2025-01648 Accepting SAFCA’s Urban Level of Flood Protection Reports (LR25-006) Part 9 — Sacramento City Council, October 21, 2025 (part 3 of 4)

Grants
There are several sources of grant funding for drainage improvement, including grant funds from FEMA, Cal OES and DWR. For example, grant funding may be procured to build a detention basin that would eliminate the flooding of homes on the City’s NFIP Repetitive Loss list. Funding from the DWR’s FloodSafe program and the State Water Resources Control Board’s grants and loans program are also available.

Regulatory Fees
A sizable portion of the money spent from the Storm Drainage Fund is used to comply with federal and state regulatory requirements. Funding these expenditures through a regulatory fee collected expressly for that purpose would free up a commensurate amount of the drainage fund for CIPs.

This fee would not address the Storm Drainage Fund’s structural problems, but would increase the amount of money available for CIPs.

6.3 Implementation Strategies and Action Items
The following implementation strategies outline DOU implementation strategies and action items to reduce flood risk from inadequate internal drainage. Individual action items were recommended and prioritized by the Utilities Department. Each action in Table 6.2 below includes background information and ideas for implementation, responsible office, potential funding, and timeline for each identified action.

Table 6.2. Internal Drainage Improvement Action Items
Action Item Responsible Department Schedule

1. Pursue Grant Funding for
Drainage Improvements
Engineering Services, Business
Services
Short term and ongoing

2. Evaluate and Explore Regulatory
Fee Implementation
DOU Public Information Office,
Engineering Services, Business
Services
Long term

3. Develop Drainage Master Plans Engineering Services Short term and ongoing

4. Update the 2021 Watershed
Management Plan (WMP)
Engineering Services Short-term and ongoing
City of Sacramento 6.7
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Action Item Responsible Department Schedule

5. Master Generator Plan for BackUp Pump Station PowerEngineering Services, Business Services
Short term

6. Drainage Projects for Repetitive
Loss Properties
Engineering Services, Business
Services
Short term and ongoing

1. Pursue Grant Funding for Drainage Improvements.

Issue/Background Statement: Pursue grant funding opportunities from FEMA, CA DWR, and the State Water Resources Control Board for drainage improvement projects.

Implementation Strategy: Develop a grant program that will identify and pursue grant programs averaging $500,000 per year to augment other funds for drainage improvements. Prioritize storm drainage improvements identified in the CIP and LHMP. One full-time City employee or commensurate level of effort from a consultant will be required.

Responsible Office: Engineering Services, Business Services Potential Funding: City staff
Schedule: Short term and ongoing

2. Evaluate and Explore Regulatory Fee Implementation.

Issue/Background Statement: City staff has completed research and development of a regulatory fee that has the potential to provide up to $1.5 million per year for drainage improvements.

Implementation of a regulatory fee would allow for additional fund raising to support increased regulatory costs.

Implementation Strategy: Present planning level and exploratory assessments of regulatory fee implementation to upper management and internal decision makers. Discuss costs, benefits, and strategic timing opportunities to implement the fee beyond the active period of this CFMP.

Responsible Office: DOU Public Information Office, Engineering Services, Business Services Potential Funding: City staff.

Schedule: Long-term.

3. Develop Drainage Master Plans.

Issue/Background Statement: The City has completed 35 Basin Master Plans. All high-risk and limited medium risk basins have completed master plans.

City of Sacramento 6.8
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Implementation Strategy: Over the next five years, complete five Drainage Master Plans for high and medium risk basins. Update at least one Drainage Master Plan per year. Increased funding may allow team to produce additional plans per year in the future.

Responsible Office: Engineering Services
Potential Funding: City staff
Schedule: Short term and ongoing

4. Update the 2021 Watershed Management Plan (WMP).

Issue/Background Statement: The WMP should be updated every 5 years along with the Countywide LHMP. The WMP is located in Appendix I of the 2021 LHMP. FEMA CRS, under the Insurance Services Office, recommends not limiting watershed management planning to corporate boundaries. Under CRS Activity 450, a participating community may receive points toward improved rating and lowered flood insurance premiums for preparing a plan such as this and updating that plan every 5 years.

Implementation Strategy: Update the WMP by 2026 and coordinate as needed with FEMA for CRS credit.

Responsible Office: Engineering Services
Potential Funding: City staff
Schedule: Short term and ongoing

5. Master Generator Plan for Back-Up Pump Station Power Issue/Background Statement: The City is divided into approximately 134 drainage basins with most of the drainage from these basins flowing into local rivers, creeks, or drainage channels through pumping. The City owns and operates 106 storm drainage pumping stations throughout the City. The drainage canals and local creeks eventually drain into the Sacramento and American Rivers. Establishing a plan for back-up generator power could avoid flooding during power outages to pumping stations.

Implementation Strategy: Develop a plan for identifying, prioritizing, and implementing power generation needs for pumping stations. Procure a consultant to prepare plan, if necessary.

Responsible Office: Engineering Services, Business Services Potential Funding: FEMA/DWR/State Water Resources Control Board Grant Schedule: Short term
City of Sacramento 6.9
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024

6. Drainage Projects for Repetitive Loss Properties
Issue/Background Statement: The City has set a goal to remove at least four repetitive loss (RL) structures from FEMA’s Repetitive Loss List. Many of the RL structures have flooded due to undersized local drainage issues. Potential drainage projects are identified in the City’s existing Drainage Master Plans (Implementation Action #3, above).

Implementation Strategy: Update and rank potential drainage projects identified in the City’s Drainage Master Plans including upsizing pipelines, adding detention basins, adding bypass pipelines, retrofitting pump stations, and land acquisition.

Responsible Office: Engineering Services, Business Services Potential Funding: FEMA/DWR/State Water Resources Control Board Grant, Corrective Action Plan funding, and DOU
Schedule: Short-term and ongoing
7 RISK COMMUNICATION
City of Sacramento 7.1
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024

7.1 Introduction and Background
The Community Rating System (CRS) is a part of the NFIP. Participating in CRS provides reductions to flood insurance premiums in participating communities. The reductions are based on community floodplain management programs, including public information activities. To keep those discounts, communities must continue to implement their programs and provide status reports to the NFIP each year. Sacramento has been an active participant of the CRS since October of 1991. The City is currently rated as a Class 3, which results in a 35% flood insurance discount for all properties within the City, including structures outside of the SFHA.

A Program for Public Information (PPI) is an ongoing effort to improve communication with citizens and provide relevant information about flood hazards, flood safety, flood insurance, and ways to protect property. The objective of CRS credit for a PPI is to provide additional credit for information programs that are designed to meet local needs and that are monitored, evaluated, and revised to improve their effectiveness. Sacramento has developed its PPI in accordance with the 2017 CRS Coordinator’s Manual and 2021 Addendum to the CRS Coordinator’s Manual credit criteria found within Activity 330.

With advances in technology and a greater familiarity with web-based services, Sacramento has realized that mailing information directly to property owners may not be the most effective method. The PPI process now provides the ability for communities to decide how to best deliver messages to various groups in throughout the City; and for Sacramento, this was a welcomed change.

Step 1: Establish a PPI Committee
A PPI should assess all the community’s needs for flood-related information and coordinate all the resources that can deliver information. It should recommend a range of activities that convey information to residents, businesses, tourists, school children, and other audiences in and around the community. It should have an objective review of what is being done and how public information activities could be improved. Therefore, a PPI needs to be developed by a committee that consists of members from both inside and outside local government. A PPI Committee was established in 2014 as part of the previous 2016 CFMP update. Thus, this section describes previous and continued efforts of outreach and collaboration on the City’s PPI.

City of Sacramento 7.2
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Membership and Stakeholders
The PPI Committee’s membership must meet the following CRS criteria:
• There must be at least five people on the committee.
• There must be representation from the community’s floodplain management office. • There must be representation from the community’s public information office, if there is one. • At least half of the members must be from outside the local government (“stakeholders”). • Additional credit may be given for representation from the insurance industry, such as a local insurance agency.

The CRS encourages engagement of groups and people outside the local government in planning and conducting outreach projects. As outlined above, at least one-half of the members of the PPI committee must be representatives from outside the local government. Sacramento focused on a diverse membership including city staff, citizens located in flood prone areas, and other outside stakeholders involved most directly in the buying and selling of real estate.

The participants comprising the PPI Committee for Sacramento were selected in accordance with the above CRS criteria and include the following:
1) Connie Perkins, PE, CFM – Floodplain Manager (DOU)
2) Jessica McCabe – Public Affairs/ Outreach and Education (DOU) 3) Jim McDonald, AICP, CFM – Sacramento Community Development Department 4) Lisa Deklinski – Security and Emergency Preparedness (DOU) 5) Yanelis Rios– Junior Engineer (DOU)
6) BG Heiland – Sacramento Resident (Natomas)
7) Tom Reavey – Sacramento Resident (Natomas)
8) Sam Yee –Lyon Realty, Realtor (Sam4Homes Realty in Pocket Area) 9) Jeffery Beck – Flood Insurance Agent (Jeffery Beck Insurance Services) 10) Ashley Sanchez – Mortgage Lender (Vitek Mortgage Group) 11) Kevin Littlefield – Mortgage Lender (West Coast Mortgage Group) City of Sacramento 7.3
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 7.1. PPI Committee
Source: David Stroud
Committee Meetings
The PPI Committee was established in 2014 and met three times during the planning process to complete the outreach program. Each of the PPI meetings was held at the Belle Cooledge Library at 5600 South Land Park Drive, Sacramento, CA 95822. The meeting dates and objectives covered included:
• Meeting # 1 – July 23rd, 2014 – Assessing the community’s current public information needs (PPI planning process, assessment of flood hazards, exposed buildings, flood insurance coverage, identification of target audiences and identification of target areas) • Meeting # 2 – September 10th, 2014 – Define outreach messages and potential outreach projects (Review July 23rd meeting, discuss and debate outreach project messages to target audiences and target areas and discuss and debate the outreach projects (six CRS priority topics) to deliver those messages along with the dissemination methods) • Meeting # 3 – October 29th, 2014 – Examine other outreach project initiatives and evaluate flood response preparations. (Reviewed September 10th meeting including the six CRS priority topics and outreach messages, discussion of existing CRS outreach project initiatives and flood response preparations.)
Each committee meeting was held in the evening to allow fuller participation. Based on discussion from the PPI Committee, the meetings lasted approximately 1.5 to 2 hours with the first meeting lasting just over 2 hours.

The responsibilities of the PPI Committee included not only participation throughout the development of the PPI through the 3 meeting and meeting on an annual basis to review implementation progress for this plan. Appendix B includes the invitations, agendas, and sign-in sheets from the three PPI Committee Meetings.

After the PPI Committee was established in 2014, the Committee met annually to review the CFMP and the PPI Program. Most recently, the PPI Committee met in November 2023. Objectives City of Sacramento 7.4
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
of the meeting included flood response preparation, insurance coverage, repetitive loss areas, and evaluation of PPI outreach projects. The list of invited meeting attendees included is included below. The agenda and meeting invitation for this most recent PPI Committee meeting is included in Appendix B.
1) Jamie McKinley – Admin Analyst (City of Sacramento)
2) Rosa Millino – Senior Civil Engineer (City of Sacramento) 3) Jessica McCabe – Admin Analyst (City of Sacramento)
4) Remi Mendoza – Senior Planner (City of Sacramento)
5) Brigid Burdock – Sacramento Resident
6) Deniece Ross-Francom – Sacramento Resident
7) Brian Messer – Flood Insurance Agent (HUB International) 8) Tong Veu – Real Estate Agent (Lyon)
Step 2: Assess the Community’s Public Information Needs Sacramento is located in north central Sacramento County. The City comprises approximately 99 square miles in total area. The United States Census Bureau estimates the 2020 City of Sacramento population at 528,001 individuals. The majority of the land use within Sacramento is residential (rural, suburban, traditional, and urban) according to the City of Sacramento 2040 General Plan Land Use.

Most buildings are slab-on-grade (Diagram 1 on the FEMA Elevation Certificate) and therefore susceptible to flood damage from shallow flooding and drainage problems. Because the City is located in a unique low-lying area, it is particularly susceptible to flooding from major rain events.

Flood Hazards:

The City is located among a complex system of waterways and levees creating potentially the most flood prone community in the nation. Sacramento is located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers. The Sacramento River is fed by the Feather River and the Sutter Bypass to the north, running along the western edge of the City. The Sacramento River splits and forms the Yolo Bypass in the Natomas Basin area. Additionally, the American River runs eastward from the Sacramento River and forms a linear transects through the City.

Approximately 75-percent of the City is currently dependent on levees to prevent flooding. The USACE expired the certifications for the City’s levees in 2012 and 2013 because the certifications no longer met the USACE’s risk & uncertainty criteria and/or were older than 10 years. In 2012, SAFCA along with the local communities and maintaining agencies began developing a levee accreditation program to determine whether the levees protecting the City along the lower American and Sacramento rivers and their tributaries adequately met the minimum requirements of the NFIP. This ongoing accreditation program, along with specific project components, are discussed in further detail in Chapter 5. Currently, the areas behind the levees are still identified on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) as providing 100-year flood protection.

City of Sacramento 7.5
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Internal drainage creates a considerable risk in the City for shallow flooding. Internal storm drainage creates flood issues for many buildings because of the flat nature of terrain and runoff, which is pumped through levees to a creek or river. If drainage inlets are clogged or pump stations fail, there is a potential for damage to properties. Part of the problem can be attributed to a combined drainage and sanitary sewer system. Over 7,500 acres of the City is subject to a combined system.

The PPI Committee’s assessment of the major causes of flooding include:
• Internal drainage issues/combined sewer system
• Levee river flooding
• Dam breach
• Upstream development
The PPI Committee is concerned about the message that the new FIRMs for Sacramento provide to residents, since many of the levee certifications have expired but are recognized as providing 100-year flood protection. Because many residents are not shown to be in a 1-percent annual chance flood zone, the perception of being damaged from flooding is highly reduced.

City of Sacramento 7.6
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 7.2. 2040 General Plan, Land Use
Source: City of Sacramento 2040 General Plan
City of Sacramento 7.7
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
The City of Sacramento realizes the importance of respecting, protecting, and maintaining the natural flood protection benefits and wetlands within the City. Several land use policies in the 2040 General Plan are designed to achieve these goals, including:
• Resource Protection
• Conservation Open Space
• Natural Lands Management
• Retain Habitat Areas
• Riparian Habitat Integrity
• Wetland Protection
• Annual Grasslands
• Oak Woodlands
• Wildlife Corridors
• Habitat Assessment
• Agency Coordination
• Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan
• Support Habitat Conservation Plan Effects
• Public Education
• Community Involvement
The PPI Committee is aware that the environmental preservation and protection of floodplain functions, which includes hydrologic and hydraulic processes, geomorphic processes, and biologic processes, are important. The seasonal and storm-generated variations in water flow, including periodic flooding, are part of the normal functions of the floodplain. These variations keep erosion and accretion in equilibrium, replenish soils, recharge groundwater, and filter impurities.

Therefore, maintaining the natural areas of the City can be helpful in reducing flood damage.

Social and Economic Needs
According to the 2010 US Census, 19.0% of Sacramento residents are Asian, while 28.9% of residents are Hispanic or Latino. Additionally, 37.3% of residents speak a language other than English at home. Approximately 14.8% of the population is considered to be living below the poverty level and 13.6% of the population has not obtained a high school diploma or equivalent.

These social and economic factors were considered by the committee in ensuring that the right messages, tools, and resources were used to overcome communication obstacles. The committee recognized that messages would need to be distributed in different forms and using different sources, in order to reach all target audiences.

Determine Priority Audiences
A priority audience is a group of people who require information or communication regarding one or more flood-related topics. Priority audiences are also closely correlated with the priority areas, City of Sacramento 7.8
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
as listed in the following section. The following groups have been identified by the PPI Committee as target audiences who need special messages on flood protection:

Priority Audience #1: Businesses, Homeowners, and Renters (entire City) An analysis of FEMA flood zones and repetitive loss properties shows that the entire City and all flood zones including X zones are subject to flooding, and the PPI should strive to reach all businesses and residents (both homeowners and renters).

Priority Audience #2: School Children
School children tend to take the messages they learn back home which can change behavior within the family itself.

Priority Audience #3: Real Estate, Lending, and Insurance Companies These groups play a key role in conveying information about flood insurance to homeowners. The PPI Committee will make sure these groups are informed and equipped with the tools needed to convey flood risk and flood insurance information to residents, especially before final property transactions take place.

Priority Audience #4: Vulnerable Populations (Special Needs, Elderly, etc.) and Disadvantaged Communities
An unknown number of residents in Sacramento are vulnerable in terms of their condition and ability to safely evacuate in case of an emergency. This group can include blind/visually impaired, cognitive impairments, culturally diverse, deaf/hard of hearing, homeless, mental health conditions, mobility impaired, and seniors.

Priority Audience #5: Political Leaders
Change in promoting flood safety and flood response occurs when political leaders understand the value of such efforts. Many on the PPI Committee wanted the City Council and other elected officials to be listed as a Target Audience since they have decision making authority mkni8bjuwhich can benefit flood protection and flood response programs. Therefore, this PPI will encourage political leaders to provide the appropriate resources necessary to protect the residents and businesses within Sacramento.

Priority Audience #6: Language Barriers
Many languages are represented within the City of Sacramento. Complex issues related to floodplain management including the 1% annual chance flood, elevation certificates, substantial improvement, etc. may need to be explained in languages other than English. In 2022, the United States Census Bureau – American Community Survey indicated that 18% of the City’s total population spoke Spanish at home most or all of the time while 11.9% of the total population speak City of Sacramento 7.9
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
a language native to Asia or the Pacific Islands at home most or all of the time. As such, providing materials in native languages could make for better understanding of flood protection materials.

In addition to the target audiences detailed above, the PPI Committee identified the following stakeholders as being able to provide support and informational materials to supplement and enhance the outreach efforts detailed in this PPI:
• FEMA
• California Department of Water Resources
• California NFIP State Coordinator
• California Office of Emergency Services
• City Office of Emergency Services/County Office of Emergency Services • Sacramento Ready
• Floodsmart.gov
• Ready.gov
• Red Cross
Identify Priority Areas
In order to develop an effective local outreach program that raises public awareness about flood related issues, it is necessary to identify and assess the areas within the community that are considered to be flood prone. The PPI Committee identified the following target areas and concluded that outreach projects should be directed to all properties (residential, commercial and public) within these areas:

Priority Area #1: The Entire City of Sacramento
The City of Sacramento is approximately 100 square miles and contains 316.96 acres of inland waters. Approximately a quarter of the City is located within an SFHA, including the 1% and 0.2% annual chance flood year. Substantial parts of the City are mapped Zone X, as an area protected by levees from the 1% annual chance flood. Figure 2.6 in Section 2.1 reflects the flood insurance zones for Sacramento. Figure 7.3 depicts the depth of flooding that can be expected within the City during the 100-year flood event, assuming no levee protection.

Summary
The entire City and all flood zones (including the X zone) are subject to flooding, and the PPI should strive to reach all residents and businesses within the City with a variety of messages for flood protection and flood safety.

City of Sacramento 7.10
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 7.3. Flood Depths in the City of Sacramento Area Source: City of Sacramento
City of Sacramento 7.11
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Priority Area #2: Repetitive Loss Properties and Insurance Claims (areas) Properties categorized as repetitive loss properties have a greater need for flood protection.

According to 2023 NFIP records, there are 23 unmitigated repetitive loss properties in Sacramento.

FEMA places a high priority on mitigating repetitive losses. The City has mitigated 22 properties.

The City has investigated the causes of repetitive flooding and some of the causes include:
• Properties have combined storm and sanitary system.
• Properties in low lying area of drainage basin have undersized conveyance systems. • Properties receive drainage from adjoining property at higher elevations. • Properties have created problems with lot grading and obstructions to flow; and • Properties need further investigation.

Information on property protection and financial assistance programs for mitigation measures is needed for each property located in the repetitive loss properties target area. Residents in this area will also have an increased need for site visit services. Table 7.1 below details the repetitive loss building count categorized by FEMA flood zone.

Table 7.1. Repetitive Loss Building Count by FEMA Flood Zone Flood Zone
Repetitive Loss Building
Count
AE, A1-30, AO, AH, A99, & A 4
B, C, X 19
Total 23
Source: FEMA 2023 Data
Summary
Information on repetitive loss properties and properties with flood insurance claim location data is kept confidential. Generally, repetitive loss property locations and insurance claims properties are distributed across all flood zone types within the City. All repetitive loss areas are notified of this problem, and provided information on property protection measures, risk factors, insurance requirements, and types of grant funding which can provide mitigation monies. Appendix D contains the Repetitive Loss Area Analysis which shows the details of the City’s repetitive loss areas and outreach project.

Priority Area #3: Natomas (North Natomas/South Natomas) The greater Natomas basin is 55,000 acres in size and extends into the northwest portion of Sacramento County. Within the City, the area of the Natomas basin is approximately 12,500 acres and is surrounded by levees. This area of the Natomas basin is identified within the SFHA and is at risk to internal drainage issues, riverine flooding, and potential levee beach. The Natomas area is broken into North Natomas (see Figure 7.4) and South Natomas (see Figure 7.5) with Interstate 80 as the dividing line.

City of Sacramento 7.12
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 7.4. North Natomas
Source: Sacramento 2040 General Plan
Figure 7.5. South Natomas
Source: Sacramento 2040 General Plan
Summary
The Natomas area in the northwest portion of the City is 12,500 acres and bounded by both the Sacramento and American rivers. Major levees provide flood protection to this vulnerable area, and the ongoing Natomas Levee Improvement Project will result in 200-year flood protection over time. Identifying evacuation routes, discussing property protection measures and promoting flood insurance are essential tools to be implemented in this area.

City of Sacramento 7.13
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Priority Area #4: Pocket-Greenhaven (The Pocket)
The Pocket area is located within the southwest portion of Sacramento, immediately south of downtown. This area is approximately 7.9 square miles and just over 5,000 acres in size. The Pocket is an area of the City located adjacent to a bend of the Sacramento River, and experiences flood damage. This area is subject to internal drainage issues, riverine flooding, and potential levee breaches. The Sacramento River curves around the west side of the Pocket Area making it difficult for the community to evacuate. Major canals are also present in the Pocket Area as shown in Figure

7.6. Figure 7.6. The Greenhaven/Pocket Area
Source: Google Earth
City of Sacramento 7.14
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 7.7. Greenhaven/Pocket Funnel Area
Source: Protect the Pocket.com
Summary
The Pocket-Greenhaven (The Pocket) is over 7.9 square miles in the southwest portion of the City and is located at the bend of the Sacramento area. The Sacramento River narrows as it enters the Pocket Area, which accelerates water flows and ultimately contributes to eastern back erosion.

