If your lender says that your property is in a Flood Zone and you must buy flood insurance, you can contact the Engineering Department (760-770-0349) to check the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) , operating under the arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) .

Using your address or APN number, we can determine the Flood Zone for your property. If we determine that your property lies in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) in a zone that begins with the letter "A" or "V", you will need flood insurance. We also have copies of elevation certificates  for most buildings in a SFHA. If we determine that your property lies in a D or X zone, we can provide you with a FIRMette of the area that shows the flood zone, title block with the community name, map panel, number and date of map. If the FIRMette does not show the street your building is on by name, your lender may require a detailed local street map which indicates the location of your property. In most cases, once you submit these maps to your lender for review, they will have enough additional information to refine their original map determination. In cases, where part of your property is in a SFHA, you may need to provide your lender with a map and Elevation Certificate certified by a licensed Land Surveyor or Registered Engineer which shows the elevation of your building. Answer to common questions regarding flood insurance can be answered under our FAQ section. Realtors, lenders, and Insurance agents within the City of Cathedral City can also contact the Engineering Department to find out a Flood Zone for a potential sale or new policy.

If you do not have flood insurance, please call the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to obtain the name of an agent in your area. This program was created by Congress to provide affordable flood insurance. Their toll free number is 1-888-FLOOD29. By getting flood insurance from the same company offering homeowners insurance, you only have to work with one insurance agency when filing a claim. You can pay for insurance - in full, by the month, by cash, check, money order, or credit card. In addition, you can also pay premiums through an escrow account established by your mortgage lender.

The City has Flood Insurance brochures for the general public at the Community Development Department lobby. Many of the brochures available to the public have been recently updated in 2008-2009. Additional FEMA brochures and information can be found online at NFIP Publications  page.

The Elevation Certificate is an important administrative tool of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It is to be used to provide elevation information necessary to ensure compliance with community floodplain management ordinances, to determine the proper insurance premium rate, and to support a request for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or Letter of Map Revision based on fill (LOMR-F).

The Elevation Certificate is required in order to properly rate post-FIRM buildings, which are buildings constructed after publication of the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), located in flood insurance Zones A1-A30, AE, AH, A (with BFE), VE, V1-V30, V (with BFE), AR, AR/A, AR/AE, AR/A1-A30, AR/AH, and AR/AO. The Elevation Certificate is not required for pre-FIRM buildings unless the building is being rated under the optional post-FIRM flood insurance rules. The form can be found on the FEMA Elevation Certificate site .

As part of the agreement for making flood insurance available in a community, the NFIP requires the community to adopt a floodplain management ordinance that specifies minimum requirements for reducing flood losses. One such requirement is for the community to obtain the elevation of the lowest floor (including basement) of all new and substantially improved buildings, and maintain a record of such information. The Elevation Certificate provides a way for a community to document compliance with the community’s floodplain management ordinance. Use of this certificate does not provide a waiver of the flood insurance purchase requirement.

This certificate is used only to certify building elevations. A separate certificate is required for floodproofing. Under the NFIP, non-residential buildings can be floodproofed up to or above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). A floodproofed building is a building that has been designed and constructed to be watertight (substantially impermeable to floodwaters) below the BFE. For both floodproofed non-residential buildings and residential floodproofed basements in communities that have been granted an exception by FEMA, a floodproofing certificate is required.

NFIP: The City of Cathedral City participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which makes federally backed flood insurance available for all eligible buildings, whether they are in a floodplain or not. Flood insurance covers direct losses caused by surface flooding, including a river flowing over its banks, a lake or ocean storm, and local drainage problems. The NFIP insures buildings, including mobile homes, with two types of coverage: building and contents. Building coverage is for the walls, floors, insulation, furnace, and other items permanently attached to the structure. Contents coverage may be purchased separately, if the contents are in an insurable building.

Mandatory Purchasing Requirement: The Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 and the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 made the purchase of flood insurance mandatory for federally backed mortgages on buildings located in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA's). It also affects all forms of Federal or Federally related financial assistance for buildings located in SFHA's. The SFHA is the base (100-year) floodplain mapped on a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). It is shown as one or more zones that begin with the letter "A" or "V". The rule applies to secured mortgage loans from such financial institutions as commercial lenders, savings and loan associations, savings banks, and credit unions that are regulated, supervised, or insured by Federal agencies such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of Thrift Supervision. It also applies to all mortgage loans purchased by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac in the secondary mortgage market.
Federal financial assistance programs affected by the laws include loans and grants from agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, Farmers Home Administration, Federal Housing Administration, Small Business Administration, and the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

