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 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 or sell your property and relocate the contents. See below for more information on grant programs whereby government agencies purchase severely floodprone or repetitively flooded properties.
• Elevation: this is the most common approach in this part of Washington. See also the County’s home elevation guide.
• Floodwall: walls have been built in areas of very shallow flooding.
• Elevate the utilities: if nothing else, move the most damage-prone items to a higher level.

Property protection measures are dependent on the depth of flooding and the type of foundation. Review foundation types on the University of New Orleans’s flood site and follow their step by step approach.

Is there any financial assistance 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. This is called Increased Cost of Compliance.
• 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 Selecting Appropriate Mitigation Measures for Floodprone Structures