There are limited egress routes out of the neighborhood if evacuations are necessary, as all residents would be required to evacuate eastbound. Providing increased awareness of evacuation routes is necessary for the life safety of residents.

Priority Area #5: River Park Neighborhood by Sacramento State The River Park neighborhood is located north of Sacramento State University and follows the American River (see Figure 7.8). This neighborhood is 1.23 square miles with a 2020 population of approximately 5,700. Because this neighborhood is adjacent to the American River, the potential for flood damage is also high. If a levee were to break along the American River, the majority of water would remain in River Park because elevated railroad tracks along Elvas Avenue would block flow into adjacent neighborhoods.

City of Sacramento 7.15
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 7.8. River Park Neighborhood
Source: City-Data.com
Summary
The River Park Neighborhood is just south of the American River and is vulnerable to levee break flooding and other internal drainage issues. As other areas of Sacramento, this is a densely developed area which requires residents to understand the hazards of living adjacent to a major river and the property protection and life safety issues associated with living in this location.

Priority Area #6: Rescue Areas (Defined by Levee Breach Scenarios) As discussed in Section 4.2.1, the City has identified rescue areas where evacuation may not be possible during an emergency. Thus, the City has mapped primary rescue areas where water has the potential of reaching a depth of one foot after two hours from the time of levee failure and rescue operations are likely to be required. The rescue areas are primarily adjacent to the Sacramento and American Rivers, with consideration for other major creeks. Rescue areas, along with flood depth and evacuation maps are available on the City’s website, linked here:
https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/utilities/flood-preparedness/evacuation-maps.

Summary
Rescue areas identified by the City and these areas were mapped to provide emergency responders information on which areas residents will need to be rescued because they will not have time to evacuate. Figure 7.9 shows the rescue areas identified in Natomas. Appendix C shows the detailed rescue areas.

City of Sacramento 7.16
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 7.9. Rescue Areas in Natomas
Source: 2016 City of Sacramento Rescue and Evacuation Maps City of Sacramento 7.17
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Real Estate Disclosure Evaluation
California Civil Code 1103 relating to a Natural Hazard Disclosure requires that the seller or the seller’s agent make appropriate disclosures if the property is in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) or in an area of potential flooding shown on a dam failure inundation map. However, this regulation only applies if the agent has actual knowledge that a property is located in the SFHA, or the local jurisdiction has compiled and posted a list of parcels in the SFHA.

Based on feedback from members of the PPI Committee, disclosures provided to the buyers are not consistent. The primary concern is that disclosures outside of the SFHAs do not clearly indicate the floodplain status. Additionally, the official disclosure or notification of mandatory flood insurance requirements within the community’s SFHAs can be improved upon. The local Relator association has agreed to partner with the City of Sacramento to increase educational information on flood insurance and flood hazards provided to its membership.

The PPI Committee recommended the following two action items to improve real estate disclosure compliance within the City of Sacramento.

1. Increase communication and education efforts with the real estate community. The City will develop an information bulletin or brochure which explains to real estate agents the importance of disclosures and mandatory flood insurance laws. (OP 21)

2. The City will research the possibility of posting a list of all parcels located in the SHFA.

This list would be published on a secure webpage which link would only be provided to real estate agents within the community.

Flood Insurance Coverage Assessment
One valuable source of information on flood hazards is current flood insurance data for both active policies and past claims. Flood insurance is required as a condition of federal aid or a mortgage or loan that is federally insured for a building located in a FEMA high hazard flood zone (A or V Zone). An analysis of the NFIP data provided the following insight into areas susceptible to flooding in the City:
1) Where do active flood insurance policies exist?
2) Where have flood insurance claims been paid in the past? 3) How many buildings are exposed to the flood hazard versus how many buildings have coverage?
4) How does the average amount of coverage compare to the amount of expected flood damage from the 100-yr flood?
There are 32,669 active flood insurance policies in the City of Sacramento as of October 2, 2023, according to FEMA’s Community Information System (CIS). The CIS shows a few polices located in flood zones that no longer exist in Sacramento because of updates to the Sacramento County FIRM. Flood zones such as A, AO, and AR have become X Zones. Because policies were issued City of Sacramento 7.18
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
under these original zone classifications, information is still reported out under the original zone classification in CIS.

The 32,669 flood insurance policies generate annual premiums of more than $17 million for the NFIP. This produces flood insurance coverage within Sacramento of over $11 billion. To date, there have been 1,907 total paid claims against the NFIP totaling more than $10.1 million dollars.

Because of the updated FIRM (based on levee de-certifications), the X-Zone has the highest percentage of flood insurance coverage within the City presently. Further, the makeup of flood insurance policies held within the City changed substantially when the Preferred Risk Policies (PRPs) were phased out as of April 2022 for property owners within B, C, and X zones. The PRP was a voluntary lower-cost Standard Flood Insurance Policy that offered fixed combinations of building/contents coverage limits or contents-only coverage available only within the B, C, and X zones. PRPs were ultimately phased out under the Risk Rating 2.0 as FEMA can differentiate flood risk outside of high-risk flood zones.

Therefore, within the City of Sacramento, flood insurance policies across each zone remained relatively stable between 2017 to 2021. During 2021, a significant decrease in PRP participation was reported before ultimately phased out in 2022. Those who maintained flood insurance policy within a B, C, or X zones are now classified as standard policies. During 2020, a total of 43,303 flood insurance policies were in place compared to 32,701 reported during 2023, representing a decrease of over 10,602 policies. This decrease may be attributed to the elimination of the PRP program, unemployment and inflation associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Data shows similar decreases in voluntary flood participation programs during the Great Recession as well.

Refer to Chapter 8 for further detail regarding the historic PRP program and flood insurance policy data for the City.

City of Sacramento 7.19
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 7.10. Flood Insurance Policies Claims Concentration Source: City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities
City of Sacramento 7.20
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Table 7.2 summarizes key statistics of policies in force and past claims by flood zone.

Table 7.2. NFIP Policy and Claims Data by Flood Zone
Policies in
Force
Premium Insurance in Force Number of
Closed
Paid
Losses
$ of Closed Paid
Losses
Adjustment
Expense
A01-30 &
AE Zones
36 $15,094 $12,475,000 51 $503,592.03 $20,294.98
A Zones 0 $0 $0 32 $239,984.28 $11,212.87
AO Zones 0 $0 $0 16 $75,317.77 $4,075.00
AH Zones 79 $54,919 $19,106,000 31 $183,102.47 $13,840.00 AR Zones 1 $1,144 $300,000 33 $380,263.95 $17,667.02
A99 Zones 21,880 $10,949,641 $7,645,176,000 1,426 $6,338,180.99 $443,683.30 Standard x 11,541 $5,928,586 $3,950,546,000 200 $1,743,687.32 $77,826.79 Preferred x 0 $0 $0 115 $539,935.71 $67,035.00
Total 33,537 $16,949,384 $11,627,603,000 1,904 $9,995,064.52 $655,634.96 Source: FEMA Community Information System 2023
Table 7.3 provides a comparison of percentage of buildings insured by flood zone.

Table 7.3. Percentage of Buildings Insured
Flood Zone
Number of Policies in
Force
Number of Buildings % Insured
A01-30 & AE Zones 36 368 9.78%
A Zones 0 3 0%
AO Zones 0 0 0%
AH Zones 79 264 29.92%
AR Zones 1 0 0%
A99 Zones 21,880 51,992 42.08%
Total 21,996 52,627 81.78%
B, C, & X Zones 11,541 191,006 6.04%
Source: (Buildings)_Sacramento County Parcel Data and FEMA DFIRM – October 2022 (Policies) FEMA CIS Insurance Overview May 2023
City of Sacramento 7.21
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Table 7.4 provides a comparison of flood loss estimates by flood zone.

Table 7.4. Flood Loss Estimates by Flood Zone
Flood Zone
Number of
Buildings
Number of
Policies in Force
Total Coverage Loss Estimate
A01-30 & AE Zones 368 36 $12,475,000
$7,720,441.49
A Zones 3 0 $0
AO Zones 0 0 $0
AH Zones 264 79 $19,106,000
AR Zones 0 1 $300,000
A99 Zones 51,992 21,880 $7,645,176,000
B,C, & X Zones 191,006 11,541 $3,950,546,000 $2,274,623.03 Total 243,633 33,537 $11,627,603,000 $9,995,064.52
Source: (Buildings)_Sacramento County Parcel Data and FEMA DFIRM – October 2022 (Policies) FEMA CIS Insurance Overview May 2023
Based on the data reviewed above, the PPI committee concludes:
• There are over 33,000 flood insurance policies in the City and over 80% of buildings in the SFHA are insured.
• Drastic increase in A99 policy percentage and building count likely due to the remapping of Natomas area from AE zone to an A99 zone.
• Increase of SFHA policies may be due to increased housing costs requiring federally backed mortgages and mandatory insurance requirements.

Based on the information the PPI committee has learned from the insurance coverage assessment, the goals are to:

1. Insurance Coverage Improvement Plan: Increase the number of flood insurance policies as the cumulative number of policies held has decreased since 2019.

2. Repetitive Loss Area Analysis (RLAA): Update the RLAA, which is included as Appendix D as part of this CFMP.

3. Open Space Education: As the American River Parkway is the largest open space within the City, highlight the recreation areas, the Parkway’s history and many habitats located within the Parkway.

4. Stream Dumping Regulations: DOU Floodplain Management staff is to coordinate with DOU Water Quality staff to implement outreach material related to trash-free water ways.

5. Flood Protection Assistance: Flooding information and property protection information handouts to the public, including potentially using FEMA grants to fund different options.

6. Levee and Dam Safety: The City sent out an updated “Be Flood Ready, Plan Ahead, Levees are not Sacramento’s only Flood Risk”, Dams Brochure to city residents in September 2022 and will continue to send them annually.

City of Sacramento 7.22
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
In Table 7.6, outreach projects containing messaging related to “Topic B - You need Flood Insurance” align with the committee’s coverage improvement goals. These projects were designed by the committee to reach the entire community and specific target areas. The desired outcomes of each project and the responsible parties are outlined in Table 7.6. Additionally, the City annually hosts Emergency Preparedness Meetings (OP. 15) which highlight the importance of flood insurance as part of one’s preparedness planning. These meetings are hosted and facilitated by a City Council Member.

Repetitive Flooding
An analysis of repetitive loss was completed to examine the number of insured repetitive loss properties against FEMA flood zones. According to 2022 NFIP records (when the PPI committee last convened), there were 23 unmitigated repetitive loss properties evaluated with total payments of $691,637.

Table 7.5. Repetitive Loss Summary (Unmitigated Properties) Flood Zone
Building Count Total Number
of Losses
Total Building
Payment
Total
Content
Payment
Total Paid
Insured Uninsured
X 1 17 41 $453,235 $85,499 $538,734
AE & A99 3 2 10 $150,873 $2,030 $152,903
Total 4 19 51 $604,108 $87,529 $691,637
Source: FEMA RL List 2021/2022
Therefore, the PPI Committee came to the following repetitive flooding conclusions:

1. Repetitive flooding can occur anywhere in Sacramento. The location of repetitive loss areas and associated repetitive loss properties are evenly distributed throughout the City and amongst various flood zones (including B, C and X-zones).

2. Internal drainage plays a major role in these properties flooding.

Inventory Other Public Information Efforts
A key part of developing a public information program is becoming aware of other public information activities targeting Sacramento residents. The information in Table 7.6 summarizes information obtained from past projects, staff research, and PPI Committee members.

Table 7.6. Public Information and Flood Response Projects Project
Number
Organization Project Subject Matter Frequency
OP 1. City of Sacramento
Department of Utilities,
Be Flood Ready Brochure Flyer in Utility Bill Annually - November City of Sacramento 7.23
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Floodplain Management, &
PIO Staff
OP 2.

City of Sacramento
Department of Utilities, &
Floodplain Management Repetitive Loss Outreach
Letter with advice on
property protection, site
visits, and financial
assistance for mitigation
measures and Be
Ready Flood Brochure
Annually – Late Fall
OP 3.

City of Sacramento
Department of Utilities, &
Floodplain Management Map Inquiry Service
Flood, Hazard Areas,
mandatory insurance
purchase requirements
Year-round
OP 4.

City of Sacramento
Department of Utilities,
Floodplain Management, &
PIO Staff High Water Marks
Program to monitor and
establish high water
marks after flood events
Year-round
OP 5.

City of Sacramento
Department of Utilities,
Floodplain Management, &
PIO Staff
Outdoor Ad Placement Flood related
messaging Annually - Fall
OP 6.

City of Sacramento
Department of Utilities, Water
Quality & PIO Staff
No Dumping Signs Signs throughout
floodplain Year-round
OP 7.

City of Sacramento
Department of Utilities,
Floodplain Management,
Drainage, & PIO Staff
Flood Protection
Assistance Site Visits
Drainage problems,
flood protection,
historical flood damage
Year-round
OP 8.

California Department of Water
Resources
Levee Flood Protection
Zone Map (Flood Risk
Notification: Living with
Levees)
Indication of properties
estimated to be at a
depth of greater than 3
feet
Year-round
Project
Number Organization Project Subject Matter Frequency
OP 10.

Federal, State, City of
Sacramento and Sacramento
County
Flood Preparedness
Week
Promote awareness of
flood damage Annually November
OP 11.

City of Sacramento
Department of Utilities, &
Water Quality
No Dumping Stencils &
Permanent Markers
Promote on storm
drains that only
rainwater should go
down drain
Year-round
OP 12. Office of Emergency Services Booklets “Are You Prepared” Information Year-round
OP 14. American River Flood Control
District Newsletter Flood Control Information At least Annually OP 16. City of Sacramento – Several
Departments participate Earth Day
Information provided on
flood insurance,
emergency kits, pay
attention during storm
events
Annually - April
OP 19.

City of Sacramento
Department of Utilities,
Floodplain Management & PIO
Staff
Dam Safety Outreach
Brochure that describes
inundation area and
identification of risks,
evacuation procedures
and routes
Annually
City of Sacramento 7.24
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
OP 20.

City of Sacramento
Department of Utilities, OES,
PIO
Translation Services
Provided
City will provide
translation services to
help understand all
flood-related information
Year-round
OP 23. Insurance Agencies Bi-lingual Insurance
Agents
Flood Insurance
information presented in
native language
Year-round
OP 24. City of Sacramento
Department of Utilities, & OES
Levee Breach Scenario
Maps – 18 Rescue Areas
Website mapping which
shows “Red “rescue
areas where water has
the potential to reach 1’
in 2 hours
Year-round
OP 25. California Nature Conservancy Conserving Natural Resources in California
Newsletters and
website Information on
natural & beneficial
functions of floodplains
Year-round
OP 26. Real Estate Agents and
Lenders
Real Estate Agent’s
Brochure
Brochure for potential
homebuyers to provide
floodplain information
Year-round
Project
Number Organization Project Subject Matter Frequency
OP 27. City of Sacramento
Department of Utilities Flood Ready Website Provides information on all flood related topics Year-round OP 28. American River Parkway
Foundation
The American River
Parkway Brochure
Provides information on
wildlife, habitat
protection, and
recreational activities
Year-round
OP 29.

National Flood Insurance
Program (NFIP)
NFIP Risk Notification
Mailing
Provides flood
insurance holders with
flood risk information for
their area
Annually
OP 30.

Congresswoman Doris
Matsui’s Office
Flood Insurance
Promotion: Web Page and
Community Newsletter
Congresswoman Matsui
promotes the
importance of flood
insurance through her
website and newsletter
Year-round
OP 31.

Flood Insurance Outreach
Letter
Mail Flood Insurance
Promotion Brochures
Provide flood insurance
information and
encourage purchasing a
policy
Annually
OP. 32 Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA)
Hazard Mitigation Grant
Program Brochures
Provides information on
grants that are available
for structure retrofit and
flood mitigation.

Year-round
Flood Response Projects
Project
Number Organization Project Subject Matter Frequency
FRP 1.

Primary: Public Information
Officer and City Manager
Secondary: Community
Development Department and
Depart of Utilities
Media Release (TV and
Radio and Newspapers)
Various flood-related
topics (Turn around
don’t drown,
evacuation, sandbags,
Substantial Damage,
etc.)
During and after a flood
event
City of Sacramento 7.25
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
FRP 2. Emergency Operations Center
and Public Information Officer
Everbridge/Emergency
Broadcast System
Use Everbridge and
EBS to notify residents
of information during a
flood
During a flood event
FRP 3.

Primary: Public Information
Officer and Neighborhood
Services
Secondary: Community
Development Department and
Department of Utilities
Media Release and Post
of social media
(Facebook, Twitter, Next
Door, and others)
Various flood-related
topics (Turn around
don’t drown,
evacuation, sandbags,
Substantial Damage,
etc.)
During and after a flood
event
FRP 4.

Department of Utilities,
Operations & Maintenance,
Water Quality Lab
Drinking Water Quality
Incident Response
Prevent consumption of
contaminated water
after a flood. Outreach
materials drafted,
translated and delivered
to warehouse.

During and after a flood
event, if needed
FRP 5. Department of Utilities,
Operations & Maintenance
Combined Sewer System
Warning Signs
Signage posted after
flood to prevent people
from entering potentially
contaminated water
During and after a
Combined Sewer
System flood event
(including street flooding
events)
FRP 6.

Primary: Police
Secondary: Code
Enforcement, Building
Department, and Department
of Utilities
After flood event handouts
when in the field
Re-entry safety, permit
& reconstruction
requirements, flood
protection methods
Upon re-entry of flooded
areas
FRP 7.

City of Sacramento 7.26
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 7.11. Public Information Examples
City of Sacramento 7.27
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 7.12. Public Information Examples (continued)
City of Sacramento 7.28
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 7.13. High Water Mark Initiative Kick-Off – November 2013 Source: USACE, 2023.

Step 3: Formulate Messages
After reviewing the Community Needs Assessment, the PPI Committee identified the following priority messages. Table 7.7 summarizes each message and the desired outcome(s).

Table 7.7. Messages and Desired Outcomes
Topic Message Outcome(s)
A. Know your
flood hazard

1. Your property is subject to flooding. Call the
flood information hotline for details
Increase number of map information
services inquires

2.Your property is in a repetitively flooded area Reduce future repetitive loss properties

3.Don’t drive through flooded streets (know
where to drive and where not to drive)
Reduce damages to vehicles,
emergency rescues, and deaths

4.Pay attention to your escape routes in the
rescue area
Reduce emergency rescues and injury

5. You are in a combined sewer system area.

Drainage water may be contaminated.

Prevent sickness related to
contaminated water

1. Protect yourself now! You need flood
insurance
Increase number of flood insurance
policies
City of Sacramento 7.29
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Topic Message Outcome(s)
B. You need
flood
insurance

2. You need flood insurance because your
homeowner’s policy does not cover flood
damage
Increase number of flood insurance
policies

3.Renters should protect contents with flood
insurance
Reduce damage to contents
C. Protect
people from
the hazard

1.Turn around, don’t drown Reduce rescues and deaths

2.Know the flood warning signals Reduce rescues and deaths

3.Know how to sign up for reverse-911
Everbridge (Sacramento-Alert)
Increase in number of Everbridge
(Sacramento-Alert) subscriptions

4. Go to the City’s website or call 311 for
drinking water quality updates
Increased awareness of water quality
and prevents sickness

3. You are in a combine sewer system area.

Drainage water may be contaminated.

Prevent sickness related to
contaminated water
D. Protect your
property from
the hazard

1.Elevate HVAC exterior units Reduce number of flood damaged HVAC units

2.Don’t dig, plant or build at the base of a levee Prevent seepage and other problems from human intervention on levees

3. Know encroachment levee regulations. Visit
http://www.cvfpb.ca.gov
Prevent seepage and other problems
from human intervention on levees

4.Don’t begin work without proper permits Reduce red tag violations

5.Don’t throw trash or debris in streams,
channels or open bodies of water
Reduce pollution and overbank flow

6.Grant monies are available to help elevate
your home
Increase financial opportunities
E. Build
responsibly

1.Get a permit before you start construction Reduce citations

2.Know the substantial damage rules Reduce citations

3.Keep areas open (setbacks) between homes
and property lines
Maintain proper drainage
F. Protect
natural
floodplain
functions

1.Don’t dump in storm drains Improve water quality

2.Report erosion control measures not working Contain erosion on construction sites

3.Don’t disturb natural floodplain areas Reduce grading, fill, and earth movement

4. Protect, preserve, and appreciate our natural
resources
Maintain open space and habitat
protection
G. Levee
Preparedness

1.Pay attention when your evacuation route is
identified
Reduce number of evacuation rescues

2. Call 311 to report water seepage or
suspicious activities along the levees
Increase community awareness and
quicker response time to potential
problems
H. Flood
Education

1.Promote floodplain management and NAI
concepts
Reduce damage to buildings and natural
floodplain functions

2.Promote flood education for children Increase flood awareness

3. Promote FEMA’s High Water Mark Initiative Increase flood awareness I. General
Preparedness

1. Identify and document your personal
belongings
Reduce delays in receiving insurance
payments
City of Sacramento 7.30
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Topic Message Outcome(s)

2. Prepare emergency flood kit & plan Save important insurance, real estate, and other important documents, pictures,
etc. and know how to contact other
family members

3. Don’t forget your pet! Pet owners will be prepared with necessary pet care items during an
emergency and at a shelter
Step 4: Identify Outreach Projects to Convey the Messages The PPI Committee identified 25 projects and initiatives that would continue to be implemented into 2024 and beyond These are organized by target audience and message in Table 7.8.

Flood Response Preparations
In addition to projects that are implemented every year, the PPI Committee recommends projects that will be implemented during and after a flood. These projects are drafted and made ready for production and dissemination after a flood warning. The PPI Committee also discussed the use of the City’s website during a flood event. General emergency preparedness information and citywide evacuation routes are available on the city’s website; however, incident-specific information will need to be added during a flood threat. Press releases providing information about the flood threat levels, conditions, evacuation routes, and preparedness actions will be posted on the City’s website. If necessary, notices regarding the community’s water quality will also be placed on the City’s website. These projects are listed at the end of Table 7.8 and are marked with the heading “Flood Response Projects”. The draft copy of the projects and procedures to disseminate the information is located in Appendix E.

