Flood map concerns rise over San Bruno

And while local officials who fought for years against the amendment claim their authority on the matter is limited, John Darmanin is one of the residents who questioned their commitment to opposing FEMA.

“They want to make it look like they are championing the residents of San Bruno’s best interests, but they are not,” said Darmanin, who was one of the dozens of residents who attended the meeting.

Darmanin maintained reservations about the extent to which city and regional officials went in their joint effort to block the decision by FEMA to include much of the Belle Air neighborhood in the federal flood hazard zone.

“I just didn’t like how they tried to placate everyone,” said Darmanin.

Jimmy Tan, San Bruno Public Works director, said he can relate to the frustrations raised by Darmanin and a handful of other like-minded residents.

“I can totally understand. I’m upset too in a way, because this is something I’ve been working on. And it is unfortunate that this is the situation,” he said.

The discussion comes after years of fighting against the maps as city officials have worked since 2014 to propose alternatives to the alignments offered by the federal agency. The boundaries are determined by revisions from FEMA initiated in 2012, according to coastal hazard analyses.

Tan has said officials even hired a consultant who arrived at different findings than FEMA as it relates to potential flood threats, and continuously appealed rejections issued by the federal agency.

Ultimately though, the appeals process ran its course and officials completed the entire slate of options available to contest the government’s decision. Following a final appeal being overruled earlier this year, San Bruno resigned from the fight, clearing the way for establishment of the federal maps.

San Mateo County Supervisor Dave Pine, whose district includes San Bruno, agreed that nothing else could be done to prevent the seemingly inevitable.

“The advocacy was very vigilant on behalf of the neighbors and it was an outcome that none of us hoped for,” said Pine, who attended the Monday meeting as well.

Local governments in the Bay Area are frequently at the mercy of the federal agency that outlines flood maps and aims to increase insurance coverage for those who might be at risk of an extreme storm.

To that end, in San Mateo, officials have moved toward flood protections such as improvements to the city’s levee and two water pumps in an effort to address the concerns of those on the city’s Bayfront saddled with hefty insurance premiums following FEMA redrawing flood maps.

Foster City residents also recently passed a $90 million tax measure designed to enhance flood protections following the federal agency determining that the city’s existing levees were inadequate to protect residents. Meanwhile, South San Francisco officials recently adopted revised maps.

San Bruno is unique in its placement amidst the flood map conversation, as San Francisco International Airport consumes the entire nearby shoreline. As a result, the city is exempt from considering establishing a special district financing protections.

For his part, Darmanin suggested officials should continue the fight by filing a lawsuit to protect residents. Tan though said such an effort would need to be launched by the San Bruno City Council, while Pine said he believes the fight is lost.

“I think we are at the end of the road for any appeal process or effort to change FEMA’s mind,” he said.

Rather than pursue a legal battle, Pine said those in San Bruno would be better served turning their attention to collaborating with airport and other local officials to mitigate existing flood risks.

FEMA claims South San Francisco’s Navigable Slough also contributes to a portion of the risk as the tributary to Colma Creek which flows under Highway 101 and South Airport Boulevard could flood too.

“The FEMA process does certainly spring us into urgency to make changes needed to remove residents from the flood zone,” Pine said. If all the flood hazards are removed, Tan said officials can petition federal officials to revise and remove residents from the map.

Pine also added concerned residents should purchase flood insurance at reduced rates while available before the new maps are approved in October, which will result in premiums becoming even more expensive.

For Darmanin though, he noted the significant burden likely placed on the neighborhood residents through the mandated insurance purchase.

“The reality is that these people are absolutely going to be facing unexpected flood insurance premiums and when you are on a fixed income, that means a lot,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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