Some of us who lived in Utah during the flooding of 1983 see the signs of another year where flooding could be in the forecast. The Deseret news is reporting that this is the “snowiest winter in decades” and that there is more storms on the way. The Utah Division of Water Resources even points out we have tied the record set back in 1983.
The flooding of 1983 – Hobble Creek Canyon
The flooding in 1983 in Hobble Creek Canyon, Utah, was a devastating event that caused significant damage to the surrounding communities. The flooding occurred during the early summer months when heavy rainfall and melting snow caused the creek to overflow its banks and flood nearby areas.
The flooding in Hobble Creek Canyon was particularly severe due to the steep terrain and narrow canyons that characterized the area. The fast-moving waters overwhelmed the creek bed, causing significant erosion and carrying large amounts of debris downstream. Homes and properties near the creek were particularly vulnerable to flooding, and many were severely damaged or destroyed.
The flooding in Hobble Creek Canyon significantly impacted the local community. In addition to the physical damage caused by the flooding, many residents were forced to evacuate their homes and seek temporary shelter elsewhere. The flooding also disrupted transportation and caused significant economic losses, particularly for businesses located in the affected areas.
In response to the flooding, local authorities and emergency responders worked tirelessly to mitigate the damage and assist affected residents. They provided emergency shelter and supplies, evacuated those in need, and worked to clear debris and restore damaged infrastructure. The community also rallied to support those affected by the flooding, with volunteers and donations pouring in from across the region.
The city officials even diverted the flood waters down state street, creating a temporary river lined on both sides with sandbags and pedestrian bridges.
The flooding in Hobble Creek Canyon serves as a reminder of the importance of preparedness and proactive measures to mitigate the risks of natural disasters. While it is impossible to completely prevent flooding and other natural disasters, some steps can be taken to reduce their impact and protect vulnerable communities. This includes investing in infrastructure and flood protection measures, developing emergency response plans and procedures, and promoting public awareness and education about the risks and impacts of natural disasters.
In conclusion, the flooding in 1983 in Hobble Creek Canyon, Utah, was a tragic event that caused significant damage and disruption to the local community. While the impact of the flooding was devastating, it also served as a reminder of the resilience and strength of the human spirit as the community came together to support one another and rebuild in the aftermath of the disaster.
In 1983 flooding was not limited to just Salt Lake City and the Hobble Creek area. There were reports of flooding all over the state. Utah County was also hit pretty hard. Pleasant Grove declared a state of emergency due to the flooding conditions. Provo Police put the Provo river off limits to swimming, bearing, rafting, and tubing because of the level of the river, as the mayor also declared a city-wide disaster status. Memorial Day in 1983 saw many roads and campgrounds closed due to heavy flooding. Lehi saw an estimated half-million-dollar flood problem when water levels raised and threatened 100 families and homes. Governor Scott Matheson recalled the 1457th Engineering Battalion Company D from maneuvers to help with flood mitigation and damage control.
There are those who are looking into flood insurance since 2023 looks like it may be a repeat of the flooding in 1983. In 2017 Probert W Klien an professor of Risk Management and Insurance at Georga State Univerisyt wrote an article on Flood Insurance, and how it works.
How flood insurance works: 6 Questions Answered
Robert W. Klein, Georgia State University
Editor’s note: Hurricane Harvey dumped up to 50 inches of rain on parts of Texas and Louisiana last month. Meanwhile, Hurricane Irma is bearing down on Florida, which will also likely cause substantial flooding. Homeowners generally rely on insurance provided by the federal government to cover the costs of rebuilding their lives after a flood. We asked an insurance expert to explain the government program and its challenges.
1. What is flood insurance?
Homeowners’ insurance does not cover damage to a home caused by flooding. A homeowner must have a separate policy to cover flood-related losses, defined as water traveling along or under the ground.
Most such policies are underwritten by the National Flood Insurance Program, which is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The National Flood Insurance Program was established in 1968 to address the lack of availability of flood insurance in the private market and reduce the demand for federal disaster assistance for uninsured flood losses. Another purpose was to integrate flood insurance with floodplain management, which includes such things as adopting and enforcing stricter building codes, retaining or restoring wetlands to absorb floodwaters and requiring or encouraging homeowners to make their homes more flood-resistant.
The National Flood Insurance Program’s activities are funded largely by the premiums and fees paid by its policyholders, supplemented by a small amount of general funds to help pay for flood risk mapping. Because the National Flood Insurance Program serves the public interest, some believe that more of its funding should be borne by taxpayers.
Homeowners can purchase a federal flood policy directly from the National Flood Insurance Program or through a private insurer. Separately, some private insurers sell their own flood policies on a limited basis for properties that are overcharged by the National Flood Insurance Program.
2. How many American homeowners have flood insurance?
It is difficult to determine exactly how many homeowners have flood insurance.
The National Flood Insurance Program had just under five million policies in force as of June 30. Of these policies, approximately 68 percent were on single-family homes and 21 percent on condo units. There is no source on how many private flood policies are in force, but my sense is that it is very small relative to the number of National Flood Insurance Program policies.
In recent years, the number of such policies has been dropping across the country. Some of the counties hardest hit by Harvey, for example, such as Harris (which includes Houston), have experienced significant declines.
