The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Know how you’re covered
The Town of Crested Butte is encouraging all its citizens—not just those living near creeks and rivers—to seriously consider buying flood insurance before this spring.
“Surface flooding is just as serious as diversion flooding,” Crested Butte town manager Susan Parker told the Town Council during its meeting on Monday, March 3. She pointed out that melting piles of snow stacked near a home’s walls can flood a crawlspace and basement just as easy as an overflowing creek.
Both the Town and Gunnison County have been busy preparing for potential flooding throughout the county due to large snowfall this winter. The Gunnison Basin’s snowpack was at 151 percent of average on March 1, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Both governments have ordered sandbags and other materials in case of flooding and are encouraging citizens to be prepared. The town of Crested Butte has updated its 100 year flood plain map. It’s available at www.townofcrestedbutte.com under the maps tab.
Gunnison County emergency services coordinator Scott Morrill says homeowners should consider purchasing flood insurance and those who have it should review their policy. “People need to make sure that they know how they’re covered,” Morrill says. “And for those who don’t live in flood plains, it would be worth checking into (insurance), because there’s so much snow out there.”
The deadline to acquire flood insurance is looming. There is a 30-day wait between purchasing insurance and being covered in a flood incident. Insurance can run from $350 a year for low-lying areas not in an established flood plain, up to several thousand dollars per year for at-risk homes.
Officials from the National Flood Insurance Program will also be on hand at the Blackstock building in Gunnison this week to answer questions and provide information for citizens. The meeting is schedule for Thursday, March 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. and is open to the public. More information on the program is available at http://www.fema.gov/plan/-prevent/floodins/infocon.shtm.
For more information, contact Gunnison County Emergency Management (970) 641-2481, or email smorrill@gunnisoncounty.org.
