California Considers Whether To Continue Participation In FEMA’s NFIP

The state is considering dropping out of the nationwide program in favor of establishing its own. California flood insurance found itself in the spotlight last month when the Oroville Dam threatened to fail. Erosion at the base of the dam’s emergency spillway forced the evacuation of 180,000 people until the area could be deemed safe again. This event greatly increased awareness of the importance of flood insurance within that part of the state. Helicopters were used to place massive boulders to plug the failing emergency spillway. This allowed the state to sidestep what would otherwise have been the largest dam catastrophe in the United States.