Flood Protection Assistance
The City of Sacramento provides residents with two avenues to discuss flooding or to request assistance. Typically, flooding reports and drainage problems are received through our 311 system and routed to the Department of Utilities’ Operations and Maintenance. If the resident wants property protection advice, the call is routed to floodplain management staff or the floodplain hotline, (916) 808-5061. Staff will discuss the resident’s concern and provide information and resources. For complex issues, staff will visit the site to fully assess the situation. Protection, mitigation, and insurance information is provided during site visits. Information about financial assistance is provided if applicable. These services are mainly publicized through OP 1, OP 2, and OP 7. No committee recommendations to change current activities.

Open Space Education
The main natural functions open space within the City is the American River Parkway (Parkway).

The American River Parkway Foundation (ARPF) is a volunteer organization that supports the preservation of the Parkway. The ARPF has created many recreational activities including hiking City of Sacramento 7.31
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
paths, bike trails, equestrian trails, picnic areas, and more. At the volunteer station, visitors can obtain an American River Parkway map (OP 28) which highlights the recreational areas, the Parkway’s history, and the many habitats located within the Parkway. The committee recommended that the City coordinate future information materials with the ARPF and consider adding ARPF resources to the City’s website.

Stream Dumping Regulations
The City of Sacramento prohibits a person from dumping refuse in any water or waterway, or upon the levees or banks. A citywide mailer (OP 1), permanent signage (OP 6) and stenciling (OP 11) are the three main methods of publicizing these regulations. No committee recommendations to change current activities.

Step 5: Examine Other Public Information Initiatives
The PPI Committee looked at other outreach initiatives including more coordination among city, county, and state agencies to reduce duplicative efforts and to share resources. The committee also recognized that enhancements to the City’s website will be required to make it more usable by the public through more interactive approaches. The current website provides a great deal of information on Sacramento’s flood hazards, flood insurance, and emergency preparedness. The committee determined that additional content focusing on building requirements within the floodplain and the floodplain’s natural benefits are necessary.

The committee also discussed what kinds of technical assistance might be necessary beyond what is already provided by individual agencies. Many of the technical inquiries are received through the City’s Floodplain Hotline. This hotline is used for map question, flood insurance, flood mitigation, and any other flood question. The Floodplain Hotline is publicized through the City’s website and various outreach materials. The Hotline is also used a resource for elected officials and other agencies to provide to constituents. Additionally, the committee looked at other potential ways to publicize flood protection methods.

Most of these challenges cover the following CRS flood protection activities:
• Activity 320 – Map Information Service
• Activity 330 – Outreach Projects (other sections of the PPI) • Activity 350 - Websites
• Activity 360 – Flood Protection Assistance
• Activity 630 – Dam Safety (outreach requirement)
Step 6: Implement, Monitor and Evaluate the Program
Adoption
This document will become effective when it is adopted by the City Council.

City of Sacramento 7.32
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Evaluation
The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities Floodplain Manager will monitor the projects as they are developed, as well as the results. Inputs from PPI Committee members will be recorded along with suggestions from other City employees and stakeholders participating in the activities.

That input will be sent by e-mail to committee members for consideration and evaluation.

The PPI Committee will meet at least twice each year to review the implementation of these projects and initiatives. At that time, the status of the projects will be explained and progress toward the outcomes will be discussed. The Committee will recommend to the appropriate City offices and the stakeholders who implement projects whether the projects should be changed or discontinued.

At least once each year, staff will draft an update to the table and send it to the Committee members. The Committee will meet and review the outcomes of each individual activity to change, add, or approve them. Table 7.8 will be revised as needed. The outcomes and revisions will be included in an evaluation report which will be provide to City Council and submitted as part of the City’s annual recertification package to the Community Rating System.

Table 7.8. PPI Projects and Initiatives
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder

Outdoor ad
placement
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities &
PIO
Oct. each
year
N/A
City of Sacramento 7.33
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder OP 6. No
Dumping
Signs
City of
Sacramento
Department
Dept. of
Utilities,
Water
Quality, &
Solid Waste
Year-round N/A
OP 7. Flood
Protection
Assistance
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities
Year-round N/A
OP 8. Various
Brochures at
City offices
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities -
FPM
Year-round DWR/
CVFPB

1. Entire City
(continued)
(continued) (continued) OP 10. Flood
Preparedness Week
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities –

FPM & PIO
Oct. each
year
Sacramento
County/DWR/

USACE/USG
S
OP 11. No
dumping
stencils &
permanent
markers
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities &
Water Quality
Year-round N/A
OP 12. ”Are
You
Prepared”
Booklets
Office of
Emergency
Services
Year-round
UC Davis
Medical
Center &
Sacramento
County
OP 14. Flood
Wise
Newsletter
ARFCD Annually ARFCD
OP 16 Earth
Day
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities,

PIO, OEM,
Police, Fire
April, May,
September N/A
OP 19. Dam
Safety
Outreach
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities
Annually late
fall N/A
OP 25.

Website &
Newsletter on
NBF of
Floodplain
California
Nature
Conservancy
Year-round
California
Nature
Conservancy
City of Sacramento 7.34
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder

1. Entire
City
(continued)
(continued) (continued)
OP 26. Real
Estate
Agent’s
Brochure
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities &
Real Estate
Agents
Develop by
October 1,
2016
Real Estate
Agents and
Lenders
OP 27. Flood
Ready
Website
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities
Year-round N/A
OP 28. The
American
River
Parkway
Brochure
American
River
Parkway
Foundation
Year-round
American
River
Parkway
Foundation
OP 29 Flood
Zone Risk
Notification
NFIP Risk
Notification
Mailing
Annually
National
Flood
Insurance
Program
(NFIP)
OP 30. Flood
Insurance
Promotion of
Website &
Newsletter
Congresswo
man Doris
Matsui’s
Office
Year-round
Congresswo
man Doris
Matsui’s
Office

1. Entire City
(continued)
(continued) (continued)
OP 31. Flood
Insurance
Outreach
Letter
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities
Annually N/A
OP 32. FEMA
Grant
Brochures
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities
Year-round FEMA

2.School
Children
A. Know your flood
hazard
C. Protect people
from the flood
hazard
D. Protect your
property from the
hazard
F. Protect Natural
Floodplain
Functions
H. Flood Education
A. 1,3 & 4
C. 1,2 & 3
D. 2,4 & 5
F. 1, 2, 3
H. 1 & 2
OP 20.

SPLASH
Program
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities &
Water Quality
Quarterly N/A
OP 27. Flood
Ready
Website
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities
Year-round N/A
City of Sacramento 7.35
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder OP 1. Be
Flood Ready
Brochure
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities
Year-round N/A

3.Real Estate,
Lending, and
Insurance
Companies
A. Know your flood
hazard
B. You need flood
insurance
E. Build
Responsibly
A. 1 & 2
B. 1,2,3&4
E. 1,2&3
OP 3. Map
Inquiry
Service
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities
Year-round NA
OP 21. Real
Estate
Disclosure –
State
Requirement
Real Estate
Agents
Developed by
October 1,
2016
Real Estate
Agents
OP 23. Flood
Insurance
Information
Insurance
Agents Year-round
Insurance
Agents
OP 26. Real
Estate
Agent’s
Brochure
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities &
Real Estate
Agents
Develop by
October 1,
2016
Real Estate
Agents and
Lenders
OP 27. Flood
Ready
Website
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities
Year-round N/A
Target Area

2.Repetitive
Loss
Properties
(Areas)
A. Know your flood
hazard
B. You need flood
insurance
C. Protect people
from the flood
hazard
D. Protect your
property from the
hazard
E. Build
Responsibly
F. Protect Natural
Floodplain
Functions
I. General
Preparedness
A. 1, 3 & 4
B. 1,2, 3 &
4 C. 2 & 3
D.1,2,3,4,5,
6 E. 1 & 2
F. 1,2,& 3
I. 1, 2 & 3
OP 1. Be
Ready Flood
Brochure
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities &
PIO
Nov. each
year
N/A
OP 2.

Repetitive
Loss
Outreach
Mailing
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities
Annually late
fall N/A
OP 7. Flood
Protection
Assistance
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities
Year-round N/A
City of Sacramento 7.36
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder

Outdoor Ad
Placement
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities &
PIO
Annually -
October N/A
OP 9. Levee
Zone
Protection
Map
California
Department
of Water
Resources
Annually
September DWR

5. Political
Leaders (See
Entire list of
City Wide
Projects in 1.

Above)
See 1 above See 1
above
Adopt and
Fund the PPI
Mayor and
City Council N/A N/A

6. Language
Barriers
A. Know your flood
hazard
B. You need flood
insurance
C. Protect people
from the flood
hazard
D. Protect your
property from the
hazard
E. Build
Responsibly
F. Protect Natural
Floodplain
Functions
I. General
Preparedness
A. 1, 2,3 &
4 B. 1,2, 3 &
4 C. 2 & 3
D.1,2,3,4,5,
6 E. 1 & 2
F. 1,2,& 3
I. 1, 2 & 3
OP 22.

Translation
services
available on
flood-related
information
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities

PIO, OES
Year-round N/A
OP 23. BiLingual
Insurance
Agents
(Spanish and
Asian
Languages
Bi-Lingual
Insurance
Agents
(Spanish and
Asian
Languages)
As Needed
Year-round Insurance
Agents
Target Areas

3.Natomas
(North
Natomas/
South
Natomas)

4.Greenhaven/
Pocket

5.Riverpark
Neighborhood
by Sac State
A. Know your flood
hazard
B. You need flood
insurance
C. Protect people
from the flood
hazard
D. Protect your
property from the
hazard
E. Build
Responsibly
A. 1, 2,3 &
4 B. 1,2,3 &
4 C. 2 & 3
D.1,2,3,4,5,
6 E. 1 & 2
F. 1,2,& 3
G. 1,2
I. 1, 2 & 3
OP 4.

FEMA’s High
Water Mark
Initiative
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities &
PIO
Year-round DWR/USACE
/USGS/FEMA
OP 9. Levee
Flood
Protection
Zone Map
(DWR Flood
Risk
Notification)
DWR Annually -
September

DWR/FEMA/
Cal EMA/
CVFPB/
USACE
City of Sacramento 7.37
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder

6. Rescue
Areas
(Defined by
Levee Breech
Scenarios)
Note: All
projects in
Target
Audience #1
(Entire City)
also apply to
these target
areas
F. Protect Natural
Floodplain
Functions
G. Levee
Preparedness
I. General
Preparedness
OP 24. Levee
Breach
Scenario
Mapping for
18 Rescue
Areas
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities
Year-round Sacramento
County
OP 27. Flood
Ready
Website
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities
Year-round N/A
OP.30. Flood
Insurance
Promotion of
Website &
Newsletter
Congresswo
man Doris
Matsui’s
Office
Year-round
Congresswo
man Doris
Matsui’s
Office
OP 31. Flood
Insurance
Outreach
Letter
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities
Annually N/A
Flood Response Projects (FRP)

1.Entire City
A. Know your flood
hazard Risks
C. Protect people
from the flood
hazard
A. 1, 2, 3, 4
& 5
C. 1, 2, 3, 4
& 5
FRP 1. Press
Release (TV,
Radio,
Newspaper)
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities &
PIO
Release at
first flood
notice
N/A
FRP 3. Press
Release
(Website,
Social Media)
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities &
PIO
Release at
first flood
notice
N/A
FRP 6. After
flood event
handouts
Community
Development
& City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities
Develop by
May1, 2015 N/A
FRP 2.

Everbridge OES & PIOs
Release at
first flood
notice
N/A
FRP 4.

Drinking
Water Quality
Communicati
on (Website)
City of
Sacramento
Department
of Utilities
Release once
water is
determined to
be
compromised
N/A
City of Sacramento 7.38
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder

7.2 Implementation Strategies and Action Items
The implementation strategies outlined in Table 7.8 include strategies and actions to increase risk communications with residents of the City. Specific implementation actions, responsible agencies or departments responsible for implementation, and a schedule for implementation is also included.
8 National Flood Insurance
Program/Community Rating System
City of Sacramento 8.1
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024

8.1 Introduction and Background

8.1.1 National Flood Insurance Program Background
The evolution of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) began prior to the 1960s. The 1909 Galveston hurricane and the 1927 Mississippi River flood are two major flood events where there was no flood insurance available and no effort to mitigate loss to life or property. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the federal government responded to major flood events by
constructing structural flood-control projects such as dams and levees with the passage of the Flood Control Act of 1936. Both catastrophic flood events, along with other incidents, caused the insurance industry to consider flood insurance as a component of a standard homeowner’s policy.

Before 1950, flood insurance was included in a standard homeowner’s policy. The insurance industry then reconsidered this offering because of a high correlation of losses by holders of flood polices from a single company. Insurance companies began excluding flood coverage from standard insurance policies and started selling flood insurance separately. Over the next few years, the collection of insurance premiums was insufficient to cover payouts after major flooding events. A 1956 study by the American Insurance Association confirmed that the private insurance industry could not provide flood insurance to the public and remain solvent because only those who were exposed to the highest risk purchased insurance. In the 1960’s, flood insurance became completely unprofitable and private insurance companies no longer offered flood insurance.

Because homes and businesses were left without flood insurance coverage, Congress established the NFIP with the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. This program allows property owners in participating communities to purchase insurance against flood losses in exchange for state and community floodplain regulations that reduce future flood damages. Participation in the NFIP is based on an agreement between communities and the federal government. If a community adopts and enforces minimum floodplain regulations for new construction and substantial improvements to reduce future flood risk in designated floodplain areas, the federal government will make insurance available within that community as a financial protection against flood losses.

City of Sacramento 8.2
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
The NFIP has three specific components:
1) Floodplain identification and mapping;
2) Floodplain management; and
3) Flood insurance.

When the NFIP was created in 1968, Congress realized that insuring existing buildings constructed before a community joined the NFIP would be prohibitively expensive if the flood insurance premiums were not subsidized. Therefore, this subset of buildings was provided with insurance coverage which did not accurately reflect the true hazard risk. Most communities that participate in the NFIP have pre-FIRM properties, including Sacramento. Pre-FIRM subsidies are projected to be phased out in the future, based on the actuarial rates resulting from the Risk Rating 2.0 program.

The NFIP was first amended in 1973 with the Flood Disaster Protection Act, which made the purchase of flood insurance mandatory within the SFHA or the 1-percent-annual-chance flood area. The NFIP was amended again in 1982 by the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA), in which flood insurance for new construction and substantial improvements would be unavailable for certain environmentally sensitive coastal lands. In 1994, the NFIP was amended to define penalties for lending institutions that did not implement the mandatory purchase of flood insurance, create ICC coverage, create the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Fund and codify the Community Rating System (CRS) Program as a permanent part of the NFIP. Then, in 2004, the NFIP was amended again with the goal of reducing losses to repetitive flood properties.

Today, over 22,000 communities and tribal governments participate in the NFIP in 56 states and territories. In California, 99 percent of communities participate in NFIP. As of October 2019, there were almost over 5 million residential and commercial flood insurance policies in place with nearly $1.3 trillion in written coverage. This generates approximately $4 billion in annual premiums for the NFIP.

The City of Sacramento joined the NFIP and FIRM maps became effective on September 15, 1978.

By joining the NFIP, the City agreed to adopt floodplain regulations and enforce those regulations on new construction and substantial improvements of existing buildings according to the requirements of the FIRM maps in affect at the time of construction. Structures built in the City prior to September 15, 1978 are considered pre-FIRM buildings and are subject to increased flood insurance premiums from the 2012 Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act and the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014.

Because the NFIP was approximately $24 billion in debt, Congress passed the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (Biggert-Waters), which required FEMA to make a number of changes to the NFIP. The legislation required the NFIP to gradually raise flood insurance rates on pre-FIRM subsidized buildings until the true hazard risk for that building is captured, make the program more financially stable, and change how FIRM updates impact policyholders.

City of Sacramento 8.3
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
In 2014, Congress passed the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act which delayed some premium increases for buildings where residents reside full time; however, those who own second homes or vacation homes where they were not considered full time residents, and all businesses were not protected from premium increases under the 2012 Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act. Premiums for these buildings are required to increase until the true risk value for that structure is captured. An elevation certificate should be obtained from each property owner (if one does not exist) to confirm the elevation of the lowest livable level of that building to ensure that the proper premium rate for that elevation is assigned by the insurance company or the NFIP.

8.2 Current Implementation Status
In April 2023, the Department of Homeland Security submitted to the 118th Congress 17 legislative proposals to reform the NFIP. Since the NFIP’s last multi-year reauthorization on September 30, 2017, NFIP has received 25 short-term extensions (most recently in November 2023) and experienced three brief lapses. The Legislative package reform included the four following principles to outline the Administration’s priorities for multi-year NFIP reauthorization:
• Ensuring more Americans are covered by flood insurance by making insurance more affordable to low-and-moderate income policyholders.
• Building climate resilience by transforming the communication of risk and providing Americans with tools to manage their flood risk.
• Reducing risk, losses, and disaster suffering by strengthening local floodplain management minimum standards and addressing extreme repetitive loss properties. • Instituting a sound and transparent financial framework that allows the NFIP to balance affordability and fiscal soundness.

At the time of this writing, no legislation has been approved or updated regarding the reform proposed above.

8.2.1 Flood Zones and Insurance Rates
Flood Zone Designations
Flood zones are geographic areas that the FEMA has defined according to varying levels of flood risk. The FIRM for the City of Sacramento contains the following zone designations:

A Zone: These areas on the FIRM represent the 1-percent-annual-chance flood zones where no BFEs have been established. Areas designated as A zones traditionally have shallow flooding to flood depths of up to 30 feet. For areas which are developed, the property owner or the developer is required to establish BFEs. Flood insurance can be required in the A zone depending on the established BFE.

City of Sacramento 8.4
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
AE Zone: These areas represent the 1-percent-annual-chance flood zones where BFEs have been established. The City does have some areas designated as AE zones. Flood insurance is required in the AE zone.

AH Zone: Flood depths of one to three feet (usually sheet flow) designate AH zones, where the BFE is determined on the FIRMs. The City does have a very small AH zone on the north side of Arcade Creek. Flood insurance is required in the AH Zone.

The zones defined above, along with AR, AO, V, VE and D zones, are all designated by FEMA as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA). The City does not currently have any areas designated as AR, AO, V, VE, or O zones. See the FIRMs for definitions of these zones.

A99 Zone: Areas to be protected from the 1-percent-annualchance flood zone by a federal flood protection system under construction are called A99 zones. As of 2015, the only A99 zone in the City is in the Natomas area. Levee projects are currently under construction in this area.

Shaded X- Zone: Areas with less than the 0.2-percentannual-chance flood protection; areas with less than the 1- percent-annual-chance flood protection with average depths of less than one foot (or drainage areas less than one square mile); or areas protected by levees from the 1-percent-annual-chance flood zone. Flood insurance is not mandatory, and there are no federally imposed restrictions on development in the Shaded X zone. Most of Sacramento lies in a Shaded X zone.

X Zone: Areas determined to be outside the 0.2-percent-annual-chance flood zone. There are no restrictions on development or mandatory flood insurance.

Zones B and C also represent areas outside the SFHA. These zones, however, are no longer depicted on Flood Insurance Rate Maps. The current Shaded X-Zone corresponds to the former Zone B and the Unshaded X-Zone corresponds to the former Zone C.

Flood Insurance Policy Rates
The following is a discussion of flood insurance rates and building restrictions in SFHAs:
• Flood insurance premiums for A99 and AR zones reflect the Standard X zone rate, which is approximately $900 for structure coverage only.
• For A, AE, AH, and AO zones, the policy cost is based on the difference between the elevation of the building’s lowest floor (determined by having a surveyor filling out an elevation certificate) and the BFE.
• Floodproofing is an alternative option to elevating the structure for commercial buildings.

Areas designated as X zones with over 1-percent-annual-chance flood level protection do not require flood insurance, although it is recommended.

City of Sacramento 8.5
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Structures that were issued building permits prior to the effective FIRM date (September 15, 1978) are considered pre-FIRM. Previously, these structures had a special subsidized flood insurance rate separate from the flood zones mentioned above. With the updated NFIP pricing approach, Risk Rating 2.0 (effective April 2022), these structures are on a glide path to their actuarial rate.

Lower flood insurance premiums are available for post-FIRM structures by using the FEMA “grandfathering rule,” where the rate is based on the zone in place when the building permit was issued. For example, if the FIRM for a specific area changes to a SFHA but a building permit in that area was issued in an X Zone, then the building can be grandfathered using the Standard X zone rate. Property owners may need to have continuous flood insurance coverage to qualify for the grandfathering rule.

8.2.2 Flood Insurance in Sacramento
Most primary buildings or substantial improvement within the City of Sacramento’s SFHA must have a flood insurance policy if there is a federally backed mortgage. The majority of mortgage loans are backed by the federal government through either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Since flood insurance rates are driven by distance to the flooding source, ground elevation, first-floor height, and foundation type, structures in the SFHA usually pay higher rates than do those buildings located outside the designated higher risk areas.

While flood insurance cannot prevent actual flood damage or loss of life, it can help to mitigate the economic risk associated with flooding to the insured. Flood insurance is a property owner’s first line of defense against flood damage. A property that is damaged or destroyed can be replaced more quickly, without using financial resources devoted to other expenses such as the mortgage, utilities or maintenance. Additionally, compensation for flood losses (through flood insurance payments) can help families to recover from a flood event with minimal financial hardship.

Similarly, this can also aid businesses in reopening to avoid potential financial ruin.

Table 8.1 shows the number of flood insurance policies in the A, AE, AH and AO Zones and the number of Standard X Zone policies in AR and A99-Zones. The table also shows the average number of flood insurance policies by flood zone from 2021 to 2023.

As of April 2022, Preferred Risk Policies (PRPs) are no longer available for property owners in B, C, and X Zones. A PRP was a voluntary lower-cost Standard Flood Insurance Policy that offered fixed combinations of building/contents coverage limits or contents-only coverage, available only within the B, C and X Zones. PRPs were phased out in April 2022, under the Risk Rating 2.0, as FEMA can differentiate flood risk outside of high-risk flood zones.

Flood insurance policies across each Zone remained relatively stable between 2017 – 2021.

Between 2021 – 2022, a significant decrease in PRP participation occurred and as mentioned previously, PRPs were phased out in 2022 resulting in zero participation for 2023. The notable decrease between 2021 – 2022 may also be related to high levels of unemployment and inflation City of Sacramento 8.6
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Data shows similar decreases in voluntary flood insurance programs during the Great Recession as well.

While the PRP program was eliminated, residents and property owners within Zone X can now purchase a standard insurance policy that accounts for decreased flood risk. This accounts for the increase in X-STD policies between 2022 and 2023. Overall, there was a 7.5 percent decrease in flood insurance policy holders between 2022 and 2023, likely attributed both to the elimination of PRP and continued challenging economic factors influencing the purchasing habits of consumers.

