Most Minot Residents Avoid Higher Flood Risk Category

Officials say only a small number of Minot, N.D., residents affected by a devastating 2011 flood have been bumped up to a higher risk category for flood insurance.

The June 2011 flood caused by heavy spring snowmelt and rains damaged or destroyed more than 4,000 homes, businesses and other structures in Minot. It caused nearly $700 million in damage.

Multiple claims on a property will typically increase the flood-risk classification. The Minot Daily News reports that only a small percentage of people had flood insurance in 2011 and most of them did not have previous claims.

Officials say Minot’s valley is still considered a non-flood plain despite the 2011 event.

The risk classification is tied to the flood experience of the property and not the flood experience of the owner.