents found out in early January that the Santa Clara and Virgin rivers were capable of ignoring those established flood routes and destroying homes, barns, orchards and anything else in the way.
"Washington County was at the top of our list before this happened," said Fitzpatrick of the recent flooding and FEMA's plans to review area flood hazard maps. "Now it's really at the top of the list."
Homeowners who lost nearly everything in the January floods will find little consolation in FEMA's plans, however. President Bush's recent decision to declare Washington and Kane counties a federal disaster area, which frees up millions in federal funds, will do nothing to help private property owners.
"Losses due to flooding are not covered under typical homeowners and business insurance policies," Jensen said. "When floods destroy homes, owners are left without a place to live but are still obligated to pay off their mortgages."
The only financial help for those without flood insurance could come from a local donation fund set up solely to help flood victims. The fund, termed the Virgin River/Santa Clara River Flood Relief Inc., accepts donations at area banks and credit unions. Every penny in the fund will be distributed to flood victims based on personal financial needs.
E-mail: nperkins@desnews.com