September 25, 2023 3:30 a.m.

The City of Roseburg Community Development Department is encouraging local homeowners and other building owners in or near flood zones, to make sure they have sufficient flood insurance and to take steps to protect their properties this fall.

A City release said homes and other buildings located in a Special Floodplain Hazard Area are designated as “high risk” to experience flooding and such buildings that also have government-backed mortgages are required by their lenders to buy flood insurance, which is not covered by most homeowners or non-residential building insurance.

However, the Community Development Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency encourage even homeowners without current mortgages to talk with their insurance agent about flood insurance to help protect their investment and community-wide recovery in the event of a flood.

CDD Director Stuart Cowie said, “Ensuring those with structures inside the City limits and located in the floodplain adhere to FEMA floodplain development guidelines helps the City to maintain a Community Service Rating through the National Flood Insurance Program, which, in turn, creates a lower floodplain insurance premium for all those Roseburg residents who must buy flood insurance”.

The release said currently, 1,405 buildings, including single- and multi-family homes, as well as non-residential commercial, industrial, government/institutional and even public park space – are considered high risk because they’re located in Roseburg’s Special Floodplain Hazard Area along the South Umpqua River, Deer Creek, or Newton Creek. However, only 173 of those buildings – or 12.3 percent are protected by flood insurance according to Floodplain Administrator and senior City Planner, Mark Moffett.

More information about flood risk is contained in an in-depth release at: https://www.cityofroseburg.org/news