About 8,000 property owners near Stockton’s Smith Canal will get financial relief after the Federal Emergency Management Agency revised its flood insurance rate map, removing the area from a high-risk flood zone, according to the San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency (SJAFCA).
The revised map, which took effect Monday, Feb. 9, removes the Smith Canal area from a Special Flood Hazard Area. That eliminates the requirement for property owners with federally backed mortgages to carry high-risk flood insurance, though residents still can buy coverage, often at lower rates.
The change follows the completion and federal accreditation of the Smith Canal Gate Project, a $96 million flood protection project planned, financed, and built by SJAFCA in central Stockton…