How it Works: Lenders are required to complete a Standard Flood Hazard Determination (SFHD) form whenever they make, increase, extend, or renew a mortgage, home equity, home improvement, commercial, or farm credit loan to determine if the building or manufactured (mobile) home is in a SFHA. It is the Federal agency's or the lender's responsibility to check the current Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) to determine if the building is in a SFHA. Copies of the FIRM are available for review in most local government building or planning departments. Lenders may also have copies or they use a flood zone determination company to provide the SFHD form. If the building is in a SFHA, the Federal agency or lender is required by law to require the recipient to purchase a flood insurance policy on the building. Federal regulations require building coverage equal to the amount of the loan (excluding appraised value of the land) or the maximum amount of insurance available from the NFIP, whichever is less. The maximum amount available for a single-family residence is $250,000. Government sponsored enterprises, such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, have stricter requirements. The mandatory purchase requirement does not affect loans or financial assistance for items that are not covered by a flood insurance policy, such as vehicles, business expenses, landscaping, and vacant lots. It does not affect loans for buildings that are not in a SFHA, even though a portion of the property may be. While not mandated by law, a lender may require a flood insurance policy, as a condition of a loan, for a property in any zone on a FIRM. lf you believe that a SFHD form incorrectly places the property in a SFHA, you may request a letter of Determination Review from FEMA. This must be submitted within 45 days of the determination. More information can be found at FEMA'S Standard Flood Hazard Determination Form and Instructions  website.

The National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements. As a result, flood insurance premium rates are discounted to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from the community actions meeting the three goals of the CRS: to reduce flood losses, to facilitate accurate insurance rating, and to promote the awareness of flood insurance.

For CRS participating communities, flood insurance premium rates are discounted in increments of 5%; i.e., a Class 1 community would receive a 45% premium discount, while a Class 9 community would receive a 5% discount (a Class 10 is not participating in the CRS and receives no discount).

The CRS classes for local communities are based on 18 creditable activities, organized under four categories.

Objective: The objective of the CRS is to reward communities that are doing more than meeting the minimum NFIP requirements to help their citizens prevent or reduce flood losses. The CRS also provides an incentive for communities to initiate new flood protection activities. The goal of the CRS is to encourage, by the use of flood insurance premium adjustments, community and State activities beyond those required by the National Flood Insurance Program to:

• Reduce flood losses, e.g.
• Protect public health and safety
• Reduce damage to buildings and contents
• Prevent increases in flood damage from new construction
• Reduce the risk of erosion damage
• Protect natural and beneficial floodplain functions
• Facilitate accurate insurance rating
• Promote the awareness of flood insurance.

Purpose and Scope: When your community participates in the CRS, everyone benefits, including those who don't live or own property in a floodplain. Even when there is no flooding, your community's public information and floodplain management efforts can improve the quality of life, protect the environment, make people safer, and save everyone money.

Additional information regarding the Community Rating System  can be found on the FEMA website.

Questions and Helpful Publications: (Under Construction)

• How does Flood Insurance Work?
• How does the NFIP Work?
• What are some MYTHS & FACTS about the NFIP?
• What is NFIP Summary of Coverage?
• What is Residential Insurance Coverage?
• What is Condo Owner Coverage?
• What is Contents Only Coverage?
• What are facts about Living Behind a Levee?
• What are some Floodsmart facts for the Public?

Flooding and other surface drainage problems can occur well away from a river, lake, or ocean. The City of Cathedral City is especially prone to flooding due to its proximity to the adjacent mountains, with significant storm water runoff generally experienced from time to time in the Whitewater River, Eagle Canyon Creek, Palm Canyon Wash, East and West Cathedral Canyon Channels, Longs Canyon Creek, and Mission Creek. However, many other areas within the City of Cathedral City beyond these natural drainage courses experience flooding. Maps of flood hazard areas are available for review at the Community Development Department, Engineering at Cathedral City City Hall, located at 68700 Avenida Lalo Guerrero. Although much of the City is protected by a variety of flood control improvements, including concrete levees, storm drains, and detention basins, there are areas of the City where properties are located in special flood hazard areas with risk of flooding as a result of severe storms. If you're looking at purchasing a property, it is important to determine if the property is located within a special flood hazard area before you buy. Here's why:

• The force of moving water or waves can destroy a building.
• Slow-moving floodwaters can knock people off their feet or float a car.
• Even standing water can float a building, collapse basement walls, or buckle a concrete floor.
• Water-soaked contents, such as carpeting, clothing, upholstered furniture, and mattresses, may have to be thrown away after a flood.
• Floodwaters are not clean: floods carry mud, farm chemicals, road oil, and other noxious substances that cause health hazards.
• The impact of a flood: clean up, making repairs and the personal losses -can cause great stress to you, your family, and your finances.