Table 8.1. Flood Insurance Policies in Sacramento by Zone and Year Year SFHA* X-STD, AR, A99** PRP Total
2017 352 25,522 16,349 42,223
2018 285 27,762 15,353 43,400
2019 N/A N/A N/A N/A
2020 202 28,738 14,363 43,303
2021 183 29,059 13,037 42,279
2022 157 27,583 7,592 35,332
2023 144 32,557 0 32,701
Source: FEMA’s Community Information System
*SHFA (Zones A, AE, A1-A30, V, V1-V30, AO and AH)
**SFHA (Zones A99, AR, AR/A, AR/AE, AR/A1-A30, AR/AH, and AR/AO) ***Preferred Risk Policies, phased out in April 2022
Table 8.2 indicates that as of October 2, 2023, the City of Sacramento had 32,701 active flood insurance policies in force with total premiums of more than $17 million. These active polices represent more than $11 billion of insurance coverage in place covering both structure and contents. Historically, the City has had 1,927 claims paid against the NFIP totaling $10.3 million in paid losses.

Table 8.2. Flood Insurance Policies by Occupancy Type (Data as of 10/02/2023) Policies in
Force Premium Insurance in Force
Number of
Closed
Paid
Losses
$ of Closed
Paid Losses
Adjustment
Expense
Single Family 28,929 $15,134,778 $9,881,435,000 1,654 $7,611,743.57 $566,830.30 2-4 Family 823 $386,306 $255,952,000 120 $520,101.50 $35,230.00 All Other
Residential 2,204 $781,175 $797,955,000 49 $381,645.68 $19,080.26 Non
Residential 745 $739,637 $392,244,000 104 $1,848,270.24 $84,141.88 Total 32,701 $17,041,896 $11,327,586,000 1,927 $10,361,760.99 $705,282.44 City of Sacramento 8.7
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Table 8.3 presents the number of insurance policies in force, as of October 2, 2023, by occupancy type in relation to condominiums.

Table 8.3. Flood Insurance Policies by Condominiums compared to NonCondominiums (Data as of 10/02/2023) Policies in
Force Premium Insurance in Force
Number of
Closed Paid
Losses
$ of Closed
Paid Losses
Adjustment
Expense
Condo 1,739 $320,973 $406,603,000 35 $206,425.28 $15,233.89 Non Condo 30,962 $16,720,923 $10,920,983,000 1,892 $10,155,335.71 $690,048.55 Total 32,701 $17,041,896 $11,327,586,000 1,927 $10,361,760.99 $705,282.44 Source: FEMA’s Community Information System
Table 8.4 indicates the number of flood insurance policies by flood zone as of October 2, 2023.

Since the previous iteration of the 2016 CFMP, participation in flood insurance programs has declined by approximately 25 percent. In January 2016, the City had 43,937 flood insurance policies in force and by October 2023 the total policies in force dropped to 32,669.

The total number of flood insurance policies in the A, AE, AH and AO Zones decreased by nearly 70 percent from 360 in January of 2016 to 112 in October 2023. The number of flood insurance policies in the A99, AR, and STD-X Zones increased by over 10,000 from 22,170 in January of 2016 to 32,557 in October 2023. This increase can be attributed by PRP policies phased out in 2022, as participants now purchase standard policies.

Table 8.4. Flood Insurance Policies by Flood Zone (Data as of 10/02/2023) Policies in
Force Premium Insurance in Force
Number of
Closed
Paid
Losses
$ of Closed
Paid Losses
Adjustment
Expense
A01-30 & AE
Zones 35 $14,600 $12,410,000 51 $503,592.03 $20,294.98
A Zones 0 $0 $0 32 $239,984.28 $11,212.87
AO Zones 0 $0 $0 16 $75,317.77 $4,075.87
AH Zones 77 $52,613 $18,821,000 31 $183,102.47 $13,840.00 AR Zones 1 $1,144 $300,000 33 $380,263.95 $17,667.02
A99 Zones 21,252 $11,018,666 $7,416,040,000 1,429 $6.401.705.71 $461,703.30

B, C & X
Zones 11,304 $5,945,263 $3,872,155,000 315 $2,320,780.89 $168,789.27 Standard 11,304 $5,945,263 $3,872,155,000 200 $1,780,845.18 $101,754.27 Preferred 0 $0 $0 115 $539,935.71 $67,035.00
Total 32,669 $17,032,286 $11,319,726,000 1,907 $10,104,747.10 $697,582.44 Source: FEMA’s Community Information System
City of Sacramento 8.8
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
As of October 2, 2023, the City of Sacramento had 8,240 pre-FIRM flood insurance policies in force as shown in Table 8.5. These pre-FIRM policies in the AE, A, and AH zones were most affected by rate increases through the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 and the Homeowner’s Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014, as certain subsidies were phased out.

Table 8.5. Pre-FIRM Flood Insurance Policies by Zone (Data as of 10/02/2023) Policies in
Force Premium Insurance in Force
# of Closed
Paid Losses
$ of Closed
Paid Losses
Adjustment
Expense
A01-30 & AE
Zones 10 $6,364 $2,672,000 43 $452,410.24 $17,419.98
A Zones 0 $0 $0 31 $235,697.81 $10,862.87
AO Zones 0 $0 $0 7 $22,042.13 $1,950.00
AH Zones 64 $45,972 $15,386,000 11 $15,559.40 $7,015.00 AR Zones 0 $0 $0 24 $373,440.03 $15,417.02
A99 Zones 1,335 $599,591 $444,788,000 988 $3,240,465.36 $269,744.06

B, C & X
Zones 6,831 $3,660,476 $2,372,023,000 238 $1,894,989.65 $135,319.27 Standard 6,831 $3,660,476 $2,372,023,000 152 $1,503,505.54 $79,454.27 Preferred 0 $0 $0 86 $391,484.11 $55,865.00
Total 8,240 $4,312,403 2,834,869,000 1,342 $6,234,604.61 $457,728.20 Source: FEMA’s Community Information System
Table 8.6 shows there were 24,429 post-FIRM flood insurance policies as of October 2, 2023; 4,473 were Standard Flood Insurance Policies.

Table 8.6. Post-FIRM Flood Insurance Policies by Zone (Data as of 10/02/2023) Policies
in Force Premium Insurance in Force
# of
Closed
Paid
Losses
$ of Closed Paid
Losses
Adjustment
Expense
A01-30 & AE
Zones 25 $8.236 $9,738,000 8 $51,181.79 $2,875.00
A Zones 0 $0 $0 1 $4,286.47 $350.00
AO Zones 0 $0 $0 9 $53,275.64 $2,125.00
AH Zones 13 $6,641 $3,435,000 20 $167,543.07 $6,825.00
AR Zones 1 $1,144 $300,000 9 $6,823.92 $2,250.00
A99 Zones 19,917 $10,419,075 $6,971,252,000 441 $3,161,240.35 $191,959.24

B, C & X
Zones 4,473 $2,284,787 $1,500,132.000 77 $425,791.24 $33,470.00 Standard 4,473 $2,284,787 $1,500,132.000 48 $277.339.64 $22,300.00 Preferred 0 $0 $0 29 $148,451.60 $11,170.00
Total 24,429 $12,719,883 $8,484,857,000 565 $3,870,142.48 $239,854.24 Source: FEMA’s Community Information System
City of Sacramento 8.9
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Many factors can affect the number of flood insurance policies held by residents or property owners in the City. For example, in 2015, the City saw a drop in the number of A99 policies in Pre-FIRM and Post-FIRM policies due to over 3,000 residents being removed from the A99 Zone on May 12, 2014 in South Sacramento. Similarly, the Natomas area was remapped from AE to A99 in June 2015, resulting in an increase in A99 policies for 2016. Data was also affected because many
Natomas residents participated in historical subsidized programs since 2008, such as the Preferred Risk Policy Eligibility and Properties Newly Mapped.

As of April 2022, the most substantial change affecting the number of flood insurance participation was the phasing out of PRPs for property owners in B, C and X Zones. Residents and property owners within these zones can now purchase a standard insurance policy that accounts for decreased flood risk. While there was an increase in X-STD policies between 2022 and 2023, there was an observed decrease in flood insurance purchasing within the City during 2023. As previously mentioned, this is likely attributed both to the elimination of PRP and continued challenging economic factors influencing the purchasing habits of consumers.

Public Perception of Flood Insurance
Participation by communities in the NFIP and the purchase of policies by individual homeowners and businesses has been shown to lower the financial risk of flooding. However, the majority of people who live in an area at risk of flooding and who are not required to purchase flood insurance usually do not. There are many reasons why residents and businesses avoid purchasing flood insurance. Some of these include:
• Levees and dams provide a false sense of security. These structural barriers convince people that they are protected from flooding without realizing that factors such as lack of maintenance, earthquakes, or overtopping, that would cause flooding to occur. • Some surveys suggest that the risk of being flooded in your home during the life of a 30-year mortgage is only between 0 to 10 percent. Any place within a 1% chance or higher of experiencing a flood event each year is considered to have a high risk. Those areas have at least a one-in-four chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage period. This lack of knowledge creates a retention problem for the NFIP.
• Many people believe that because they are not located in a higher risk zone such as an AE, A, or any other 1 percent change annual flood area that they are not subject to flood damage.

People within moderate- to low-risk areas filed more than 40% of all flood insurance claims between 2015 and 2019, and receive one-third of flood disaster assistance. In addition, many believe that their homeowner’s policy covers flood damage when it does not. • There is a misconception about the cost of flood insurance. The average cost of a flood insurance policy in California is approximately $910 per year. Many consider the fire hazard or other risks to a home to be more important than the flood risk.

City of Sacramento 8.10
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024

8.3 Community Rating System Background
The NFIP’s CRS program is a voluntary incentive program that encourages communities to exceed the minimum federal requirements for development within the floodplain. The better job a community does of protecting buildings from flood damage, the cheaper flood insurance rates are for policy holders. Under the CRS, flood insurance premiums are adjusted (discounted) to reflect a community’s work in reducing flood damage to existing buildings, manage development in areas not yet mapped by the NFIP, protect new buildings or substantial improvements above the minimum NFIP flood protection levels, preserve or renewing natural floodplain functions, help real estate and insurance agents obtain flood-related data, inform the public of flood hazards and help them to obtain flood insurance.

The CRS program is based upon the following three primary goals:
1) Reduce and avoid damage to insurable buildings,
2) Strengthen and support the insurance aspects of the NFIP, and 3) Foster comprehensive floodplain management
The CRS is a point-based program where 19 floodplain management activities can be implemented to obtain one of 10 CRS classifications. A community must obtain at least 500 points to achieve a Classification 9 and enable their policy holders to receive a 5% discount on their flood insurance.

Table 8.7 shows the 10 CRS classes and the associated points necessary to achieve each class:

City of Sacramento 8.11
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Table 8.7. CRS Classes, Credit Points, and Premium Discounts Source: National Flood Insurance Program’s 2013 Community Rating System (CRS) Manual, FIA15 The 19 CRS floodplain management activities are divided into four series, including:
1) 300 Series – Public Information Activities,
2) 400 Series – Mapping and Regulations,
3) 500 Series – Flood Damage Reduction Activities; and
4) 600 Series – Warning and Response
Each series has three to seven floodplain management activities. Certain activities also have elements of credit which further define each activity. The elements further break down the credit within each activity, usually through the use of an acronym.

A CRS Coordinator’s Manual outlines the credit points, background information on each activity and element, and the documentation required to support the credit. The current CRS Coordinator’s Manual is dated 2017 and is supplemented by the 2021 Addendum to the Coordinator’s Manual (effective January 2021).

City of Sacramento 8.12
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024

8.3.1 Community Rating System in Sacramento
Sacramento applied to the CRS in December of 1990 and modified its application in December of 1992. The CRS program requires that communities recertify their application every August and complete a cycle application every three or five years depending on classification status.

Sacramento completed cycle applications in 1994, 2000, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2020 and 2023.

The City currently ranks at Class 3, where premium holders receive a 35% discount. This accounts for a savings of $1.9 million dollars annually for the community. The City of Sacramento implements the following CRS activities as outlined in the subsections below, which have been verified as of November 2023. Additional implementation goals are listed at the end of this chapter.

Activity 310: Elevation Certificates
The Community Development Department (CDD) requires that any new construction or substantial improvement in the SFHA file an elevation certificate. Prior to July 1, 2024, A99 zones are excluded from SFHAs because there are reduced floodplain development regulations that apply. New requirements to A99 zones will require the collection of elevation or floodproofing certificates (floodproofing is only allowed for commercial properties) as specified in Chapter 3 of this Plan update. Currently, the City requires a flood risk acknowledgement agreement (hold harmless) for all developments in A99 zones. The Department of Utilities (DOU) maintains FEMA elevation certificates for new and substantially improved buildings in the SFHA. Copies of elevation certificates are made available upon request. The City maintains hard copies in folders at DOU (away from the permit office) and electronically in the City’s building permit database.

Activity 320: Map Information Service
The City will continue to provide floodplain information to Sacramento citizens at the DOU office (1395 35th Avenue), as well as over the phone and by email. Telephone and email requests will be responded to within two business days. A Floodplain Hotline (916-808-5061) and email ([email protected]) have been reserved for this purpose. The City will provide grandfather letters for residents upon request. The City publicizes this service through various outreach projects annually.

Activity 330: Outreach Projects
The City will continue to provide floodplain information through utility inserts, mailings to residents in the SFHAs, floodplain information booths at community events, billboards, buses, and other methods. The City also has a PPI, as presented in Chapter 7, which provides a 40% multiplier for outreach projects the City undertakes. (Note: For more details on outreach projects and other outreach plans to inform the public, see Chapter 7, Risk Communication.).

City of Sacramento 8.13
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Activity 340: Hazard Disclosure
The State of California requires real estate agents to notify prospective buyers of SFHAs. The City will notify real estate agencies and/or boards on an annual basis of this requirement, and where they can obtain disclosure statement forms.

Activity 350: Flood Protection Information
DOU will continue to provide flood information materials to the Sacramento Central Library. The library collection contains materials on natural and beneficial functions, including the National Wetlands Inventory Maps for Sacramento and “Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States.” The City also continues to provide flood protection information on the DOU website, where it is maintained and updated, and work to increase public awareness of these resources.

Activity 360: Flood Protection Assistance
The DOU will continue to provide technical advice and assistance to citizens with individual flood protection needs, including site visits to determine cause of flooding, solutions to local flooding problems, and assistance with flood fights. CDD and DOU will provide information on how to select a contractor and retrofitting structures, and the City will continue efforts to make the public aware of this resource through proper outreach.

Activity 370: Flood Insurance Promotion
This is a new activity in the 2013 CRS Coordinator’s Manual. The activity includes conducting a flood insurance coverage assessment (FIA), coverage improvement plan (CP), and implementation of the CP (CPI). The FIA is a document to identify target areas, map flood insurance coverage and determine the level of flood insurance coverage. The CP is a plan to improve the insurance coverage identified in the FIA. The City has analyzed flood insurance coverage in the past, and these new activities are implemented as part of the PPI.

Activity 410: Floodplain Mapping
The City continues to conduct new studies that produce base flood elevations or floodways. These studies are usually conducted when flood control improvements are constructed or better data such as hydrology or topography is available that makes the floodplain contours more accurate. Some projects and studies are funded partially by local and state funds. Depending on the circumstance, the City enforces development restrictions on special flood-related hazards that are not mapped on the DFIRMs such as Magpie Creek and the CFMP Rescue and Evacuation Maps.

The City signed a Cooperating Technical Partner (CTP) agreement with FEMA Region IX on February 18, 2003. California’s Department of Water Resources also signed a CTP with FEMA Region IX on March 4, 2009.

City of Sacramento 8.14
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Activity 420: Open Space Preservation
The City’s General Plan contains policy to conserve and protect natural resources and planned open space areas. The City will continue to provide open space for the preservation and conservation of natural resources. Riparian forests and grassland vegetation will also be conserved.

The City protects planned open space areas that support wildlife habitat, working with the County of Sacramento to protect unique physical features. Open space for recreation will continue to be provided, and the American and Sacramento River parkways will be conserved and protected.

The City has other open space areas that can also be developed to their recreational use potential.

These areas, which include easements, floodways and floodplains, are either: (1) located in a floodplain and in an undeveloped, natural state; (2) have been restored to a natural state; or (3) protect natural and beneficial functions. These areas include the American River Parkway, Del Paso Park, Bannon Creek Parkway, Chorley Park, Laguna Creek, Magpie Creek, Marconi Station Park, and Reichmuth Park. The American River is considered to protect the natural and beneficial functions.

Activity 430: Higher Regulatory Standards
The City requires several higher regulatory standards for new development above the minimum NFIP regulations. All new construction or substantial improvements must have the lowest floor, including the basement, elevated one foot above the BFE. Compensatory storage is required for development through the Stormwater Quality Improvement Program (SQIP) hydromodification program. The City maintains a Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS) classification of 3/2 and adopted the California State Building Codes in 2007. City Code Section

16.40 requires adequate, positive drainage for all lots. The City requires “non-conversion” agreements for crawl spaces.

The City continues to employ staff members who have obtained their Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) certificate and individuals who have attended credited training courses. The City will continue to encourage staff to obtain this CFM certification and attend more floodplain management training.

Activity 440: Flood Data Maintenance
The City continues to maintain its online GIS DFIRM viewer. This GIS viewer helps improve access, quality, and ease of updating flood data for development and flood insurance purposes.

The City maintains copies of all FIRMs that have been issued for the community, including previous FIRMs and Flood Insurance Study Repots. The City Surveyor maintains the City’s benchmarks, so surveyors completing elevation certificates can find them and obtain accurate information.

City of Sacramento 8.15
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Activity 450: Stormwater Management
The City will continue efforts to improve the quality of stormwater runoff and protect receiving water bodies to the maximum extent practicable (MEP) through the City’s SQIP. The City will also continue to implement the federally mandated NPDES Stormwater Discharge Permit. The SQIP identifies and measures the effectiveness of best management practices (BMPs) implementation. This program includes implementation of BMPs for construction activities in accordance with the City’s Grading, Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance and associated manual. The Stormwater Program, through low impact development standards and the hydromodification program, requires new developments to implement BMPs such as grassy swales and detention basins to reduce increases of stormwater pollution and peak flows to the MEP.

The City and County have a Watershed Management Plan (WMP) that is a tool for reducing flooding caused by development on a watershed-wide basis. A list of all existing drainage master plans is documented in the WMP. This WMP is an appendix to the 2021 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and will be updated every 5 years.

The goal of the drainage master plans listed in the WMP is to provide a higher level of flood protection to the residents of Sacramento. In conjunction with improving the drainage system, the City’s overall planning program encourages consideration of water quality; preservation and restoration of natural areas such as wetlands, riparian corridors, streams, and heritage oaks; and public facility enhancements in the master planning process. For example, the staff has identified several opportunities for creation of detention basins that can also serve as public parks.

Activity 510: Floodplain Management Planning
DOU will continue to provide an annual progress report on the 2021 Sacramento County Local Hazard Mitigation Plan to the City Council, local media, and the state NFIP Coordinating Office.

DOU continues to map all repetitive loss sites, conduct a repetitive loss area analysis, and mail letters to all repetitive loss areas on an annual basis. A spreadsheet of all repetitive loss sites and reasons for flooding is updated annually and used for applying for FEMA grants when appropriate.

Activity 520: Acquisition and Relocation
The City will continue to make efforts to acquire and relocate buildings from SFHAs, especially repetitively flooded properties.

Activity 530: Flood Protection
The City will continue to flood proof, elevate, or otherwise modify buildings to protect them from flood damage.

City of Sacramento 8.16
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Activity 540: Drainage System Maintenance
The City, along with other local agencies, will continue to maintain all above-ground channels, basins, canals, ditches, and culverts. Maintenance work includes weeding, clearing, minor repairs, and debris removal. Drainage fees are collected to maintain the local system. The City is aware of problem sites and inspects them on a more frequent basis. Records are maintained for both inspections and regular maintenance. The City has also developed an ordinance for stormwater management and discharge control that prohibits dumping of pollutants in streams. DOU has a CIP that prioritizes/ranks drainage projects and corrects drainage problems.

Activity 610: Flood Warning Program
The State of California has the California Data Exchange Center website, which contains all types of water level gages. The City has an ALERT system, which gages stream and creek levels through six monitoring stations that warn of impending floods. Water levels on the H Street and I Street Bridges are used to determine when to initiate evacuation procedures. The City has 31 sirens located throughout the jurisdiction and also broadcasts emergency notices/warnings on two radio stations. In the event of an evacuation, the City will utilize loudspeakers, reverse 911, law enforcement support and any additional resources, as necessary. These efforts will be led by the City of Sacramento Office of Emergency Management and the County’s Office of Emergency Services. Citizens can report issues of flooding by calling 3-1-1 (outside unincorporated county, call: 916-875-4311). Citizens can also sign up for a web-based alert system managed through Sacramento County at Smart911. Sacramento Alert is a web-based application that enables authorized County, City and Special District public safety officials to disseminate public safety information rapidly and efficiently to the residents of Sacramento. Sacramento County is also designated as a StormReady community by NOAA.

Activity 620: Levees
The City will continue to support flood protection projects developed by the SAFCA, DWR, and USACE. The City will continue to assist the DWR in performing its annual levee inspection and maintain the levees in accordance with the O&M plans. The City will continue to monitor levee conditions and open the Department Operation Center and/or the Office of Emergency Management’s Emergency Operation Center when predicted flood levels may be reached or a levee breach may occur. The City will continue to maintain a list of critical facilities and emergency response plans.

Activity 630: Dam Safety
FEMA has accepted the State’s dam safety program. The City will continue to participate in this program as well as in a dam failure emergency action plan.

City of Sacramento 8.17
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024

8.4 Implementation Strategies and Action Items
The following actions are recommended to reduce risk of flooding by increasing the number of flood insurance policies in Sacramento.

