Rating:

0.0 (0 votes)

COLUMBIA FALLS- Flathead Valley residents were on edge about rivers flooding at this tine last year because of the large amount of snow in the mountains and although it's too early to tell for this year, it is still a good idea to be prepared.

Planners from the Flathead County Planning and Zoning Office say now is the time to apply for flood insurance since it can take up to 30 days for a new insurance policy to take effect. So, it's best to get it early before any type of flooding could take place.

Flathead County Planner Bailey Minnich says flood insurance would cover river water flooding, water flowing onto your property from another home or ground water.

"It's hard to say right now what might happen, but there's always a possibility every year that it will flood. Whether people think the 100 year floodplain means it only floods every hundred years doesn't happen. You have the same chance of flooding every year and that's why we want people who might not have bought flood insurance last year to take a look at it again and see if it's something that's an option for them."

Contact the Flathead County Planning and Zoning Office at (406) 751.8200 for more information on floodplains.