In the wake of Asheville flooding, a reminder to check your neighborhood flood risk levels

First off I am not an insurance agent, I am a hydrologist here in Sac. The Asheville floods are resonating with me bc I was there last year and every single place I visited is now gone or destroyed beyond repair. I remember getting a tattoo and the artist was mentioning how safe the city was from natural disasters.

Asheville saw a 100 year flood event, and at some point we will too (see 1862 for last 100-200 year flood https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Flood_of_1862).

Our levees are highly managed and built for that level of flood risk but there are always going to be risk of failure or breaching which will cause water to spread far and wide due to our flat topography. I remember being at a Kings game when the Oroville spillway was collapsing and they told us to get to the nosebleeds for safety even though oroville is 73 miles away. The interconnection of rivers in the area is certainly a unique feature of the Central Valley (bathtub esque).

If I were in a flood zone and not mandated by FEMA, I would suggest at least looking into flood insurance if you own a home. When large, localized natural disasters occur, the federal aid usually can be claimed for those without insurance, however it is not always full proof. At the very least have a prep kit and some sort of inflatable or hard kayak to use in case your car becomes inoperable.

Not to fear monger but just a gentle reminder to think about the future.