Table 8.8. NFIP/CRS Action Items
Action Item Responsible
Department
Schedule

1. Reassess the Flood Insurance Coverage Assessment
(FIA) and Coverage Improvement Plan (CP) as Part of
the Program for Public Information (PPI) every CRS
verification cycle visit
DOU Ongoing

2. Continue to Distribute a Brochure for Real Estate
Agents to Provide to Their Potential Buyers
DOU Public Relations Ongoing

3. Continue to Provide Property Owners with an
Opportunity for a City Staff Site Visit for Providing
Property Protection Advice
DOU Engineering Staff Ongoing

4. Continue to maintain a Memorandum of Agreement
with the County of Sacramento for Flood Control
Planning of the South Sacramento County Streams
DOU Ongoing

5. Increase the Freeboard for Development to 2.0 Feet
above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE)
DOU, CDD Medium term

6. Write a Levee Failure Response Plan for Critical
Facilities
DOU, OES Short to medium term

7. Petition FEMA for Modifications to the NFIP that would make Reduced-Cost Flood Insurance Available for
Urban Areas Protected by Levees by Creating a New
Flood Zone
DOU Long term

8. Alleviate the Workload in Administering the NFIP
Program
DOU Short to medium term

9. Partner with the State, FEMA and Local Entities on
Flood Risk Outreach
DOU Public Relations Ongoing

10.The City will maintain a CRS Level 3 Designation DOU Medium term and ongoing

11.Develop a Dam Outreach Brochure on an annual basis DOU Ongoing

12.Continue to participate in the Northern Central CRS
User Group
DOU Short term and ongoing

1. Reassess the Flood Insurance Coverage Assessment (FIA) and Coverage Improvement Plan (CP) as Part of the Program for Public Information (PPI) Issue/Background Statement: Efforts, on the part of FEMA, to market flood insurance and enforce lender compliance for areas within the 1-percent-annual-chance floodplain are encouraged. In the absence of mandatory flood insurance for areas behind levees with more than the 1-percent-annual-chance flood protection, comprehensive efforts to educate the public would be beneficial. This includes education on the residual risk behind levees, the potential flood depths that could be expected in those areas, and the availability of flood insurance to mitigate property City of Sacramento 8.18
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
damage should a flood occur. Assembly Bill 156 requires DWR to annually notify property owners at risk of flooding in a levee protection zone.

Implementation Strategy: Under CRS Activity 370 - Flood Insurance Promotion, credit is given for conducting a flood insurance coverage assessment, coverage improvement plan, and implementation of the CP. These documents were completed as part of the Program for Public Information (PPI), Chapter 7 of this CFMP.

Responsible Office: DOU
Potential Funding: Staff time
Schedule: Ongoing. The FIA and CP as part of the PPI will be reassessed every CRS verification cycle visit.

2. Continue to Distribute a Brochure for Real Estate Agents to Provide to Their Potential Buyers.

Issue/Background Statement: Many residents who call the floodplain hotline complain that they were not informed that they were in a floodplain or are going to be placed into a floodplain requiring mandatory insurance. Under Activity 340, credit is given for creating a brochure or handout for real estate agents to give to their potential buyers encouraging them to investigate the flood hazards for a property. The Program for Public Participation (PPI) Committee prepared a brochure to educate real estate agents to discuss flood zones and insurance requirements as applicable per property.

Implementation Strategy: The City will continue to distribute the flood hazard brochure to local brokers, real estate agents, and professional real estate organizations. The City will continue to advise real estate agents to discuss with clients the importance of reading and understanding the NHD form that discloses if a property is located within the SFHA and requires flood insurance.

Responsible Office: DOU Public Relations
Potential Funding: Operating Budget
Schedule: Ongoing

3. Continue to Provide Property Owners with an Opportunity for a City Staff Site Visit for Providing Property Protection Advice.

Issue/Background Statement: Many residents have drainage issues and complaints, as well as questions on how they can protect their property or potentially retrofit their structure.

Implementation Strategy: Under Activity 360, the City can provide site visits to individual homeowners to give them advice on retrofitting techniques and drainage improvements. Also, City City of Sacramento 8.19
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
staff should provide these homeowners with financial assistance programs. The City staff providing these site visits should take an EMI course on retrofitting and/or grant programs.

Responsible Office: DOU Engineering Staff
Potential Funding: Operating Budget/Staff time
Schedule: Ongoing.

4. Continue to maintain a Memorandum of Agreement with the County of Sacramento for Flood Control Planning of the South Sacramento County Streams Issue/Background Statement: Section 402 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986, as amended, requires the non-federal sponsor to have prepared a floodplain management plan within one year after the date of signing the Project Cooperation Agreement (PCA). The plan shall be designed to reduce the impacts of future flood events in the project area, including but not limited to addressing those measures to be undertaken by the local sponsor to preserve the level of flood protection provided by the project.

Implementation Strategy: A Watershed Management Plan was written by the City and County as part of Activity 450 that specifically addresses the flows on Morrison, Elder, Florin, Unionhouse, Strawberry, and Laguna creeks. This was conducted in conjunction with the 2011 Sacramento County Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Update.

The modeling of the South Sacramento Streams is currently being conducted and will be submitted to FEMA for implementation and update to the DFIRMs. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) will be signed between the County and City.

Responsible Office: DOU
Potential Funding: Staff time
Schedule: Ongoing.

5. Increase the Freeboard for Development to 2.0 Feet above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE)
Issue/Background Statement: The City of Sacramento currently uses 1.0 foot above the BFE as a requirement for development in a Special Flood Hazard Area.

Implementation Strategy: CRS Activity 430 encourages using a higher standard for development within the floodplain areas. A higher standard of 2.0 feet above the BFE was also recommended by the Task Force as part of the 2010 Corrective Action Plan. The City should work with the local building industry and investigate the potential for raising the current freeboard requirement.

Responsible Office: DOU, CDD
City of Sacramento 8.20
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Potential Funding: Staff Time
Schedule: Medium term.

6. Write a Levee Failure Response Plan for Critical Facilities Issue/Background Statement: The levee system in Sacramento can provide residents with a false sense of protection. Likewise, critical facilities including shelters, police and fire facilities, etc. can be unusable if a levee were to fail. Identification and flood protection of critical facilities is important to ensure the safety of the public.

Implementation Strategy: Create a plan that lists all critical facilities that would be considered critical in a levee failure emergency. Make a list of the names and phone numbers of the operators of all the public and private critical facilities affected by a levee failure. Work with facilities to create their own levee failure response plan. Also, identify those facilities which may need to be flood protected.

Responsible Office: DOU, OES
Potential Funding: State of California Emergency Management Grants Schedule: Short to medium term.

7. Petition FEMA for Modifications to the NFIP that Would Make Reduced-Cost Flood Insurance Available for Urban Areas Protected by Levees by Creating a New Flood Zone
Issue/Background Statement: If a levee does not provide 100-year flood protection, it will not be accredited by FEMA. However, some levees provide less than a 100-year flood protection and do protect buildings. Affordable insurance could encourage more residents to purchase coverage.

Implementation Strategy: If a levee is not accredited, FEMA maps the floodplain assuming the levee is not there, which makes the BFE unrealistic. Creating a new flood zone that is modeled based on levee breaks at weaker areas, overtopping, or seepage would be more realistic. The City should petition FEMA to make modifications to the NFIP that would (1) recognize this new levee flood zone and (2) make flood insurance available at a reduced cost.

Responsible Office: DOU
Potential Funding: Staff Time
Schedule: Long term.

City of Sacramento 8.21
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024

8. Alleviate the Workload in Administering the NFIP Program Issue/Background Statement: City staff is spending an inordinate amount of time on two specific aspects of administering the NFIP program:
1) Educating insurance and mortgage companies regarding insurance requirements in flood zones; and
2) Providing grandfather letters to individuals needing to purchase insurance This has become especially problematic since the Natomas Basin was converted to an AE zone in December of 2008.

Implementation Strategy: The City coordinate education efforts with FEMA to reach insurance and mortgage companies regarding the flood insurance requirements in SFHAs. The City will also consider charging a nominal fee for grandfather letters to offset the cost of the staff time.

Responsible Office: DOU
Potential Funding: User Fees
Schedule: Short to medium term.

9. Partner with the State, FEMA and Local Entities on Flood Risk Outreach Issue/Background Statement: The City, County, SAFCA, the State, and FEMA all perform outreach to educate the public regarding flood-risk. Each of these outreach efforts takes place independently, resulting in inefficiencies and conflicting messages.

Implementation Strategy: The City will work to coordinate all outreach efforts and develop costshare opportunities.

Responsible Office: DOU Public Relations
Potential Funding: Operating Budget/Staff time
Schedule: Short term and ongoing

10. The City Will Maintain a CRS Level 3 Designation
Issue/Background Statement: Currently, the City has achieved and maintains a CRS Classification 3. This provides policyholders with up to a 35% discount on certain flood insurance policies within the City.

Implementation Strategy: The City will work toward obtaining a Classification 2, thus providing policy holders a 40% discount on certain flood insurance policies within the City.

City of Sacramento 8.22
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Responsible Office: DOU
Potential Funding: Operating Budget/Staff time
Schedule: Ongoing.

11. Continue to Participate in the Northern Central CRS User Group Issue/Background Statement: The Northern Central CRS User Group meets on a quarterly basis to discuss CRS activities, share tips on how to get the most credit, band together to improve floodplain management programs, and brainstorm on new methods of outreach.

Implementation Strategy: The City should continue to participate in the Northern Central CRS User Group and continue to improve CRS performance for the benefit of all community residents.

Responsible Office: DOU
Potential Funding: Operating Budget/Staff time
Schedule: Short term and ongoing.
9 LEVEE SECURITY PLAN
City of Sacramento 9.1
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024

9.1 Introduction and Background
The Sacramento Region is considered to be one of the country’s most at-risk major metropolitan areas for hazardous flooding. One of the major risks of flooding in the City of Sacramento (City) stems from the possibility of the failure of area levees. As the City levee system is located within an urbanized area within a major metropolitan region, a security plan is required to protect infrastructure from terrorism and other malicious or negligent acts.

Although there have been no credible threats directed toward levees as potential targets, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) advises that levee owners and operators should be aware of the possibility of an attack targeting levees and other flood risk reduction infrastructure. A Vulnerability Assessment (VA) conducted by the Sacramento Department of Utilities (DOU) as required by the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) found that, while the risk of a terrorist attack against DOU is unlikely, it is a possibility. The VA also found that DOU is at risk of malevolent threats by criminals and vandals. Enhancements to the security of DOU facilities, including the levee system, would provide benefits in the event of any type of attack (terrorism or otherwise). This chapter addresses current and proposed efforts to enhance the security of Sacramento’s levee system and identifies security personnel, responsibilities, resources, and measures.

This chapter also meets the requirements for a Levee Maintaining Agency (LMA) by California law for urban and urbanizing areas. The guidance for a Levee Security Plan is found in the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) May 2012 Urban Levee Design Criteria (ULDC). At the time of this writing, it was confirmed with DWR that the 2012 ULDC is the most current guidance on levee security.

Background
The levee system protecting the City from local creeks and the Sacramento and American Rivers is well over 100 miles long. Several dozen pump stations are incorporated into the system, pumping local storm drainage into the adjacent river or creek. Although there is significant security at the pump stations and lesser security in other places along the levees, the system is largely open to the public. Due to this openness, the levees are vulnerable to activities such as planting explosive devices or illegal digging on a levee to weaken its structure.

If a weakened levee were to fail during a significant storm event, the results could be catastrophic.

The geographic extent of levee failure is discussed in-depth within the City of Sacramento’s Annex F of the Sacramento County Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) Update (September 2021), including impacts to critical facilities. The LHMP does not report any past occurrences of levee failure within the City due to terrorism or other intentional sabotage attacks.

City of Sacramento 9.2
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
The City is the LMA for a portion of the levee system located within the jurisdiction. Figure 9.1 shows the areas that the City is responsible for as the LMA, and other relevant levee system owners/management.

City of Sacramento 9.3
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 9.1 Levee Maintaining Agencies in the City of Sacramento Source: City of Sacramento Department of Utilities, 2024 City of Sacramento 9.4
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024

9.2 Current Implementation Status
The ULDC requires each LMA to develop a levee security plan to protect urban and urbanized area levee systems from acts of terrorism and other malicious or negligent acts. The ULDC also provides guidance on developing this plan.

The City appointed the Security and Emergency Preparedness section of DOU to be the Security Director for this Levee Security Plan. The Security Director will manage the security planning efforts and establish a chain of command for emergency operations. The Security Director is also responsible for annual review and update of this plan as part of the Comprehensive Flood Management Plan (CFMP) annual progress report, which is led by the Floodplain Management staff in Engineering and Water Resources Division of DOU.

The ULDC criteria require agencies to consider and prioritize vulnerabilities and employ an array of security measures from four basic categories to address vulnerabilities.

These required security measures are:
• Networked detection
• Deterrence
• Physical security
• Intrusion interdiction during high threat periods
The ULDC criteria provide recommendations and options for consideration in each of the four areas. The Department of Utilities (DOU) already employs a number of these recommended security measures from the four basic categories:

Networked Detection provides for monitoring and reporting of security information between the levee maintaining agencies and the Intelligence Community, which is comprised of multiple federal, state, and local agencies. Recommended detection measures include improved personnel and public awareness, suspicious activity reporting, and integration with the existing Terrorism Liaison Officer (TLO) program.

The DOU Security and Emergency Preparedness Section currently participates in the California Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (CalWARN) and Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC), along with utilizing resources from the Sacramento Police Department (SPD) and the Sacramento Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Center (RTTAC).

In addition, the Security Section routinely uses the National Suspicious Activity Reporting System (SAR) to report suspicious activity to the local fusion center for analysis and regularly provides awareness training to personnel on a number of topics including levee security and recognizing and reporting suspicious activity.

City of Sacramento 9.5
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Deterrence consists of visible security measures such as signs, gates, visible patrols, and controlled access to levees and associated critical facilities that create an atmosphere of vigilance and security. These measures are designed to hinder criminal activity and maximize the potential for security and law enforcement intervention.

DOU currently uses a combination of patrols, signs, and gates that prohibit trespassing at critical facilities and prohibit motor vehicles at all gated accesses. DOU personnel patrol the levees on a daily basis during normal conditions to monitor levee conditions, suspicious activity, and the conditions of signs, locks and gates. During high water levels or elevated threat periods, the levees are patrolled continuously. Contract private security patrols are also used at critical sites to deter and report suspicious or criminal activity.

Physical Security is divided between deterrence (discussed above), access control, intrusion detection, and levee performance alerting mechanisms.

Access Control
DOU levee access controls are generally to be limited to restricting motor vehicle access.

Non-vehicular public access along levees is not considered to be a security problem, except at specific critical locations such as treatment plants or sumps. DOU currently uses a combination of physical security measures (signs, fences, locks, lighting, and security patrols) to stop, inhibit, or delay access by unauthorized persons. The goal of access control is to force intruders who enter restricted areas to do so knowingly through unauthorized means, thereby limiting the number of unintentional intruders and establishing intent on the part of intruders.

Intrusion Detection
DOU currently uses intrusion alarms and patrols by DOU personnel and contract security guards to detect unauthorized intrusion. DOU has high water levee patrolling protocols that provide for the safety of patrollers and emphasize detection of vehicular trespass.

Levee Performance
DOU currently uses water elevation sensors and levee patrols to monitor levee performance. The elevation sensors can be remotely monitored through the Sac City Alert 2 System. In addition, the National Weather Service monitors several gauges on both the Sacramento and American Rivers; unusual water levels reported at gauges would warrant and prompt further investigation.

Intrusion Interdiction capabilities are determined by the preparedness and willingness of the local first responders. The goal is to facilitate awareness of and investment in swift response to reported intrusions during high water or increased threat periods.

DOU regularly participates in seminars, workshops, and tabletop exercises with local agencies to familiarize, update and validate the security and evacuation plans related to levee security and breaches. The City anticipates participation in future exercises and continued emergency training.

City of Sacramento 9.6
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024

9.3 Implementation Strategies and Action items
The following implementation strategies outline both long-term DOU activities and short-term activities within the next five years to improve levee security and reduce flood risk from levee failure caused by acts of terrorism and other malicious or negligent acts.

Given the challenge of increasing security for such a large and open system, the general goals of this risk reduction tool would be to: (1) increase public awareness of levee safety and security issues and develop a coordinated partnership with the community to report suspicious activity/intrusions to the appropriate authorities; and (2) Provide incremental increases in levee safety and security by enhancing DOU’s ability to monitor levee penetration and performance, and to detect unauthorized intrusion at critical sites.

Meeting these goals would involve promoting increased public and local agency awareness of the nature of the threats to the levee system. These strategies would also require the identification and acquisition of sensor systems designed to remotely detect levee penetrations and performance problems, and the addition of monitoring systems to enhance DOU’s ability to detect intrusion at critical sites.

Implementation Actions (2024 - 2029)
Over the next five years, progress toward these general goals could be achieved by taking the following actions:

1. Incorporate levee security risk information in flood risk outreach material and presentations. The ULDC recommends that LMAs should establish a coordinated network partnership consisting of the public and community entities or citizens who have access to the levee and to report suspicious activity/intrusions to the appropriate authorities. Currently, the City conducts flood risk outreach including a public outreach event known as the Highwater Jamboree.

This public event hosted by the Department of Utilities includes outreach and education on levee safety, security and emergency preparedness. Levee safety and security could also be integrated into existing City of Sacramento Mitigation Education, Outreach and Partnerships as identified in the LHMP. Messaging may tier off of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security messaging “See something, say something” campaign, designed to raise public awareness of the signs of terrorism and terrorism-related crime. Presentations to the public, which include leaders in the community, on such topics as disaster preparedness could also include information on levee safety and security.

Security information should also include how to report suspicious activity to local law enforcement.

2. Add additional sensor systems related to levee penetration and performance. The ULDC recommends that security measures related to levee penetrations and performance be considered, and recommends that sensor systems should be considered for detecting problems, remotely if practical. Such systems may include levee movement sensors, water pressure sensors, motion City of Sacramento 9.7
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
sensors, disturbance detection cables, and water flow detectors, such as water level gauges and piezometers. DOU currently only uses water level gauges to monitor river and creek levels, and these additional types of sensors would be used to identify potential levee performance problems.

3. Enhance intrusion detection capability. The ULDC recommends that LMAs consider using security systems such as cameras, motion detectors, and alarms at critical nodes, especially during high water or periods of increased threat. DOU currently has only alarms at critical nodes, and the addition of cameras and motion detectors at these sites would greatly enhance the ability to detect unauthorized intrusion.

4. Annual review and update. The Security Director is also responsible for annual review and update of this plan as part of CFMP annual progress report, which is led by the Floodplain Management staff in Engineering and Water Resources Division of DOU.

The overall 5-year goal is to improve levee security and reduce flood risk from levee failure caused by acts of terrorism and other malicious or negligent acts.

Table 9.1 Levee Security Action Items
Action Item Responsible Department Schedule

1. Incorporate levee security risk
information in flood risk outreach
material and presentations
Engineering Services, Security and
Emergency Preparedness
Short term and ongoing

2. Add additional sensor systems
related to levee penetration and
performance
Operations and Maintenance,
Engineering Services, Business
Services, Security and Emergency
Preparedness
Short term and ongoing

3. Enhance intrusion detection
capability
Operations and Maintenance,
Engineering Services, Business
Services, Security and Emergency
Preparedness
Short term and ongoing

4. Annual Review and Update Engineering Services, Security and Emergency Preparedness
Short term and ongoing

1. Incorporate levee security risk information in flood risk outreach material Issue/Background Statement: Incorporate levee security risk information into flood risk outreach material.

Implementation Strategy: Currently the City conducts flood risk outreach and presentations on topics such as disaster preparedness. However, this effort’s main purpose has been to comply with NFIP and CRS requirements. The program could be expanded relatively easily to include outreach City of Sacramento 9.8
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
and education on levee safety and security. Levee safety and security could also be integrated into existing City of Sacramento Mitigation Education, Outreach and Partnerships as identified in the LHMP. The LHMP Section F.6.4 identifies several existing outreach programs, including the Be Flood Ready brochure/billboard, dam brochure, storm preparation outreach, Sacramento Ready, and Flood Watch Newsletter.

Messaging may tier off of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security messaging “See something, say something” campaign, designed to raise public awareness of the signs of terrorism and terrorism-related crime. Presentations to the public, which includes leaders in the community, on such topics as disaster preparedness could also include information on levee safety and security.

Security information should also include how to report suspicious activity to local law enforcement.

Responsible Office: DOU - Engineering Services, Business Services, Security and Emergency Preparedness
Potential Funding: City staff
Schedule: Short term and ongoing

2. Add additional sensor systems related to levee penetration and performance.

Issue/Background Statement: Pursue grant funding opportunities from FEMA, DHS, DWR, and the State Water Resources Control Board for security improvement projects.

Implementation Strategy: Develop a grant program that will identify and pursue grant programs that will average $500,000 per year to augment other funds for additional sensor systems related to levee penetration and performance. One full-time City employee or commensurate level of effort from a consultant will be needed.

Responsible Office: DOU - Operations and Maintenance and/or Engineering Services Potential Funding: City staff
Schedule: Short term and ongoing

3. Enhance intrusion detection capability
Issue/Background Statement: Pursue grant funding opportunities from FEMA, DWR, and the State Water Resources Control Board for enhanced intrusion detection projects.

Implementation Strategy: Develop a grant program that will identify and pursue grant programs that will average $500,000 per year to augment other funds for enhanced intrusion detection projects. One full-time City employee or commensurate level of effort from a consultant will be needed.

City of Sacramento 9.9
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Responsible Office: DOU- Security and Emergency Preparedness Potential Funding: City staff
Schedule: Short term and ongoing

4. Annual Review and Plan Update
Issue/Background Statement: The Security Director is responsible for annual review and update of this plan.

Implementation Strategy: DOU Security and Emergency Preparedness Section will annually review and update this plan and include it as part of CFMP annual progress report, which is led by the Floodplain Management staff in DOU Engineering and Water Resources Division.

Responsible Office: DOU- Security and Emergency Preparedness, Engineering Services Potential Funding: City staff
Schedule: Short term and ongoing

APPENDIX A

SUMMARY IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

APPENDIX A

SUMMARY IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
City of Sacramento A.1
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Action Responsible Office Schedule

LAND USE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT ACTION ITEMS

1. Improve Methods for Providing
Development Guideline
Information to the Public and
Developers.

DOU, Community Development Short Term

2. Enforce Existing Development
Guidelines.

DOU, Community Development Short Term and Ongoing

3. Improve the Building Permit
Process with Respect to
Floodplain Management.

DOU, Community Development Short Term and Ongoing

4. Continue Implementation of
Phased Development for A99
Natomas Floodplain.

Community Development Short Term

5. Update the Design and
Procedures Manual, On-Site
Design Manual and City code to
include new development
requirements in the A99 Natomas
Floodplain.

