Thousands of El Paso Residents Might Have to Buy Flood Insurance

If you live in Socorro or the Upper Valley area of El Paso you're going to want to pay attention. You might have to start paying for flood insurance because the flood map is changing. If you're thinking, "But I have home owner's insurance, I don't need flood insurance", you'd be wrong. Regular home owner's insurance does not cover floods. I found that out when my parent's house flooded back when I was in high school. Then had it reinforced owning a home in Florida and getting bent over on that deal.

About 10,000 residents recently received a postcard recommending that they attend FEMA's virtual flood meetings. Why the changes to the flood map? Engineers from the International Boundary & Water commission have been hard at work rehabilitating almost 3 miles of the west levee of the Rio Grande, from Country Club Road to Borderland Road. International Boundary & Water Commission Principal Engineer Ramon Macias said:

It gives them all the tools that residents need too try and understand this process that they follow and to see the different maps that are available.

Now here's the problem. If you're reading this, you probably missed the virtual meetings. They were on Thursday, December 17th. However, this does not mean the information magically disappears forever. CLICK HERE to head over to FEMA's page that gives details and links for more information about flood maps, what is changing, and the steps you need to take to make sure you are properly protected in case Mother Nature decides to throw us a curve ball.