FEMA agrees to cut Newport flood zone by more than half, saving property owners millions in insurance costs
The Balboa Island flood zone according to FEMA, as tentatively mapped in 2016, left, and 2018. Properties needing flood insurance are tinted blue. (Courtesy of city of Newport Beach)
Newport Beach persuaded the Federal Emergency Management Agency to exclude about 2,700 properties in the coastal part of the city from updated flood maps.
That means owners in parts of the Balboa Peninsula, Balboa Island and West Newport won’t need pricey flood insurance, saving up to about $3,700 each, or $10 million combined, each year in premiums, the city estimates.