Department of Utilities Short Term

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION ITEMS

1. Continue National Incident
Management System (NIMS) and
Standardized Emergency
Management System (SEMS)
Exercises and training within
DOU
DOU, OEM Short Term

2. Continue Exercise and Training
Program within DOU
DOU Annually

3. Conduct Ongoing Emergency
and Recovery Planning and
Development
OEM, DOU Short Term

4. Develop a Disaster Housing Plan OEM Short Term

5. Develop Intergovernmental Flood
Management and Control
City of Sacramento, DOU, ARFCD,
RD1000, SAFCA, USACE, DWR
Long Term

6. Increase Public Education Efforts OEM, PIO, DOU Short Term

7. Coordinate Outreach Efforts OEM, PIO, DOU Short Term

8. Enhance Public Alert and
Notification
OEM, SPD Long Term

9. Increase Personal Preparedness
of City Staff
OEM Short Term

10.Develop a Coordination and
Information Reporting System
OEM Short Term

11.Substantial Damage Assessment
Training
DOU, CDD Short Term
City of Sacramento A.2
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Action Responsible Office Schedule

12.Develop Post-Disaster Briefing
Memo for Elected Officials
DOU, OEM, CDD Short Term

13.Participate in Risk MAP Process DOU, OEM Long Term

14.Review City’s Flood Warning
System
DOU (for City sensors), OEM Short Term

15.Develop a Post-Earthquake
Remediation Plan, if required by
ULDC
DOU, OEM, SAFCA, RD1000,
ARFCD, MA 9
Long Term

16.Flood Relief Plan, if required by
the ULDC
DOU, OEM, SAFCA Long Term

LEVEE AND OTHER STRUCTURAL IMPROVEMENTS ACTION ITEMS

1. Support Local Efforts to Improve
Flood Facilities
DOU, Engineering Services,
Community Development, elected
officials
Short term and ongoing

2. Plan and Implement
Modernization Phase of Levee
Accreditation and ULDC
DOU, Engineering Services Long term

3. Participate in Regional Flood
Management Plan
DOU, Engineering Services Short term and ongoing

INTERNAL DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS ACTION ITEMS

1. Pursue Grant Funding for
Drainage Improvements
Engineering Services, Business
Services
Short term and ongoing

2. Evaluate and Explore
Regulatory Fee Implementation
DOU Public Information Office,
Engineering Services, Business
Services
Long term

3. Develop Drainage Master Plans Engineering Services Short term and ongoing

4. Update the 2021 Watershed
Management Plan (WMP)
Engineering Services Short-term and ongoing

5. Master Generator Plan for BackUp Pump Station PowerEngineering Services, Business Services
Short term

6. Drainage Projects for Repetitive
Loss Properties
Engineering Services, Business
Services
Short term and ongoing

NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM/COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM

1. Reassess the Flood Insurance
Coverage Assessment (FIA)
and Coverage Improvement
Plan (CP) as Part of the
Program for Public Information
(PPI) every CRS verification
cycle visit
DOU Ongoing

2. Continue to Distribute a
Brochure for Real Estate
Agents to Provide to Their
Potential Buyers
DOU Public Relations Ongoing

3. Continue to Provide Property
Owners with an Opportunity for
a City Staff Site Visit for
Providing Property Protection
Advice
DOU Engineering Staff Ongoing

4. Continue to maintain a
Memorandum of Agreement
with the County of Sacramento
for Flood Control Planning of
DOU Ongoing
City of Sacramento A.3
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Action Responsible Office Schedule
the South Sacramento County
Streams

5. Increase the Freeboard for
Development to 2.0 Feet above
the Base Flood Elevation
(BFE)
DOU, CDD Medium term

6. Write a Levee Failure
Response Plan for Critical
Facilities
DOU, OEM Short to medium term

7. Petition FEMA for Modifications
to the NFIP that would make
Reduced-Cost Flood Insurance
Available for Urban Areas
Protected by Levees by
Creating a New Flood Zone
DOU Long term

8. Alleviate the Workload in
Administering the NFIP
Program
DOU Short to medium term

9. Partner with the State, FEMA
and Local Entities on Flood
Risk Outreach
DOU Public Relations Ongoing

10.The City will maintain a CRS
Level 3 Designation
DOU Medium term and ongoing

11.Develop a Dam Outreach
Brochure on an annual basis
DOU Ongoing

12.Continue to participate in the
Northern Central CRS User
Group
DOU Short term and ongoing

LEVEE SECURITY ACTION ITEMS

1. Incorporate levee security risk
information in flood risk
outreach material and
presentations
Engineering Services, Security and
Emergency Preparedness
Short term and ongoing

3. Enhance intrusion detection
capability
Operations and Maintenance,
Engineering Services, Business
Services, Security and Emergency
Preparedness
Short term and ongoing

4. Annual Review and Update Engineering Services, Security and Emergency Preparedness
Short term and ongoing

APPENDIX B

RISK COMMUNICATION (PPI) PLANNING

PROCESS DOCUMENTATION

APPENDIX B

RISK COMMUNICATION (PPI)

PLANNING PROCESS DOCUMENTATION
City of Sacramento B.1
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Program for Public Information (PPI) Committee
• Meeting # 1 – July 23rd, 2014 – Agenda and Sign-In Sheet • Meeting # 2 – September 10th, 2014 – Agenda
• Meeting # 3 – October 29th, 2014 – Agenda and Email Announcement • Meeting # 4 – April 7th, 2017 – Agenda, Program for Public Information Evaluation Report, and Public Information and Flood Response Projects • Meeting # 5 – July 16th, 2019 – Agenda, Program for Public Information Evaluation Report, and Public Information and Flood Response Projects • Meeting # 6 – June 9th, 2021 – Agenda, Program for Public Information Evaluation Report, and Public Information and Flood Response Projects • Meeting # 7 – September 28, 2022 – Agenda, Zoom Meeting Invitation, Meeting Summary
• Meeting # 8 – November 3, 2023 – Agenda, Public Information and Flood Response Projects, PPI Projects and Initiatives, PPI Evaluation Report City of Sacramento
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Meeting #1 Documentation
July 23, 2014
City of Sacramento
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
City of Sacramento
Program for Public Information Committee (PPIC) Agenda
July 23rd, 2014 – 6:00 PM

1. Introductions

2. Background on the Community Rating System (CRS) Program and Activity 330 - Program for Public Information

3. Identification of flooding problems affecting Sacramento (flood hazards, exposed buildings, and flood insurance coverage)

4. Inventory of existing public information and outreach efforts

5. Identify target areas (portions of the community that should be covered by the PPI Program)

6. Identify target audiences (Identify groups of people who needs special messages on flood protection)

7. Questions

8. Adjourn
City of Sacramento
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
City of Sacramento
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Meeting #2 Documentation
September 10, 2014
City of Sacramento
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
City of Sacramento
Program for Public Information Committee (PPIC) Agenda
September 10th, 2014 – 6:00 PM

1. Introductions

2. Review of previous meeting
a. Identification of target areas
b. Identification of target audiences

3. Define outreach project messages

4. Identify outreach projects to disseminate the messages

5. Questions

6. Adjourn
City of Sacramento
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Meeting #3 Documentation
October 29, 2014
City of Sacramento
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
City of Sacramento
Program for Public Information Committee (PPIC) Agenda
October 29th, 2014 – 6:00 PM
Belle Cooledge Library, 5600 S. Land Park Dr., Sacramento, CA

1. Review of previous meeting (September 11th)
a. Six priority topics
b. Other topics
c. Formulate messages and outcomes

2. Examine other outreach project initiatives

3. Evaluate Flood Response Preparations

4. Questions

5. Adjourn
City of Sacramento
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
City of Sacramento
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
City of Sacramento
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Meeting #4 Documentation
April 7, 2017
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 1
916-808-1400 April 7, 2017
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Program for Public Information Evaluation Report
(May 2016 – April 2017)
Community Rating System Program
The City of Sacramento (City) has been actively participating in the Community Rating System (CRS) program since 1992. CRS is a component of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It provides a reduction to flood insurance premiums to residents and businesses within participating communities. The reductions are based on a community’s flood hazard mitigation programs, including risk communication activities. The City of Sacramento is currently a Class 5 providing a discount up to 25% for residents and businesses.

Even before joining the CRS program, the City, through many departments and in coordination with various stakeholders and outside agencies, has prepared multiple independent outreach messages to educate the public on the hazards associated with flooding. Because of the independent approaches to outreach, in 2014, the City prepared a Program for Public Information (PPI) by following the guidelines in the 2013 CRS Manual. The City’s PPI, prepared through a committee made up of City staff and stakeholders, is now an ongoing effort to prepare, implement, and monitor a range of public information activities best suited for the community’s flood problems.

The PPI is part of the 2016 Comprehensive Flood Management Plan, which was adopted by City Council in May 2016.

PPI Committee Annual Evaluation Meeting
Annually, the City must monitor the implementation of the outreach projects with the PPI Committee. An assessment is made as to whether the desired outcomes are achieved and what, if anything, should be changed.

The PPI Committee met on Friday, April 7, 2017 at 10:00am. See Attachment 1 for agenda. The Committee members are as follows:

City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 2
916-808-1400 April 7, 2017
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
The committee was provided with new outreach materials and an update to Table 7.8 from the PPI.

Assessment of Outreach Projects
A total of 30 Outreach Projects (OP) and 7 flood response preparation (FRP) projects are listed in the City’s PPI.

Each of the projects were reviewed and evaluated. In addition, the City introduced the new real estate brochures for real estate agents and potential homebuyers, the updated Repetitive Loss Area Analysis (RLAA), the Insurance Coverage Improvement Plan goals, and the “Be Flood Ready” website improvements. City staff also reviewed the FRP projects with the committee.

A more detailed assessment of each OP is included in Attachment 2. Attachment 3 is the revised Table 7.8 that contains the recommendations from the PPI Committee.

Committee Members Title
Connie Perkins
Senior Engineer, City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities, Floodplain Management
Jessica McCabe Program Analyst, City of Sacramento, Public Relations Remi Mendoza (replaced
JimMcDonald )
Associate Planner, City of Sacramento, Community Development Department Lisa Deklinski
Program Specialist, City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities Emergency Operation Center
Kelly Sherfey (replaced Nancy Dorfer)
Program Analyst, City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities, Floodplain Management
BG Heiland Floodplain Resident
Tom Reavey Floodplain Resident
Alan Haynes Floodplain Resident
Sam Yee Real Estate Agent, Lyons
Jeff Beck Flood Insurance Agent, Jeffrey Beck Insurance Services Ashley Sanchez Willard Local mortgage lender, Land Home Financial Services Kevin Littlefield Local mortgage lender, Capital City Lending City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 3
916-808-1400 April 7, 2017
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
There was a consensus in the Committee that the current PPI has been and continues to be effective in getting the messages out to the community.

Recommendations/Developments for Outreach Projects
There were several recommendations and development of outreach projects to improve the PPI in FY 2017/2018. • With all of the changes over recent years with the NFIP, the committee recommended that an additional Coverage Improvement Plan goal be added that would address changes in premiums. The goal would be to reduce the amount of policy rating errors found within the community. This goal will be achieved through an additional outreach project that targets residents who are paying above normal premiums for their flood zone. The City will also work with Congresswoman Doris Matsui to assist in this effort.

Congresswoman Matsui promotes the importance of flood insurance through her website and newsletter. • In the future, add an “Adopt a Drain” program where residents would be able to adopt a drain from a website. That resident would be responsible for keeping it clean from debris during rain storms. This has been very successful in other communities.
• The NFIP is now sending Flood Risk Notifications on an annual basis. It was added as an Outreach Project and part of the Insurance Coverage Improvement Plan.
• Real Estate brochures for real estate agents and potential buyers were created and distributed to the Sacramento Association of Realtors. Electronic and professional hard copies of the brochures were provided. The City added information on Magpie Creek, which is our local floodplain that potential buyers are not aware that it is a floodplain. These are newly implemented outreach projects, so the impact of this outreach will be monitored over the next year. However, the initial introduction of the information was well received by the real estate community.
• “Be Flood Ready” Website improvements include:
o More user-friendly
o Promotion of floodplain management for kids and schools; o Added FloodSmart link;
o Added Real Estate Brochures;
o Added FEMA grant flyers; and
o Added 200-year flood map with paragraph explaining the new State requirements.

Flood Response Preparations (FRP) Material Review
The committee reviewed the FRP materials (i.e., press releases, handouts). With the recent storms at the beginning of 2017, City staff asked the committee if any additional outreach material would have been helpful during the storms. The only recommendation was adding brochures on, “How to File an Insurance Claim”. The City will be utilizing flyers from Red Cross and FEMA for this new FRP project. The committee determined that the rest of the materials were still current and appropriate.

City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 4
916-808-1400 April 7, 2017
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Insurance Coverage Improvement Plan
One of the City’s desired outcomes was increasing the number of flood insurance policies. The number of policies increased in 2016, but dropped down in 2017. This desired outcome is hard to measure with all the recent flood insurance rate map and NFIP changes.

City of Sacramento Flood Insurance Policies
Year Total SFHA X/AR/A99 PRP Average
Premium
Community CRS Savings
January 2017 42,223 352 25,522 16,349 $ 465 $ 1,533,010 February 2016 43,937 360 22,170 21,407 $ 472 $ 1,401,157 April 2015 41,967 372 13,350 28,245 $ 514 $ 1,056,896
The committee also discussed having the additional outreach project (discussed in the first bullet above) be part of Coverage Improvement Plan. The additional outreach project will address the recent changes in insurance premiums. The City has been successful so far through current outreach activities in reducing the average premium within the community, but a concentrated effort is needed to reach long-term policy holders that are not aware of premium reductions due to changes in flood zones and policies.

Repetitive Loss Area Analysis
The City staff discussed the survey distributed to the repetitive loss areas. City staff walked the neighborhood, dropping off surveys, and talked to the residents about flooding in their neighborhood. The majority of flooding was from undersized drainage pipes causing street flooding and grading issues. The City received four surveys back from the repetitive loss areas. The revised Repetitive Loss Area Analysis report is on the website, and the public comment deadline is April 14, 2017.

Open Space Education
The main natural function open space within the City is the American River Parkway. The American River Parkway foundation continues to provide an American River Parkway Map which highlights recreational areas, the Parkway’s history, and many habitats located within the Parkway. The committee recommended in the original PPI that the City coordinate information material in the future with the American River Parkway Foundation, which is still one of our goals.

Stream Dumping Regulations
The Committee discussed how the City continues to have No Dumping Signs on our creeks and rivers, stenciling on our storm drain inlets, and a citywide mailer. The City also will soon implement a Trash Total Maximum Daily Load, which is being enforced by the State Water Boards. This will assist further in keeping trash out of the City’s waterways.

City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 5
916-808-1400 April 7, 2017
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Flood Protection Assistance
The Committee discussed how the City still provides flooding information or property protection assistance to the public. In the light of recent storms and the Repetitive Loss Area Analysis, more interest has been generated around financial assistance. Staff has used FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant handouts to explain the different options and what may be beneficial to the resident. The Committee recommended that the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant brochures be added to the PPI outreach projects.

Levee and Dam Safety
The committee discussed the outreach projects regarding levee and dam safety. The California Department of Water Resources sent out their annual Flood Risk Notification in October 2016 on those property owners living behind levees. The City sent out a Dam Safety brochure in the City’s utility bill in December 2016.

This PPI Evaluation Report will be submitted as part of the City’s reverification package on May 19, 2017 and presented to the Sacramento City Council as an informational item.

City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 6
916-808-1400 April 7, 2017
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Attachment 1
Program for Public Information Committee
Annual Review
Agenda
Date and Time: Friday, April 7, 2017
Teleconference: 916-808-1580
Invited Attendees: Jessica McCabe, Remi Mendoza, Tom Reavey, BG Heiland, Alan Haynes, Sam Yee, Jeff Beck, Ashley Sanchez, Bobby Patterson, Kevin Littlefield, Connie Perkins, Kelly Sherfey
Meeting Materials:
▪ Comprehensive Flood Management Plan (CFMP) -
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/Utilities/Education/Flood-Ready/City-Flood-Prep ▪ Flood Ready Website Pages - http://www.cityofsacramento.org/floodready ▪ Documents Attached to Meeting Reminder - Real Estate Brochure, Real Estate Disclosure Flyer, Flood Insurance Policy Statistics

1. Welcome

2. Review of Flood Response Preparation (CFMP Pages E.1 to E.15) a. Review of Flood Response Preparation Projects
b. Evaluation of Projects
c. Future Needs

3. Insurance Coverage Improvement Plan (CFMP Pages 7.17 to 7.23 & Topic B) a. Coverage Improvement Plan Project Review
b. Evaluation of Projects
c. Future Needs

4. Repetitive Loss Area Analysis (CFMP Pages D.1 to D.62) a. Review of Repetitive Loss Area Analysis
b. Discuss Outreach Efforts – Public Comment Period Ends: April 14, 2017 c. Committee Comments

5. Review of the Program of Public Information (CFMP 7.1 to 7.39) a. Outreach Projects Implementation Review (CFMP 7.23 to 7.38) b. Evaluation of Projects
c. Flood Ready Website Updates
d. Future Needs

6. Committee Member Recommendations

ACTION ITEMS
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 7
916-808-1400 April 7, 2017
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Attachment 2
Public Information and Flood Response Projects
The recommended changes are bolded below.

Project
Number
Organization Project Subject Matter Frequency Implementation 2016-2017
OP 1.

City of Sacramento
Department of
Utilities, Floodplain
Management, & PIO
Staff
Flyer in Utility Bill Be Flood Ready
Brochure
Annually -
November November 2016
OP 2.

City of Sacramento
Department of
Utilities, & Floodplain
Management
Repetitive Loss
Outreach
Letter with advice
on property
protection, site
visits, and financial
assistance for
mitigation
measures and Be
Ready Flood
Brochure
Annually – Late
Fall March 2017
OP 3.

City of Sacramento
Department of
Utilities, & Floodplain
Management
Map Inquiry Service
Flood, Hazard
Areas, Insurance,
mandatory
purchase
Year-round Year-round
OP 4.

City of Sacramento
Department of
Utilities, Floodplain
Management, & PIO
Staff
High Water Marks
Program to monitor
and establish high
water marks after
flood events
Year-round Year-round
OP 5.

City of Sacramento
Department of
Utilities, Floodplain
Management, & PIO
Staff
Messages on Transit
Buses
Flood related
messaging Annually - Fall February 2017
OP 6.

City of Sacramento
Department of
Utilities, Water Quality
& PIO Staff
No Dumping Signs Signs throughout
floodplain Year-round Year-round
OP 7.

City of Sacramento
Department of
Utilities, Floodplain
Management,
Drainage, & PIO Staff
Flood Protection
Assistance
Drainage problems,
flood protection,
historical flood
damage
Year-round Year-round
OP 8.

City of Sacramento
Department of
Utilities, Floodplain
Management, Water
Quality, California
Department of Water
Resources & PIO
Staff
Various Brochures at
City Offices
How to develop in a
floodplain, living
next to a levee,
stormwater
pollution,
substantial
improvement rule,
permit
requirements
Year-round Year-round
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 8
916-808-1400 April 7, 2017
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
OP 9. California Department
of Water Resources
Levee Flood Protection
Zone Map (Flood Risk
Notification: Living with
Levees)
Indication of
properties
estimated to be at a
depth of greater
than 3 feet
Year-round Year-round
OP 10.

Federal, State, City of
Sacramento and
Sacramento County
Flood Preparedness
Week
Promote
awareness of flood
damage
Annually
November November 2016
OP 11.

City of Sacramento
Department of
Utilities, & Water
Quality
No Dumping Stencils &
Permanent Markers
Promote on storm
drains that only rain
water should go
down drain
Year-round Year-round
OP 12. Office of Emergency
Services Booklets “Are You Prepared” Information Year-round Year-round OP 13. Sacramento Area
Flood Control Agency Newsletter Flood and Levee Information At least
Annually February 2016
OP 14. American River Flood
Control District Newsletter Flood Control Information
At least
Annually
OP 15.

Neighborhood
Services with Council
Members
Community Meetings Emergency
Preparedness Fair
At least 2 per
year
March 2016 –
Dare to Prepare
OP 16.

City of Sacramento –
Several Departments
participate
Earth Day
Information
provided on flood
insurance,
emergency kits,
pay attention during
storm events
Annually - April April 2016
OP 17.

City of Sacramento –
Several Departments
participate with
Council Members
Celebrate Sacramento
Information
provided on flood
insurance, why you
should pay
attention in a flood
event, water
quality, how to
volunteer, etc.

Annually - May May 2016
OP 18.

City of Sacramento –
Several Departments
participate with
Council Members
Celebrate Natomas
Information
provided on flood
insurance, why you
should pay
attention in a flood
event, water
quality, how to
volunteer
Annually -
September
September
2016
OP 19.

City of Sacramento
Department of
Utilities, & OES
Levee Breach Scenario
Maps – 18 Rescue
Areas
Website mapping
which shows “Red “
rescue areas where
water has the
potential to reach 1’
in 2 hours
Year-round Year-round
OP 25. California Nature
Conservancy
Conserving Natural
Resources in California
Newsletters and
website Information
on natural &
beneficial functions
of floodplains
Year-round Year-round
OP 26. Real Estate Agents
and Lenders
Real Estate Agent’s
Brochure
Brochure for
potential
homebuyers to
provide floodplain
information
Year-round Year-round
OP 27. City of Sacramento
Department of Utilities Flood Ready Website
Provides
information on all
flood related topics
Year-round Year-round
OP 28. American River
Parkway Foundation
The American River
Parkway Brochure
Provides
information on
wildlife, habitat
protection, and
recreational
activities
Year-round Year-round
OP. 29
National Flood
Insurance Program
(NFIP)
NFIP Risk Notification
Mailing
Provides flood
insurance holders
with flood risk
information for
their area
Annually Annually
OP.30 Congresswoman
Doris Matsui’s Office
Flood Insurance
Promotion: Web Page
and Community
Newsletter
Congresswoman
Matsui promotes
the importance of
flood insurance
through her
website and
newsletter
Year-round Year-round
Flood Response Projects
Project
Number Organization Project Subject Matter Frequency
FRP 1.

Primary: Public
Information Officer
and City Manager
Secondary:

Community
Development
Department and
Depart of Utilities
Media Release (TV and
Radio and Newspapers)
Various floodrelated topics (Turn
around, evacuation,
sandbags,
Substantial
Damage, etc.)
During and
after a flood
event
January 2017-
March 2017
FRP 2.

Emergency
Operations Center
and Public Information
Officer
Everbridge/Emergency
Broadcast System
Use Everbridge
and EBS to notify
residents of
information during
a flood
During a flood
event
Not needed in
recent storms
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 10
916-808-1400 April 7, 2017
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
FRP 3.

Primary: Public
Information Officer
and Neighborhood
Services Secondary:

Community
Development
Department and
Depart of Utilities
Media Release and
Post of Social Media
(Facebook, Twitter,
Next Door, and others)
Various floodrelated topics (Turn
around, evacuation,
sandbags,
Substantial
Damage, etc.)
During and
after a flood
event
January 2017-
March 2017
FRP 4.

