OAKLAND, Calif. — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has delivered preliminary flood maps for San Luis Obispo County. The maps identify revised flood hazards along San Luis Obispo Creek, Huerhuero Creek, Meadow Creek and the Salinas River. These new maps will help building officials, contractors and homeowners make effective mitigation decisions, thereby contributing to safer and more disaster resilient communities.
Before the new Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) become effective, there is a 90-day appeal period from Sep. 15 to Dec. 14. 2022. During that time, residents or businesses with supporting technical and scientific information, such as detailed hydraulic or hydrologic data, can appeal the flood risk information on the preliminary maps. The preliminary maps can be viewed at fema.gov/preliminaryfloodhazarddata.
Flood hazards are dynamic and change frequently for many reasons, including weather patterns, erosion and community development. Officials from FEMA, County of San Luis Obispo and the cities of San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande, Paso Robles, Grover Beach, and Pismo Beach worked together to provide updated information that accurately reflects the flood risk. These changes may also affect future building standards or insurance requirements.
The local mapping project is part of a national effort led by FEMA to increase local knowledge of flood risks and support actions to address and reduce the effects of flooding on new and improved structures. FEMA encourages residents to review the preliminary flood maps to learn about local flood risks, potential future flood insurance requirements and identify any concerns or questions about the information provided.
Risk of flooding affects almost every corner of the nation. In total, 98% of counties have experienced a flood event, which makes floods the most common and widespread of all weather-related natural disasters.
For more information on changes in unincorporated communities, including Avila, San Miguel, and Creston, contact San Luis Obispo County at 805-788-2316 or bclark@co.slo.ca.us. Other community information is available for the cities of San Luis Obispo at 805-781-7201 or hhannula@slocity.org, Arroyo Grande at 805-473-5441 or rdickerson@arroyogrande.org, and Paso Robles at 805-237-3861 or wfrace@prcity.com, Grover Beach at 805-473-4530 or publicworks@groverbeach.org, or Pismo Beach at 805-773-4658 or planning@pismobeach.org.