Floodplain Regulations: The City of Cathedral City regulates construction and development in special flood hazard areas to ensure that buildings will be protected from flood damage. Elevating flood hazard areas with earth (filling) and similar projects are prohibited in certain areas, specifically within designated floodways. Houses substantially damaged by fire, flood, or any other cause must be elevated to or above the flood level when they are repaired. Specific flood damage prevention regulations may be obtained from the City of Cathedral City Community Development Department and Engineering.

Check for the Flood Hazard: Before you commit yourself to buying property in the City of Cathedral City, you should do the following:

• Ask the City of Cathedral City Community Development and Engineering Department if the property is in a floodplain; if it has ever been flooded; what the flood depth, velocity, and warning time are; if it is subject to any other hazards; and what building or zoning regulations are in effect. They will fill out a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) Information form with the flood zone information for your property.
• Ask the real estate agent if the property is in a floodplain, if it has ever been flooded, and if it is subject to any other hazards, such as sewer backup or subsidence.
• Ask the seller and the neighbors if the property is in a floodplain, how long they have lived there, if the property has ever been flooded, and if it is subject to any other hazards.

Flood Protection: A building can be protected from most flood hazards, sometimes at a relatively low cost. New buildings and additions can be elevated above flood levels. Existing buildings can be protected from shallow floodwaters by regrading, berms, or floodwalls, There are other retrofitting techniques that can protect a building from surface or subsurface water.

Flood Insurance: Homeowners insurance usually does not include coverage for a flood. One of the best protection measures for a building with a flood problem is National Flood Insurance, which is purchased through any property insurance agent. If the building is located in a floodplain, flood insurance will be required by most mortgage lenders. Ask an insurance agent how much a flood insurance policy would cost.

Important Note Regarding Flood Insurance: Don't wait for the next flood to buy insurance protection. There is a 30-day waiting period before National Flood Insurance Program coverage takes effect. Contact your insurance agent for more information on rates and coverage.

If you buy a house in a designated high-risk area and receive a mortgage loan from a federally regulated lender, your lender must require that you buy flood insurance. If a high-risk area is determined after you buy a house and you receive a mortgage loan from a federally regulated lender, you lender must require that you buy flood insurance. If refinancing or borrowing money to build, repair, reconstruct, or improve a structure in a flood hazard area, your lender must require that you buy flood insurance.

No. But, you can protect your home, business, and belongings with flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program. You can insure your home with flood insurance for up to $250,000 for the building and $100,000 for the contents.

The average flood insurance policy costs little more than $300 per year for about $100,000 of coverage. In comparison, a disaster home loan can cost you more than $300 per month for $50,000 over 20 years.

You can buy NFIP flood insurance from private insurance companies and agents.

It doesn't matter whether your risk is high, medium, or low, you can buy flood insurance as long as your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program. It's a good idea to buy even in low or moderate risk areas: almost 25 percent of all flood insurance claims come from low-to-moderate risk areas

You can buy flood insurance immediately before or during a Flood. There is a 30-day waiting period after you've applied and paid your premium. There is a 1-day waiting period if the initial purchase of flood insurance is made during the 13-months following a revised flood mapping for a community. The policy does not cover a "loss in progress."

You are still eligible after your home, apartment, or business has been flooded.

The Preferred Risk Policy is available for just over $100 per year. You can insure your home with flood insurance for up to $250,000 for your home and $60,000 for the contents.

Buildings that were constructed prior to the date of the community's first Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) pay an insurance premium based on chargeable rates that are subsidized by tax dollars. Buildings that were built or substantially improved after the issuance of a FIRM are charged actuarially sound insurance rates that fully reflect the building's risk of flooding .

Up to $100,000 contents coverage is available for homeowners and renter. Whether you rent or own your home or business, make sure to ask your insurance agent about contents coverage. It is not automatically included with building coverage.

Up to a total of $1 million of flood insurance coverage is available for non-residential buildings and contents. Up to $500,000 of coverage is available for non-residential building. Up to $500,000 of coverage is available for the contents of non-residential buildings.

There is usually a 30-day waiting period before the coverage goes into effect.  Plan ahead so you're not caught without flood insurance when a flood threatens your home or business.

The NFIP defines basement as any area of a building with a floor that is below ground level on all sides. Flood insurance covers structural elements, essential equipment, and other basic items normally located in a basement. Flood insurance does not cover finished walls, floors, or ceilings, or personal belongings kept in the basement. 

Federal disaster assistance is only available if the President declares a disaster. More than 90 percent of all disasters in the United States are not Presidentially declared. Flood insurance pays even if a disaster is not declared.