Department of
Utilities, Operations &
Maintenance, Water
Quality Lab
Drinking Water Quality
Incident Response
Prevent
consumption of
contaminated water
after a flood.

Outreach materials
drafted, translated
and delivered to
warehouse.

During and
after a flood
event, if needed
January 2016
FRP 5.

Department of
Utilities, Operations &
Maintenance
Combined Sewer
System Warning Signs
Signage posted
after flood to
prevent people
from entering
potentially
contaminated water
During and
after a
Combined
Sewer System
flood event
(including street
flooding events)
January 2017-
March 2017
FRP 6.

Primary: Police
Secondary: Code
Enforcement, Building
Department, and
Department of Utilities
After flood event
handouts when in the
field
Re-entry safety,
permit &
reconstruction
requirements, flood
protection methods
Upon re-entry
of flooded
areas
Not needed in
recent storms
FRP 7.

Neighborhood
Services and
Department of Utilities
Handouts on flood
Insurance claim
information and grant
funding opportunities
Provide information
to residents and
business on how to
file a flood
insurance claim
and what grant
funding
opportunities may
be available for
recovery
After a flood
event
Not needed in
recent storms
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 11
916-808-1400 April 7, 2017
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Attachment 3
Revised Table 7.8
The recommended changes are bolded below.

Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder Outreach Projects

Outdoor ad
placement
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & PIO
Oct. each
year
N/A
OP 6. No
Dumping
Signs
City of
Sacramento
Department
Dept. of
Utilities, Water
Quality, & Solid
Waste
Year-round N/A
OP 8.

Various
Brochures at
City offices
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities -FPM
Year-round DWR/
CVFPB

1. Entire City
(continued)
(continued)
E. Build
Responsibly
F. Protect
Natural
Floodplain
Functions
(continued)
OP 10.

Flood
Preparedness Week
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities – FPM
& PIO
Nov. each
year
Sacramento
County/DWR/USACE/
USGS
OP 12. ”Are
You
Prepared”
Booklets
Office of
Emergency
Services
Year-round N/A
OP 13.

Flood and
Levee
Newsletter
SAFCA Annually SAFCA
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 12
916-808-1400 April 7, 2017
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder I. General
Preparedness
OP 14.

Flood Wise
Newsletter
ARFCD Annually ARFCD
OP 15.

Emergency
Preparedness fair
Department of
Parksand
RecreationNeighborhood
Services and
City Council
Twice+ per
year
N/A
OP 16, 17 &

18. Earth
Day,
Celebrate
Sacramento,
Natomas
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities, PIO,
OES, Police,
Fire
April, May,
September N/A
OP 19. Dam
Safety
Outreach
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Annually
late fall N/A
OP 7. Flood
Protection
Assistance
Dept. Utilities Year-round N/A
OP 25.

Website &
Newsletter
on NBF of
Floodplain
California
Nature
Conservancy
Year-round California Nature
Conservancy

Flood Ready
Website
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round N/A
OP 28. The
American
River
Parkway
Brochure
American River
Parkway
Foundation
Year-round American River
Parkway Foundation
OP. 29
Flood Zone
Risk
Notification
NFIP Risk
Notification
Mailing
Annually
National Flood
Insurance Program
(NFIP)
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 13
916-808-1400 April 7, 2017
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder OP.30.

Flood
Insurance
Promotion of
Website &
Newsletter
Congresswoma
n Doris Matsui’s
Office
Year-round Congresswoman
Doris Matsui’s Office

2.School
Children
A. Know
your flood
hazard
C. Protect
people from
the flood
hazard
D. Protect
your
property
from the
hazard
F. Protect
Natural
Floodplain
Functions
H. Flood
Education
A. 1,3 & 4
C. 1,2 & 3
D. 2,4 & 5
F. 1, 2, 3
H. 1 & 2
OP 11.

No dumping
stencils &
permanent
markers
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & Water
Quality
Year-round N/A
OP 20.

SPLASH
Program
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & Water
Quality
Quarterly N/A
OP 27.

Flood Ready
Website
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round N/A

Flood
Insurance
Information
Insurance
Agents Year-round Insurance Agents
OP 26. Real
Estate
Agent’s
Brochure
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & Real
Estate Agents
Develop by
October 1,
2016
Real Estate Agents
and Lenders
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 14
916-808-1400 April 7, 2017
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder OP 27.

Flood Ready
Website
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round N/A
Target Area

2.Repetitive
Loss
Properties
(Areas)
A. Know
your flood
hazard
B. You need
flood
insurance
C. Protect
people from
the flood
hazard
D. Protect
your
property
from the
hazard
E. Build
Responsibly
F. Protect
Natural
Floodplain
Functions
I. General
Preparednes
s
A. 1, 3 & 4
B. 1,2, 3 & 4
C. 2 & 3
D.1,2,3,4,5,6
E. 1 & 2
F. 1,2,& 3
I. 1, 2 & 3
OP 2.

Repetitive
Loss
Outreach
Mailing
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Annually
late fall N/A
OP 7. Flood
Protection
Assistance
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round N/A

4.Vulnerable
Populations
A. Know
your flood
hazard
B. You need
flood
insurance
C. Protect
people from
the flood
hazard
D. Protect
your
property
from the
hazard
E. Build
Responsibly
I. General
Preparednes
s
A. 1,2, 3 & 4
B. 1,2, 3 & 4
C. 2 & 3
D.1,2,3,4,5,6
E. 1 & 2
I. 1, 2 & 3
OP 1. Be
Ready Flood
Brochure
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & PIO
Nov. each
year
N/A
OP 5.

Messages
on Transit
Buses
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & PIO
Annually -
October N/A
OP 9. Levee
Zone
Protection
Map
California
Department of
Water
Resources
Annually
September DWR
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 15
916-808-1400 April 7, 2017
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder

5. Political
Leaders (See
Entire list of
City Wide
Projects in 1.

Above)
See 1 above See 1 above
Adopt and
Fund the
PPI
Mayor and City
Council N/A N/A

6. Language
Barriers
A. Know
your flood
hazard
B. You need
flood
insurance
C. Protect
people from
the flood
hazard
D. Protect
your
property
from the
hazard
E. Build
Responsibly
F. Protect
Natural
Floodplain
Functions
I. General
Preparedness
A. 1, 2,3 & 4
B. 1,2, 3 & 4
C. 2 & 3
D.1,2,3,4,5,6
E. 1 & 2
F. 1,2,& 3
I. 1, 2 & 3
OP 22.

Translation
services
available on
flood-related
information
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities PIO,
OES
Year-round N/A
OP 23. BiLingual
Insurance
Agents
(Spanish
and Asian
Languages
Bi-Lingual
Insurance
Agents
(Spanish and
Asian
Languages) As
Needed
Year-round Insurance Agents
Target Areas

3.Natomas
(North
Natomas/
South
Natomas)

4.Greenhaven/
Pocket

5.Riverpark
Neighborhood
by Sac State

FEMA’s
High Water
Mark
Initiative
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & PIO
Year-round DWR/USACE/USGS/
FEMA
OP 9. Levee
Flood
Protection
Zone Map
(DWR Flood
Risk
Notification)
DWR Annually -
September

DWR/FEMA/
Cal EMA/

CVFPB/ USACE
OP 15.

Emergency
Preparedness Fair
Office of
Emergency
Services
2 per year N/A
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 16
916-808-1400 April 7, 2017
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder Note: All
projects in
Target
Audience #1
(Entire City)
also apply to
these target
areas
F. Protect
Natural
Floodplain
Functions
G. Levee
Preparednes
s
I. General
Preparednes
s
OP 24.

Levee
Breach
Scenario
Mapping for
18 Rescue
Areas
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round Sacramento County
OP 27.

Flood Ready
Website
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round N/A
OP.30.

Flood
Insurance
Promotion
of Website
&
Newsletter
Congresswoma
n Doris Matsui’s
Office
Year-round Congresswoman
Doris Matsui’s Office
Flood Response Projects

1.Entire City
A. Know
your flood
hazard Risks
C. Protect
people from
the flood
hazard
A. 1, 2, 3, 4
& 5
C. 1, 2, 3, 4
& 5
FRP 1. Press
Release (TV,
Radio,
Newspaper)
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & PIO
Release at
first flood
notice
N/A
FRP 3. Press
Release
(Website,
Social Media)
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & PIO
Release at
first flood
notice
N/A
FRP 6. After
flood event
handouts
Community
Development &
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Develop by
May1, 2015 N/A
FRP 2.

Everbridge OES & PIOs
Release at
first flood
notice
N/A
FRP 4.

Drinking
Water Quality
Communicatio
n (Website)
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Release
once water
is
determined
to be
compromis
ed
N/A
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 17
916-808-1400 April 7, 2017
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder

3. Flood
Damaged
Property
D. Protect
your
property
from the
hazard
E. Build
Responsibly
D. 1,2,4,6
E. 1,2,3
FRP 6. After
flood event
handouts
Community
Development &
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Leave at
damaged
structure
during
inspection
and/or
provide to
owners
upon reentry of
area
N/A
FRP 7. Flood
insurance
and grant
information
handouts
Neighborhood
Services & City
of Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Leave at
damaged
structure
during
inspection
and/or
provide to
owners
upon reentry of
area
N/A
City of Sacramento
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Meeting #5 Documentation
July 16, 2019
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 1
916-808-1400 August 19, 2019
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Program for Public Information Evaluation Report
(July 2018 – June 2019)
Community Rating System Program
The City of Sacramento (City) has been actively participating in the Community Rating System (CRS) program since 1992. CRS is a component of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It provides a reduction to flood insurance premiums to residents and businesses within participating communities. The reductions are based on a community’s flood hazard mitigation programs, including risk communication activities. The City of Sacramento is currently a Class 2 providing a discount up to 40% for residents and businesses.

The PPI is part of the 2016 Comprehensive Flood Management Plan, which was adopted by City Council in May 2016.

The PPI Committee met on Tuesday, July 16, 2019 at 9:00am. See Attachment 1 for agenda. The Committee members are as follows:

City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 2
916-808-1400 August 19, 2019
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Assessment of Outreach Projects
A total of 30 Outreach Projects (OP) and 7 Flood Response Preparation (FRP) projects are listed in the City’s PPI.

Each of the projects were reviewed and evaluated. The OPs provide the public with information needed to increase flood hazard awareness and to motivate actions to reduce flood damage, encourage flood insurance coverage, and protect the natural functions of floodplains. In addition, the City introduced the new real estate brochures for real estate agents and potential homebuyers, the updated Repetitive Loss Area Analysis (RLAA), the Insurance Coverage Improvement Plan goals, and the “Be Flood Ready” website improvements. City staff also reviewed the FRP projects with the committee.

A more detailed assessment of each OP is included in Attachment 2.

There was a consensus in the Committee that the current PPI has been and continues to be effective in communicating the Flood Ready messages to the community.

Committee Members Title
Neal Joyce Supervising Engineer, City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities, Floodplain Management
Bradley Howard Assistant Engineer, City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities, Floodplain Management
Jessica McCabe Program Analyst, City of Sacramento, Public Relations Remi Mendoza Associate Planner, City of Sacramento, Community Development Department Lisa Deklinski Program Specialist, City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities Emergency Operation Center
BG Heiland Floodplain Resident
Tom Reavey Floodplain Resident
Alan Haynes Floodplain Resident
Sam Yee   Real Estate Agent, Lyons
Jeff Beck Flood Insurance Agent, Jeffrey Beck Insurance Services Ashley Sanchez Willard   Local mortgage lender, Land Home Financial Services Kevin Littlefield   Local mortgage lender, Capital City Lending City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 3
916-808-1400 August 19, 2019
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Recommendations/Developments for Outreach Projects
There were several recommendations and development of outreach projects to improve the PPI in FY 2018/2019.  Based on the success of the 2018 flood preparedness event the recommendation was made that the City should continue to host a citywide event that educates residents on how to become Flood Ready and what the City and fellow stakeholders are willing to do during a flood event.  Continued effort should be made to market this event to schools and bring in children.  Participation in this year’s PPI review was limited. Several past members had moved out of state or were no longer working in the real estate / flood insurance business. Prior to the next review, a new committee member list should be made in order to obtain increased participation. Among others, staff will seek to include Lon Peterson, DOU Media and Outreach Specialist and Daniel Bower, City Emergency Preparedness manager. These new members may have suggestions for changes to our FRP materials.  It is becoming harder for the city to obtain specific flood insurance premium information for policies held by City residences. This information is used to identify individual policy holders who may be paying too much for flood insurance due to incorrect flood zone information. Unless individual policy data is more easily obtained, it is recommended that this insurance premium review no longer be done on an annual basis.  This project would be better served being done after map revisions. To the extent that it is practicable, this will allow the City to help reduce flood insurance cost for residents who may be paying far more than the PRP rates.  The goal would be to have the individuals pay the lower rate and maintain the policy instead of not renewing their current policy.

Flood Response Preparations (FRP) Material Review
The committee reviewed the FRP materials (i.e., press releases, handouts) and the committee determined that the rest of the materials were still current and appropriate. These materials are the foundation of information to be distributed to the community during and after a flood event.

Insurance Coverage Improvement Plan
One of the City’s desired outcomes was increasing the number of flood insurance policies. The total number of policies has increase. The SFHA policies have decreased, but this may be due to amendments of our flood zones.

The number of policies in the City’s Natomas Basin and X flood zone areas have increase.

City of Sacramento Flood Insurance Policies
Year Total SFHA X/AR/A99 PRP Average
Premium
Community CRS Savings
March 2019 43,400 285 27,762 15,353 $ 435 $ 1,508,853 January 2017 42,223 352 25,522 16,349 $ 465 $ 1,533,010 February 2016 43,937 360 22,170 21,407 $ 472 $ 1,401,157 April 2015 41,967 372 13,350 28,245 $ 514 $ 1,056,896 City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 4
916-808-1400 August 19, 2019
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
The outreach project discussed as the third bullet point recommendation above may have also influenced a drop in SFHAs. This letter typically targeted policies that were paying SFHA rates after their property had been mapped into a new X flood zone. This is an effective outreach project but will better serve the community if it is conducted mainly after larger areas within the city are remapped.

Repetitive Loss Area Analysis
The City staff discussed the new properties to add to the 2021 Repetitive Loss Area Analysis. Based on flood insurance claims made during recent storm events, it is recommended that areas within regions 2, 3, and 5 be expanded to encompass properties that recently experience storm damage. Also, it is recommended that a new region be created due to a new repetitive loss property within the City. The 2018 repetitive loss area outreach letter was sent to the newly expanded areas.

Stream Dumping Regulations
The Committee discussed how the City continues to have No Dumping Signs on our creeks and rivers, stenciling on our storm drain inlets, and a citywide mailer. It was recommended that Floodplain Management staff reach out to the Water Quality staff to see if they will be implementing new outreach material related to the trash‐free waterways program.

Flood Protection Assistance
The Committee discussed how the City still provides flooding information or property protection assistance to the public. In the light of recent storms and the Repetitive Loss Area Analysis, more interest has been generated around financial assistance. Staff has used FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant handouts to explain the different options and what may be beneficial to the resident. The Committee had no new recommendations on this item.

Levee and Dam Safety
The committee discussed the outreach projects regarding levee and dam safety. The California Department of Water Resources sent out their annual Flood Risk Notification in October 2018 to those property owners living behind levees. The City sent out a Dam Safety brochure in the City’s utility bill in December 2018.

This PPI Evaluation Report will be submitted as part of the City’s August 2019 recertification package and presented to the Sacramento City Council as an informational item.

City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 5
916-808-1400 August 19, 2019
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Attachment 1
Program for Public Information Committee
Annual Review
Agenda
Date and Time: Tuesday, July 16th, 2019
Teleconference: 415-655-0001
Invited Attendees: Bradley Howard, Neal Joyce, Jessica McCabe, Remi Mendoza, Tom Reavey, BG Heiland, Alan Haynes, Sam Yee, Jeff Beck, Ashley Sanchez, Bobby Patterson, Kevin Littlefield
Meeting Materials:
 Comprehensive Flood Management Plan (CFMP) -
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/Utilities/Education/Flood-Ready/City-Flood-Prep  Flood Ready Website Pages - http://www.cityofsacramento.org/floodready

1. Welcome

2. Review of Flood Response Preparation (CFMP Pages E.1 to E.15) a. Review of Flood Response Preparation Projects
b. Evaluation of Projects
c. Future Needs

3. Insurance Coverage Improvement Plan (CFMP Pages 7.17 to 7.23 & Topic B) a. Coverage Improvement Plan Project Review
b. Evaluation of Projects
c. Future Needs

4. Repetitive Loss Area Analysis (CFMP Pages D.1 to D.62) a. Review of Repetitive Loss Area Analysis
b. Discuss Outreach Efforts
c. Committee Comments

6. Member Recommendations

ACTION ITEMS
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 6
916-808-1400 August 19, 2019
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Attachment 2
Public Information and Flood Response Projects
(Table 7.8 from the City’s Comprehensive Flood Management Plan) See Attachment 3 for further explanation of Messages and Outcomes Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder

1. Entire City
(continued)
(continued)
E. Build
Responsibly
F. Protect
Natural
Floodplain
Functions
(continued)
OP 10. Flood
Prepared-ness
Week
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities – FPM
& PIO
Nov. each
year
Sacramento
County/DWR/USACE/
USGS
OP 12. ”Are
You Prepared”
Booklets
Office of
Emergency
Services
Year-round N/A
OP 13. Flood
and Levee
Newsletter
SAFCA Annually SAFCA
OP 14. Flood
Wise
Newsletter
ARFCD Annually ARFCD
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 7
916-808-1400 August 19, 2019
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder I. General
Preparedness OP 15.

Emergency
Prepared-ness
fair
Department of
Parks and
RecreationNeighborhood
Services and
City Council
Twice+ per
year
N/A
OP 16, 17 &

18. Earth Day,
Celebrate
Sacramento,
Natomas
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities, PIO,
OES, Police,
Fire
April, May,
September N/A
OP 19. Dam
Safety
Outreach
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Annually
late fall N/A
OP 7. Flood
Protection
Assistance
Dept. Utilities Year-round N/A
OP 25.

Website &
Newsletter on
NBF of
Floodplain
California
Nature
Conservancy
Year-round California Nature
Conservancy

1. Entire City
(continued)
(continued) (continued) OP 26. Real
Estate Agent’s
Brochure
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & Real
Estate Agents
Develop by
October 1,
2016
Real Estate Agents
and Lenders
OP 27. Flood
Ready
Website
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round N/A
OP 28. The
American
River Parkway
Brochure
American River
Parkway
Foundation
Year-round American River
Parkway Foundation
OP. 29 Flood
Zone Risk
Notification
NFIP Risk
Notification
Mailing
Annually
National Flood
Insurance Program
(NFIP)
OP.30. Flood
Insurance
Promotion of
Website &
Newsletter
Congresswoma
n Doris Matsui’s
Office
Year-round Congresswoman
Doris Matsui’s Office
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 8
916-808-1400 August 19, 2019
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder

2.School
Children
A. Know
your flood
hazard
C. Protect
people from
the flood
hazard
D. Protect
your
property
from the
hazard
F. Protect
Natural
Floodplain
Functions
H. Flood
Education
A. 1,3 & 4
C. 1,2 & 3
D. 2,4 & 5
F. 1, 2, 3
H. 1 & 2
OP 11.

No dumping
stencils &
permanent
markers
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & Water
Quality
Year-round N/A
OP 20.

SPLASH
Program
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & Water
Quality
Quarterly N/A

OP 27. Flood
Ready
Website
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round N/A

3.Real Estate,
Lending, and
Insurance
Companies
A. Know
your flood
hazard
B. You need
flood
insurance
E. Build
Responsibly
A. 1 & 2
B. 1,2,3&4
E. 1,2&3
OP 1. Be
Flood Ready
Brochure
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round NA
OP 3. Map
Inquiry Service
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round NA
OP 21. Real
Estate
Disclosure –
State
Requirement
Real Estate
Agents
Developed
by October
1, 2016
Real Estate Agents
OP 23. Flood
Insurance
Information
Insurance
Agents Year-round Insurance Agents
OP 26. Real
Estate Agent’s
Brochure
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & Real
Estate Agents
Develop by
October 1,
2016
Real Estate Agents
and Lenders
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 9
916-808-1400 August 19, 2019
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder OP 27. Flood
Ready
Website
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round N/A
Target Area

2.Repetitive
Loss Properties
(Areas)
A. Know
your flood
hazard
B. You need
flood
insurance
C. Protect
people from
the flood
hazard
D. Protect
your
property
from the
hazard
E. Build
Responsibly
F. Protect
Natural
Floodplain
Functions
I. General
Preparednes
s
A. 1, 3 & 4
B. 1,2, 3 &
4 C. 2 & 3
D.1,2,3,4,5,
6 E. 1 & 2
F. 1,2,& 3
I. 1, 2 & 3
OP 2.

Repetitive
Loss Outreach
Mailing
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Annually
late fall N/A
OP 7. Flood
Protection
Assistance
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round N/A

4.Vulnerable
Populations
A. Know
your flood
hazard
B. You need
flood
insurance
C. Protect
people from
the flood
hazard
D. Protect
your
property
from the
hazard
E. Build
Responsibly
I. General
Preparednes
s
A. 1,2, 3 &
4 B. 1,2, 3 &
4 C. 2 & 3
D.1,2,3,4,5,
6 E. 1 & 2
I. 1, 2 & 3
OP 1. Be
Ready Flood
Brochure
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & PIO
Nov. each
year
N/A
OP 5.

Messages on
Transit Buses
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & PIO
Annually -
October N/A
OP 9. Levee
Zone
Protection
Map
California
Department of
Water
Resources
Annually
September DWR
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 10
916-808-1400 August 19, 2019
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder

5. Political
Leaders (See
Entire list of
City Wide
Projects in 1.

Above)
See 1 above See 1
above
Adopt and
Fund the PPI
Mayor and City
Council N/A N/A

6. Language
Barriers
A. Know
your flood
hazard
B. You need
flood
insurance
C. Protect
people from
the flood
hazard
D. Protect
your
property
from the
hazard
E. Build
Responsibly
F. Protect
Natural
Floodplain
Functions
I. General
Preparedness
A. 1, 2,3 &
4 B. 1,2, 3 &
4 C. 2 & 3
D.1,2,3,4,5,
6 E. 1 & 2
F. 1,2,& 3
I. 1, 2 & 3
OP 22.

