Minden area flooding (Reno, Gardnerville: real estate, insurance, home)

[sgirl58]

We were recently in Minden on our way up to Reno and we really like the area of Minden/Gardnerville. For fun I started looking up real estate and I read somewhere about having to purchase flood insurance. I didn't realize that in a high desert area as such there would be a flooding problem all though I do realize that this area is pretty flat.

Is there certain areas that have a higher percentage chance of flooding than others? Does everyone there buy flood insurance? How often do you receive heavy flooding in the area?

THANKS

[jaada]

i lived there for a few years and never saw a flood. but i am not going to say it never has

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by sgirl58

Is there certain areas that have a higher percentage chance of flooding than others? Does everyone there buy flood insurance? How often do you receive heavy flooding in the area?

If you want to do some research, look up the 1997 Reno floods as well as the archives of the local paper. They put out a large book on all the flooding in the area.

FEMA also publishes maps of flood prone areas.

[NVDave]

The flooding becomes an issue in the late winter or spring, when the snow in the Sierras starts to melt.

If the weather changes such that you get a rain on top of the snowpack, you can get heavy run-off - heavier and faster than the frozen ground will allow it to infiltrate. And since the people in that area have seen fit to be silly enough to build on the floodplain, paving over huge swathes of ground that used to be sub-irrigated pasture, they haven't improved the flooding situation at all.

[ElleElle]

Originally Posted by sgirl58

We were recently in Minden on our way up to Reno and we really like the area of Minden/Gardnerville. For fun I started looking up real estate and I read somewhere about having to purchase flood insurance. I didn't realize that in a high desert area as such there would be a flooding problem all though I do realize that this area is pretty flat.

Is there certain areas that have a higher percentage chance of flooding than others? Does everyone there buy flood insurance? How often do you receive heavy flooding in the area?

THANKS

There are different types of flooding : 1). Home age/Plumbing related (ex: if you have an older home and the pipes burst, etc...) and then 2). Natural disaster related (if you live on a low point of elevation, say within less than 25 feet from the water, and the water levels are affected by heavy rain, say...), so you will first need to think about little things you can do to bring your insurance rates down 9make sure your pipes are up to code and winterized (even if you live in year round warm climate ) and live at least 50 feet from any shore line, but the higher your vantage point the better... Some of this may not be relevant, but it can still help.

Good luck, though!