Comparisons of Pacific Ocean sea surface height anomalies of what is presently happening in 2015 and during the famous 1997 El Nio. These 1997 and 2015 El Nio animations were made from data collected by the TOPEX/Poseidon (1997) and the OSTM/Jason 2 (2015) satellites. (Jet Propulsion Laboratory / NASA)

The Golden Wheel mobile home park on Oakland Road in San Jose, Calif., is normally just a stone throw from Coyote Creek; however, after this winter El Nino fueled rains, the creek now flows just outside the front door on Feb. 19, 1998. City crews have been busy pumping the water out to help prevent the creek from becoming even more intrusive for residents of the park. (Richard Wisdom/ San Jose Mercury News)

Show CaptionWith the strongest El Ni conditions in nearly 20 years already underway in the Pacific Ocean and chances increasing for heavy storms this winter, federal emergency officials on Friday urged Californians to buy flood insurance even those who don live near creeks or rivers. there ever was a time to buy flood insurance, this is that time. 1978 in California, 37 percent of all flood insurance claims have come as a result of just two winters, 1982 83 and 1997 98 the last two times that strong El Ni conditions similar to this year have occurred. In both of those winters, pounding rainfall caused flooding, mudslides and other damage across the state.

Many property owners who live in hazard areas on flood maps that FEMA publishes are required to buy flood insurance as a cheap jerseys condition of receiving a mortgage loan. But because there are large numbers of renters and people who have paid off their mortgages living near rivers, creeks and shorelines, only 30 to 50 percent of people living in high hazard areas nationwide have flood insurance, Wright said.

Most homeowner insurance policies cover damage if a tree falls through a roof or storms cause other harm, such as blowing patio furniture through a window. But they usually do not cover the damage from flood waters.

Insurance experts and FEMA officials, who spoke at a midmorning news conference, said that people who do not live in flood prone areas can still be at risk for flooding during major, sustained storms. That can happen when storm drains back up and flood neighborhoods, or water runs down hillsides and into homes.

Forecasters say that January, February and March are expected to get the brunt of this winter heavy rainfall across California. There is a 30 day waiting period for new flood insurance policies to go into effect, Wright said Friday.

California current four year drought, and the nearly 20 years that have passed since the state experienced punishing winter rains, have made many residents downplay or forget that wet winters historically have caused major destruction and fatalities.

always say never thought this would happen to me,’ said Nancy Kincaid, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Insurance. if it does, are you prepared to recover without insurance? It can be thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Policies for people outside those high risk areas, which are called risk policies, are cheaper and can range from about $140 to $500 a year, Wright said.

is often within someone reach in terms of the kind of investment they can make to buy down their risk, he said. if you buy that policy for only one year, this is the year to buy it.

In recent months, a number of flash floods and episodes of heavy rain have served as reminders of the risk of rising water. Last week, flash flooding trapped nearly 200 cars and trucks in mudslides up to 6 feet deep on Interstate 5 in Los Angeles County and Highway 58, 30 miles east of Bakersfield.

A month ago, 20 people died in flash floods along the Utah Arizona border. Those killed included 13 children and a sheriff deputy.

Unlike most other kinds of insurance, which consumers buy from private insurance companies, flood insurance is funded through the federal government, due to a 1968 law enacted after many private companies declined to offer policies following heavy losses.

Jamie Court, a consumer advocate, said that people should consider buying flood insurance this year, and everyone should at least check their policies, although some residents probably don need to worry.

don think it a one size fits all, but this is a wake up call, said Court, who is president of Consumer Watchdog in Santa Monica. do have to re evaluate their insurance coverage. This won affect me because I live on top of a hill with good drainage. I very unlikely to sustain flood damage. But on the other hand, people who aren in flood zones could flood if http://www.cheapjerseys11.com/ they are at the bottom of a hill or close to a storm drain. said Friday that homeowners should check their roofs for areas that could leak, caulk drafty windows and doors, and trim dead trees that are near buildings. They also should take videos of their possessions in every room and store that video out of their home, either in the Internet cloud or another location. And they should update emergency kits with flashlights, battery powered radios, bottled water and other supplies.

is the time to do it. Once we get into the rains, it becomes much more difficult to act after the fact, said Ken Katz, national property risk control director at Travelers Insurance. it now. Take it seriously. the Bay Area, some people are already at work.

Jason Alarid, whose family owns Henry Hi Life, a restaurant in downtown San Jose near the Guadalupe River, which flooded in 1995, said he already had crews check his roof, and he talking with his insurance agent about his flood policy.
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