Translation
services
available on
flood-related
information
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities PIO,
OES
Year-round N/A
OP 23. BiLingual
Insurance
Agents
(Spanish and
Asian
Languages
Bi-Lingual
Insurance
Agents
(Spanish and
Asian
Languages) As
Needed
Year-round Insurance Agents
Target Areas

3.Natomas
(North
Natomas/
South
Natomas)

4.Greenhaven/
Pocket

5.Riverpark
Neighborhood
by Sac State

6. Rescue
Areas (Defined
by Levee
Breech
Scenarios)
A. Know
your flood
hazard
B. You need
flood
insurance
C. Protect
people from
the flood
hazard
D. Protect
your
property
from the
hazard
E. Build
Responsibly
A. 1, 2,3 &
4 B. 1,2,3 &
4 C. 2 & 3
D.1,2,3,4,5,
6 E. 1 & 2
F. 1,2,& 3
G. 1,2
I. 1, 2 & 3
OP 4. FEMA’s
High Water
Mark Initiative
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & PIO
Year-round DWR/USACE/USGS/
FEMA
OP 9. Levee
Flood
Protection
Zone Map
(DWR Flood
Risk
Notification)
DWR Annually -
September

DWR/FEMA/
Cal EMA/

CVFPB/ USACE
OP 15.

Emergency
Prepared-ness
Fair
Office of
Emergency
Services
2 per year N/A
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 11
916-808-1400 August 19, 2019
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder Note: All
projects in
Target
Audience #1
(Entire City)
also apply to
these target
areas
F. Protect
Natural
Floodplain
Functions
G. Levee
Preparednes
s
I. General
Preparednes
s
OP 24. Levee
Breach
Scenario
Mapping for
18 Rescue
Areas
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round Sacramento County
OP 27. Flood
Ready
Website
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round N/A
OP.30. Flood
Insurance
Promotion of
Website &
Newsletter
Congresswoma
n Doris Matsui’s
Office
Year-round Congresswoman
Doris Matsui’s Office
Flood Response Projects (FRP)

1.Entire City
A. Know
your flood
hazard Risks
C. Protect
people from
the flood
hazard
A. 1, 2, 3, 4
& 5
C. 1, 2, 3, 4
& 5
FRP 1. Press
Release (TV,
Radio,
Newspaper)
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & PIO
Release at
first flood
notice
N/A
FRP 3. Press
Release
(Website,
Social Media)
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & PIO
Release at
first flood
notice
N/A
FRP 6. After
flood event
handouts
Community
Development &
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Develop by
May1, 2015 N/A
FRP 2.

Everbridge OES & PIOs
Release at
first flood
notice
N/A
FRP 4.

Drinking Water
Quality
Communicatio
n (Website)
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Release
once water
is
determined
to be
compromis
ed
N/A
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 12
916-808-1400 August 19, 2019
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder

Topic Message Outcome(s)
A. Know your flood
hazard

1. Your property is subject to flooding. Call the flood information hotline for details
Increase number of map information services
inquires

2. Your property is in a repetitively flooded area Reduce future repetitive loss properties

3. Don’t drive through flooded streets (know where to
drive and where not to drive)
Reduce damages to vehicles, emergency
rescues, and deaths

4. Pay attention to your escape routes in the rescue
area
Reduce emergency rescues and injury

5. You are in a combine sewer system area.

Drainage water may be contaminated.

Prevent sickness related to contaminated
water
B. You need flood
insurance

1. Turn around don’t drown. Increase number of flood insurance policies

2. Know the flood warning signals Increase number of flood insurance policies

3. Know how to sign up for reverse-911 Everbridge
(Sacramento-Alert)
Reduce damage to contents

4. Lower cost Preferred Risk Policies (PRP) are
available. Check with your insurance agent.

Increase number of PRPs.

C. Protect people from
the hazard

1. Turn around don’t drown Reduce rescues and deaths

2. Know the flood warning signals Reduce rescues and deaths

3. Know how to sign up for reverse-911 Everbridge
(Sacramento-Alert)
Increase in number of Everbridge
(Sacramento-Alert) subscriptions

4. Go to the City’s website or call 311 for drinking
water quality updates
Increased awareness of water quality and
prevents sickness

5. You are in a combine sewer system area.

Drainage water may be contaminated.

Prevent sickness related to contaminated
water
D. Protect your property
from the hazard

1. Elevate HVAC exterior units Reduce number of flood damaged HVAC units

2. Don’t dig, plant or build at the base of a levee Prevent seepage and other problems from human intervention on levees

3. Know encroachment levee regulations. Visit
http://www.cvfpb.ca.gov
Prevent seepage and other problems from
human intervention on levees

4. Don’t begin work without proper permits Reduce red tag violations

5. Don’t throw trash or debris in streams, channels or
open bodies of water
Reduce pollution and overbank flow

6. Grant monies are available to help elevate your
home
Increase financial opportunities
E. Build Responsibly

1. Get a permit before you start construction Reduce citations

2. Know the substantial damage rules Reduce citations

3. Keep areas open (setbacks) between homes and
property lines
Maintain proper drainage
F. Protect natural
floodplain functions

1. Don’t dump in storm drains Improve water quality

2. Report erosion control measures not working Contain erosion on construction sites

3. Don’t disturb natural floodplain areas Reduce grading, fill, and earth movement

4. Protect, preserve, and appreciate our natural
resources
Maintain open space and habitat protection
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 14
916-808-1400 August 19, 2019
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Topic Message Outcome(s)
G. Levee Preparedness

1. Pay attention when your evacuation route is
identified
Reduce number of evacuation rescues

2. Call 311 to report water seepage or suspicious
activities along the levees
Increase community awareness and quicker
response time to potential problems
H. Flood Education

1.Promote floodplain management and NAI concepts Reduce damage to buildings and natural floodplain functions

2.Promote flood education for children Increase flood awareness

3. Promote FEMA’s High Water Mark Initiative Increase flood awareness I. General
Preparedness

1. Identify and document your personal belongings
.

Reduce delays in receiving insurance
payments

2. Prepare emergency flood kit & plan Save important insurance, real estate, and other important documents, pictures, etc. and
know how to contact other family members

MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor Darrell Steinberg and City Council Members
FROM: Bill Busath, Director of Utilities
CC: Rosa Millino, Senior Engineer
Jamie McKinley, Admin Analyst
Tony Bertrand, Engineering and Water Resources Division Manager Neal Joyce, Supervising Engineer, Department of Utilities DATE: 05/27/2022
SUBJECT: 2021 Annual Review of the Program for Public Information Attached is the 2021 Annual Review (Review) of the Program for Public Information (PPI) for your information. The Review is part of the City’s Community Rating System (CRS) annual recertification and is required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to be distributed to the City Council.

The PPI is an ongoing effort to prepare, implement, and monitor a range of public information activities best suited for a community’s flood problems. The objective of CRS credit for a PPI is to provide additional credit for information programs that are designed to meet local needs and that are monitored, evaluated, and revised to improve their effectiveness.

The CRS program is a volunteer program administered by FEMA. It provides lower insurance premiums under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The premium reduction is in the form of a class rating. A Class 1 provides up to a 45% premium reduction. A class 10 provides no reduction. The City is currently at a Class 3, which means up to a 35% reduction on flood insurance premiums. The City has a Class 3 because it implements floodplain management activities above the minimum NFIP requirements.

If you have any questions, please contact Rosa Millino, Senior Engineer at 916-808-1451 or [email protected].

Enclosure: 2021 Annual Report of Program for Public Information City of Sacramento Department of Utilities
916-808-1400
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 1
916-808-1400 May 27, 2022
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Program for Public Information Evaluation Report
(July 2020 – June 2021)
Community Rating System Program
The City of Sacramento (City) has been actively participating in the Community Rating System (CRS) program since 1992. CRS is a component of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It provides a reduction to flood insurance premiums to residents and businesses within participating communities. The reductions are based on a community’s flood hazard mitigation programs, including risk communication activities. The City of Sacramento is currently a Class 3 providing a discount up to 35% for residents and businesses.

Even before joining the CRS program, the City, through many departments and in coordination with various stakeholders and outside agencies, has prepared multiple independent outreach messages to educate the public on the hazards associated with flooding. Because of the independent approaches to outreach, in 2014, the City prepared a Program for Public Information (PPI). The City’s PPI, prepared through a committee made up of City staff and stakeholders, is now an ongoing effort to prepare, implement, and monitor a range of public information activities best suited for the community’s flood problems.

The PPI is part of the City’s Comprehensive Flood Management Plan, which was updated and adopted by City Council in May 2017. This PPI Evaluation Report will also be submitted as part of the City’s August 2022 CRS recertification package and presented to the Sacramento City Council as an informational item.

The PPI Committee met on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, 1:00-2:00pm. See Attachment 1 for agenda. The Committee members are as follows:

City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 2
916-808-1400 May 27, 2022
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Assessment of Outreach Projects
A total of 30 Outreach Projects (OP) and 7 Flood Response Preparation (FRP) projects are listed in the City’s PPI.

Each of the projects were reviewed and evaluated. The OPs provide the public with information needed to increase flood hazard awareness and to motivate actions to reduce flood damage, encourage flood insurance coverage, and protect the natural functions of floodplains. In addition, the City reviewed the real estate brochures for real estate agents and potential homebuyers, the Insurance Coverage Improvement Plan goals, and the “Be Flood Ready” website improvements. City staff also reviewed the FRP projects with the committee.

A more detailed assessment of each OP is included in Attachment 2.

There was a consensus in the Committee that the current PPI has been and continues to be effective in communicating the Flood Ready messages to the community.

Recommendations/Developments for Outreach Projects
There were several recommendations and development of outreach projects to improve the PPI in FY 2021/2022. • Based on the success of the 2020 virtual flood preparedness event the recommendation was made that the City should continue to host a citywide event that educates residents on how to become Flood Ready and what the City and fellow stakeholders are willing to do during a flood event. Continued effort should be made to market this event to schools.

Committee Members Title
Rosa Millino Senior Engineer, City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities, Floodplain Management
Jamie McKinley Program Analyst, City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities, Floodplain Management
Jessica McCabe Program Analyst, City of Sacramento, Public Relations Remi Mendoza
Senior Planner, City of Sacramento, Community Development Department
Brigid Burdock City of Sacramento Resident
Deniece Ross-Francom Real Estate Agent, Dunnigan, REALTORS Ryan Maguire Flood Insurance Agent, State Farm
Allison Benevento Flood Insurance Agent, HUB International City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 3
916-808-1400 May 27, 2022
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
• Participation this year with new committee members for 2021 was successful. Consider including staff from City’s Office of Emergency Management. They may have suggestions for changes to our FRP materials.
• Suggestions for updates to add and clarify language and remove unhelpful links on the Flood Hazard Brochure.
• Recommendations to update City website to include flood ready link on homepage, more messaging about “Turn around, don’t drown” campaign, and sandbagging best practices.

Insurance Coverage Improvement Plan
One of the City’s desired outcomes was increasing the number of flood insurance policies. Although the total number of policies decreased, the number of policies in the City’s Natomas Basin and X flood zone areas have increased as well as the City’s overall savings. The decrease in total policies may have been attributed to the Florin Creek Channel and Multi-use Detention Basin Creek Project. This project resulted in FEMA re-mapping of approximately 600 properties within the Florin Creek floodplain. The new floodplain designation removed the majority of the Special Flood Hazard Area and allowed residents and businesses to be eligible for lower-cost Preferred Risk Policy flood insurance. Also, the COVID pandemic may have attributed to the decrease in overall policies due to financial insecurity.

City of Sacramento Flood Insurance Policies
Year Total SFHA X/AR/A99 PRP Average
Premium
Community CRS Savings
Dec 2021 42,279 183 29,059 13,037 $ 522 $ 1,619,309
March 2019 43,400 285 27,762 15,353 $ 435 $ 1,508,853
January 2017 42,223 352 25,522 16,349 $ 465 $ 1,533,010 February 2016 43,937 360 22,170 21,407 $ 472 $ 1,401,157 April 2015 41,967 372 13,350 28,245 $ 514 $ 1,056,896
Repetitive Loss Area Analysis
The City staff discussed the current Repetitive Loss Area Analysis and concluded that an analysis will be conducted in 2022 once FEMA Headquartersis able to provide a 2021 list of repetitive loss properties. Repetitive loss property list requests to FEMA have been extremely delayed due to the COVID pandemic. Repetitive loss outreach letters were sent out in January 2022 to the most current repetitive loss properties from the City’s last analysis completed in 2019.

City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 4
916-808-1400 May 27, 2022
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Open Space Education
The largest open space within the City is the American River Parkway. The American River Parkway foundation continues to provide an American River Parkway Map which highlights recreational areas, the Parkway’s history, and many habitats located within the Parkway. The committee had no new recommendations for this outreach.

Stream Dumping Regulations
The Committee discussed the City’s practice of requiring No Dumping Signs on our creeks and rivers, stenciling on our storm drain inlets, concrete stamping at new drain inlets, and providing a citywide mailer. It was recommended that Floodplain Management staff reach out to the Water Quality staff to see if they will be implementing new outreach material related to the trash-free waterways program.

Flood Protection Assistance
The Committee discussed how the City still provides flooding information or property protection assistance to the public. Staff has used FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant handouts to explain the different options and what may be beneficial to the resident. The Committee had no new recommendations on this item.

City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 5
916-808-1400 May 27, 2022
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Attachment 1
Program for Public Information Committee
Annual Review
Agenda
DATE AND TIME: June 9, 2021, 1-2PM
ZOOM MEETING: Meeting ID: 926 1118 4392 PW: 608792
INVITED ATTENDEES: Jamie McKinley, Rosa Millino, Jessica McCabe, Remi Mendoza, Brigid Burdock, Deniece Ross-Francom, Ryan Maguire, Allison Benevento, Neal Joyce, Israel Tamiru MEETING MATERIALS:
 Comprehensive Flood Management Plan (CFMP) -
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/Utilities/Education/Flood-Ready/City-Flood-Prep  Flood Ready Website Pages - http://www.cityofsacramento.org/floodready

1. Welcome
a. CRS and the PPI Development

2. Review of Flood Response Preparation (CFMP Pages E.1 to E.15) Pg 293-309 a. Review of Flood Response Preparation Projects
b. Evaluation of Projects
c. Future Needs

3. Insurance Coverage Improvement Plan (CFMP Pages 7.17 to 7.23 & Topic B) Pg 153-159 a. Coverage Improvement Plan Project Review
b. Evaluation of Projects
c. Future Needs

4. Repetitive Loss Area Analysis (CFMP Pages D.1 to D.62) Pg 225-292 a. Review of Repetitive Loss Area Analysis
b. Discuss Outreach Efforts
c. Committee Comments

5. Review of the Program of Public Information (CFMP 7.1 to 7.40) Pg 137-176 a. Outreach Projects Implementation Review (CFMP 7.33 to 7.38) Pg 169-174 b. Evaluation of Projects
c. Future Needs

6. Member Recommendations

ACTION ITEMS
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 6
916-808-1400 May 27, 2022
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Attachment 2
Public Information and Flood Response Projects
(Table 7.8 from the City’s Comprehensive Flood Management Plan) See Attachment 3 for further explanation of Messages and Outcomes Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder

1. Entire City
(continued)
(continued)
E. Build
Responsibly
F. Protect
Natural
Floodplain
Functions
(continued)
OP 10. Flood
Prepared-ness
Week
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities – FPM
& PIO
Nov. each
year
Sacramento
County/DWR/USACE/
USGS
OP 12. ”Are
You Prepared”
Booklets
Office of
Emergency
Services
Year-round N/A
OP 13. Flood
and Levee
Newsletter
SAFCA Annually SAFCA
OP 14. Flood
Wise
Newsletter
ARFCD Annually ARFCD
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 7
916-808-1400 May 27, 2022
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder I. General
Preparedness OP 15.

Emergency
Prepared-ness
fair
Department of
Parks and
RecreationNeighborhood
Services and
City Council
Twice+ per
year
N/A
OP 16, 17 &

18. Earth Day,
Celebrate
Sacramento,
Natomas
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities, PIO,
OES, Police,
Fire
April, May,
September N/A
OP 19. Dam
Safety
Outreach
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Annually
late fall N/A
OP 7. Flood
Protection
Assistance
Dept. Utilities Year-round N/A
OP 25.

Website &
Newsletter on
NBF of
Floodplain
California
Nature
Conservancy
Year-round California Nature
Conservancy

1. Entire City
(continued)
(continued) (continued) OP 26. Real
Estate Agent’s
Brochure
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & Real
Estate Agents
Develop by
October 1,
2016
Real Estate Agents
and Lenders
OP 27. Flood
Ready
Website
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round N/A
OP 28. The
American
River Parkway
Brochure
American River
Parkway
Foundation
Year-round American River
Parkway Foundation
OP. 29 Flood
Zone Risk
Notification
NFIP Risk
Notification
Mailing
Annually
National Flood
Insurance Program
(NFIP)
OP.30. Flood
Insurance
Promotion of
Website &
Newsletter
Congresswoma
n Doris Matsui’s
Office
Year-round Congresswoman
Doris Matsui’s Office
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 8
916-808-1400 May 27, 2022
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder

2.School
Children
A. Know
your flood
hazard
C. Protect
people from
the flood
hazard
D. Protect
your
property
from the
hazard
F. Protect
Natural
Floodplain
Functions
H. Flood
Education
A. 1,3 & 4
C. 1,2 & 3
D. 2,4 & 5
F. 1, 2, 3
H. 1 & 2
OP 11.

No dumping
stencils &
permanent
markers
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & Water
Quality
Year-round N/A
OP 20.

SPLASH
Program
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & Water
Quality
Quarterly N/A
OP 27. Flood
Ready
Website
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round N/A

3.Real Estate,
Lending, and
Insurance
Companies
A. Know
your flood
hazard
B. You need
flood
insurance
E. Build
Responsibly
A. 1 & 2
B. 1,2,3&4
E. 1,2&3
OP 1. Be
Flood Ready
Brochure
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round NA
OP 3. Map
Inquiry Service
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round NA
OP 21. Real
Estate
Disclosure –
State
Requirement
Real Estate
Agents
Developed
by October
1, 2016
Real Estate Agents
OP 23. Flood
Insurance
Information
Insurance
Agents Year-round Insurance Agents
OP 26. Real
Estate Agent’s
Brochure
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & Real
Estate Agents
Develop by
October 1,
2016
Real Estate Agents
and Lenders
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 9
916-808-1400 May 27, 2022
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder OP 27. Flood
Ready
Website
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round N/A
Target Area

2.Repetitive
Loss Properties
(Areas)
A. Know
your flood
hazard
B. You need
flood
insurance
C. Protect
people from
the flood
hazard
D. Protect
your
property
from the
hazard
E. Build
Responsibly
F. Protect
Natural
Floodplain
Functions
I. General
Preparednes
s
A. 1, 3 & 4
B. 1,2, 3 &
4 C. 2 & 3
D.1,2,3,4,5,
6 E. 1 & 2
F. 1,2,& 3
I. 1, 2 & 3
OP 2.

Repetitive
Loss Outreach
Mailing
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Annually
late fall N/A
OP 7. Flood
Protection
Assistance
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round N/A

4.Vulnerable
Populations
A. Know
your flood
hazard
B. You need
flood
insurance
C. Protect
people from
the flood
hazard
D. Protect
your
property
from the
hazard
E. Build
Responsibly
I. General
Preparednes
s
A. 1,2, 3 &
4 B. 1,2, 3 &
4 C. 2 & 3
D.1,2,3,4,5,
6 E. 1 & 2
I. 1, 2 & 3
OP 1. Be
Ready Flood
Brochure
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & PIO
Nov. each
year
N/A
OP 5.

Messages on
Transit Buses
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & PIO
Annually -
October N/A
OP 9. Levee
Zone
Protection
Map
California
Department of
Water
Resources
Annually
September DWR
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 10
916-808-1400 May 27, 2022
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder

5. Political
Leaders (See
Entire list of
City Wide
Projects in 1.

Above)
See 1 above See 1
above
Adopt and
Fund the PPI
Mayor and City
Council N/A N/A

6. Language
Barriers
A. Know
your flood
hazard
B. You need
flood
insurance
C. Protect
people from
the flood
hazard
D. Protect
your
property
from the
hazard
E. Build
Responsibly
F. Protect
Natural
Floodplain
Functions
I. General
Preparedness
A. 1, 2,3 &
4 B. 1,2, 3 &
4 C. 2 & 3
D.1,2,3,4,5,
6 E. 1 & 2
F. 1,2,& 3
I. 1, 2 & 3
OP 22.

Translation
services
available on
flood-related
information
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities PIO,
OES
Year-round N/A
OP 23. BiLingual
Insurance
Agents
(Spanish and
Asian
Languages
Bi-Lingual
Insurance
Agents
(Spanish and
Asian
Languages) As
Needed
Year-round Insurance Agents
Target Areas

3.Natomas
(North
Natomas/
South
Natomas)

4.Greenhaven/
Pocket

5.Riverpark
Neighborhood
by Sac State

DWR/FEMA/
Cal EMA/

CVFPB/ USACE
OP 15.

Emergency
Prepared-ness
Fair
Office of
Emergency
Services
2 per year N/A
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 11
916-808-1400 May 27, 2022
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder Note: All
projects in
Target
Audience #1
(Entire City)
also apply to
these target
areas
F. Protect
Natural
Floodplain
Functions
G. Levee
Preparednes
s
I. General
Preparednes
s
OP 24. Levee
Breach
Scenario
Mapping for
18 Rescue
Areas
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round Sacramento County
OP 27. Flood
Ready
Website
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Year-round N/A
OP.30. Flood
Insurance
Promotion of
Website &
Newsletter
Congresswoma
n Doris Matsui’s
Office
Year-round Congresswoman
Doris Matsui’s Office
Flood Response Projects (FRP)

1.Entire City
A. Know
your flood
hazard Risks
C. Protect
people from
the flood
hazard
A. 1, 2, 3, 4
& 5
C. 1, 2, 3, 4
& 5
FRP 1. Press
Release (TV,
Radio,
Newspaper)
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & PIO
Release at
first flood
notice
N/A
FRP 3. Press
Release
(Website,
Social Media)
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities & PIO
Release at
first flood
notice
N/A
FRP 6. After
flood event
handouts
Community
Development &
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Develop by
May1, 2015 N/A
FRP 2.

Everbridge OES & PIOs
Release at
first flood
notice
N/A
FRP 4.

Drinking Water
Quality
Communicatio
n (Website)
City of
Sacramento
Department of
Utilities
Release
once water
is
determined
to be
compromis
ed
N/A
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 12
916-808-1400 May 27, 2022
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
Outreach Projects (OP)
Target
Audience
Message(s) Outcome Project(s) Assignment Schedule Stakeholder