Raw video: Floodwater overwhelms delivery truck in Des Moines
This video taken by Joe Kristan near Merle Hay Road and Douglas Avenue in Des Moines shows how severe the flash flooding was on Saturday, June 30, 2018.
Joe Kristan/Special to the Register, Des Moines Register
Des Moines residents can now purchase cheaper flood insurance after the city completed several floodplain management projects, improving its rating in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System.
Iowa’s capital city is now a Class 5 community under the CRS, meaning residents can purchase insurance under the National Flood Insurance Program at 25% lower premiums than residents of a community not in the CRS. Des Moines residents were originally eligible for a 20% premium reduction.
Clive and Cedar Falls are the only other Class 5 communities in Iowa. If Des Moines reaches Class 1, the highest rating given by the CRS, the premium reduction would be 45%.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the CRS is a voluntary incentive program that rewards communities whose floodplain management exceeds the minimum requirements of the NFIP. Communities are evaluated on how well they meet three goals: reducing and preventing flood damage to insurable property, strengthening the insurance aspects of the NFIP, and promoting comprehensive floodplain management.
Des Moines’ successes reflect the state’s extensive investments in flood protection following floods in 2008 and 2018. In a press release, the city highlighted four key initiatives that have made Des Moines less vulnerable to flooding and flood damage.
More: As the state faces costly levee repairs, could a $10 billion plan stem Iowa’s flooding?
Levee modifications along the Des Moines and Racoon rivers corrected deficiencies that made overflows more likely. The project consists of eight phases, the first of which was completed in 2021. Closes Creek storm sewer improvements were accelerated following the 2018 flash floods and improved storm drainage capacity and resilience throughout northwest Des Moines.
The Highland Park neighborhood has historically been affected by outdated sewers and flooding, but a new system gradually installed since 2020 has reduced the number of properties requiring flood insurance in the area from 175 to one. Eventually, the city spent $12.7 million to buy up most of the properties with repeat damage in the Fourmile Creek watershed.
Ryan Magalhait is a reporter for the Register. You can reach him at [email protected].
