Know Your Flood Risks and Insurance Options

There’s nothing quite like the comfort of home, so KC Water is spreading the word about flood risks for area residents. Whether you rent or own your home, awareness of the flood risk and insurance options at your location can help set you at ease.

In addition to helping area residents learn whether their house is in a flood zone and what to do if it is, KC Water participates in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Rating System (CRS) to help reduce insurance premiums inside the city.

KC Water provides a wealth of information related to flood risks, regulations, and insurance opportunities on their website at https://www.kcwater.us/programs/crs/

“We’re trying to make it one-stop shopping,” said Michael Richey, GIS Analyst for the Stormwater Engineering department at KC Water. “If people don’t know where to go, they will know that they can go to this website and find what they need.”

This information includes the FEMA Flood Map Service Center at https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home, which any U.S. resident can use to check whether their address is inside or outside of flood hazard areas. From there, people can use other information on the website to learn about relevant regulations and opportunities for flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program.

Kansas City has experienced two large flooding events in recent years, including two in 2017 when many buildings were flooded along Indian Creek. While some parts of the area have experienced extended periods of drought recently, this does not reduce the risk. In fact, Richey said that drought conditions sometimes make flooding worse because the ground cannot absorb large amounts of water during a large storm event. Water will move across the surface instead of being absorbed into the ground.

For more information, visit the KC Water website https://www.kcwater.us/programs/crs/.

To learn whether a specific address is within a flood hazard zone, visit FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home.