The Dec. 11 article about homes in flood zones answered many questions on why building permits are issued in the first place. Significant floods come about once every 10 years or so and in between people forget about the damage that can occur. Before that reality slips away, some changes are needed to current practices.
Let’s not get in the debate of more property restricting regulations, compensation for loss of potential use of the property, or taxpayer bailouts. The solution is simple: look back 80 years. The pioneers knew that floods are an act of nature, but flood damage is an act of man, and no one was going to pay for their flood losses. So they built on high ground and if that was not possible they built their homes high off the ground, like the old homes on Ebey Island, much like the super foundations required now.
Because society today is too compassionate to let people wallow in their own mistakes, I propose that there should be a floodplain impact tax, along the same lines as road impact fees and school impact fees. The degree of the tax could vary depending on the potential for flood damage due to site and building practices. This tax money would be set aside as a “rainy day” flood fund to reimburse agencies for search and rescue, flood fighting efforts, free dump fees and other public costs, etc. but not reimbursement for personal losses. Living in the floodplain is not just a local problem, but a nationwide problem, and it costs taxpayers billions.
Curt Young
Snohomish
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