There is a direct relation between the level of flooding and the cost of flood insurance. You can lower your flood insurance premi­­ums by protecting your property.

Call the Community Development Department at 360.740.2696 to learn about protecting your house or business from flood damage. We can discuss ways to reduce potential damage and reduce your flood insurance premiums using approaches like the following:

• Relocation: move the building out of the floodplain.
• Acquisition: sell your property so the structure can be removed and it can be maintained as open space.
• Elevation: elevate the home on a taller foundation. This is the most common approach to mitigate residential properties. See also the County’s home elevation guide.
• Reconstruction: demolish your existing structure and build a new structure that is less vulnerable to flood damage.
• Floodwall: build walls around structures in areas of very shallow flooding.
• Elevate the utilities and items of value: if nothing else, move utilities, such as heat pumps, furnaces, and water heaters, important papers, and valuable items to a higher level.

Financial assistance is available for protecting a building from flooding.

• If you have a flood insurance policy and you are substantially damaged by floodwaters, you can qualify for an additional claim payment to help cover the cost of elevating or relocating the structure. This is called Increased Cost of Compliance.
• Talk to the Office of the Chehalis Basin CFAR program. The program can provide technical support and financial assistance to mitigate your home.
• There may be some local grants for acquiring or to help elevate a house. For more information, contact the Community Development Department at 360.740.2696.

More references on protecting your property can be found in:

• FEMA’s Homeowner's Guide to Retrofitting
• FEMA’s Reducing Flood Risk to Residential Buildings that Cannot Be Elevated
• FEMA’s Protecting Building Utilities from Flood Damage
• FEMA’s Protecting Manufactured Homes