A more revealing – and more difficult to ascertain – stat is the share of homeowners in a disaster area who actually have flood insurance. In Harris County, for example, experts estimate that only about 15 percent of homeowners are insured for floods – though the percentage should be higher in areas near coastlines.
Real estate data company CoreLogic estimates that approximately 70 percent of flood losses from Harvey will be uninsured.
3. Why do people at great risk of flooding forgo insurance?
A number of factors affect a homeowner’s decision to buy flood insurance (or not).
People who perceive that their exposure to floods is high are more likely to buy it, all other things equal. And the mandatory purchase requirement forces owners of mortgaged homes located in Special Flood Hazard Areas – areas at high risk for flooding – to buy insurance.
However, 43 percent of homeowners incorrectly believe that their homeowners’ insurance covers them for flood losses.
Other factors also come into play, such as a lack of information, the difficulty of calculating flood risk and the expectation that the government will provide disaster assistance – which is rarely the case.
4. What does flood insurance cover?
With a National Flood Insurance Program policy, a homeowner can purchase coverage on a dwelling up to US$250,000 and the contents of a home up to $100,000. It does not cover costs associated with “loss of use” of a home.
The National Flood Insurance Program policy limits have been in effect since 1994 and need to be updated to account for the increase in the replacement cost of homes and the actual cash value of their contents. Although not the best measure of the replacement cost, the median price of new homes sold in the U.S. has soared 132 percent since 1994.
Some homeowners buy additional flood protection from private insurers to make up any shortfall.
5. Why is the National Flood Insurance Program underwater?
The National Flood Insurance Program has faced considerable criticism over its underwriting and pricing policies, which have resulted in a substantial debt. Essentially, its premiums are not high enough to cover how much it pays out on claims and its other costs.
Part of the problem is that about 20 percent of the properties the program insures pay a subsidized rate. But many other National Flood Insurance Program policyholders are also paying premiums substantially less than what it costs to insure them because the rates do not adequately account for the catastrophic losses incurred during years when more major storms than normal strike, such as Katrina and Rita in 2005 and Sandy in 2012. As a result, the National Flood Insurance Program owes an accumulated debt of $25 billion to the U.S. Treasury.
Hurricane Harvey (and potentially other storms such as Irma that may follow) will substantially increase this debt. CoreLogic estimates that National Flood Insurance Program-insured flood losses from Harvey alone will be $6 billion to $9 billion.
In the short term, Congress will have to increase the National Flood Insurance Program’s borrowing authority for it to pay the claims that will result from Harvey and other storms this year. Lawmakers could make a general fund appropriation to forgive all or a portion of the National Flood Insurance Program’s debt, but it has shown no interest in doing so.
These inadequate rates also exacerbate the moral hazard created by flood insurance. People are more likely to buy, build or rebuild homes in flood-prone areas and have diminished incentives to invest in flood risk mitigation, such as by elevating their home, if they can buy insurance at below-cost rates.
6. What can be done to fix the program?
Legislative efforts to reform the National Flood Insurance Program to put it on firmer fiscal footing have produced mixed results.
The Biggert-Waters Act of 2012 made a number of changes to the program, such as increasing premiums and other changes to make it “more financially stable,” that would have gone a long way to restore its fiscal solvency. However, an outcry from homeowners in high-risk areas such as coastal Florida led to the Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act, passed in 2014, that limited or rescinded many of the Biggert-Waters rate increases.
Fundamentally, the program millions of Americans rely on to help them rebuild their lives after a devastating flood needs to be fixed. Its dire financial straits could be resolved by either making taxpayers foot more of the bill or increasing premiums closer to full-cost rates for most homeowners, while also raising total coverage levels.
At the same time, the government needs to do more to convince or compel more at-risk homeowners to buy flood insurance – which would be harder to do if it were to raise rates. To me, this suggests that increasing taxpayer support for the NFIP will have to be part of the solution so that pricey premiums don’t become a deterrent to someone buying insurance.
With the likelihood of much more flooding in the coming weeks and years, more needs to be done to mitigate the risk, including producing more accurate and timely maps of the flood risk in various areas, especially high-risk areas, educating people about what those risks really mean and helping relocate homeowners as necessary.
Robert W. Klein, Professor Emeritus of Risk Management and Insurance, Georgia State University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Mike Kieffer is an IT geek by hobby and trade, with a BS in Information Systems & Technology. He is a proud father of 10, a grandpa, an author, a journalist, and internet publisher. His motto is to “Elevate, Inspire and Inform”, and he is politically conservative and a Christian. Mike has a passion for technology, writing, and helping others. With a wealth of experience, he is committed to sharing his knowledge with others to help them reach their full potential. He is known for his jackassery or his form of self-expression that encourages boldness, creativity, and risk-taking. It can be a way to push the boundaries and challenge traditional norms, leading to creative solutions and positive change.
There are also a few insurance companies that offer flood insurance that are at least comparable in coverage is not better than the NFIP program for a similar price. Most insurance agents are able to sell these policies. Contact your homeowners insurance agent soon; flood insurance has 14-30 day waiting period.
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Some of the companies that offer flood insurance are Liberty Mutual, Chubb, Progressive, Allstate, and USAA. Each company offers different coverage options and premiums, so it is important to compare the policies to find the best fit for your budget and needs.
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