Re: your April 26 article, “Flood plain maps spur county letter�:
This is an ongoing issue started recently by our friends at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, intending to double the size of the 100-year flood plain in the city of Camarillo, which would mean that more people would have to buy flood insurance.
This past year, Southern California and Camarillo had more rainfall than any season in more than 100 years, and none of the areas in the redefined flood plain flooded. The redefined flood plain has elevation changes of more than 100 feet from the Calleguas Creek, extends over a quarter mile from the Calleguas Creek, and has drainage ditches and roads to allow any excess water to drain away.
Why is there a new concern about flooding in areas that have not experienced flooding, and have no apparent risks, right after experiencing a major rainy season? Perhaps the Pacific Ocean could rise over 300 feet, which could also impact the revised flood plain area.
Is this just an Enron-type of money grab to increase insurance premiums? Actually, even Enron would have been too embarrassed to try something so blatant.
— Donal White, Camarillo
My stepson, Bill Kelly III of Ventura is currently in Pascagoula, MS with numerous other local tradesmen volunteering his time and sweat to rebuild homes that were damaged or destroyed in last year's Hurricane Katrina. This trip has been sponsored by Ventura's South Coast Fellowship Church and each individual has paid his own way to make this philanthropic trip possible. During their time in Mississippi, they are sleeping on the floor of a local church. Bill is a very talented electrician, and has worked his way up the ladder while working on many projects in Ventura, including Ventura's wonderful Pacific View Mall. Bill has been married to his lovely wife, Janice for 18 years this July, and has two fabulous children, Hannah, 14, and Jesse, 9. In addition to his work as an electrician, Bill plays drums weekly for the services at South Coast Fellowhip. We are particularly proud of Billy because he has overcome a couple of hurdles in his life within the past couple of years, being diagnosed with both diabetes and cancer. Thankfully, he has beaten the cancer and successfully lives with his diabetes in check. My wife, Cynthia and I are extremely proud of Billy, his accomplishments, his lovely family, and his latest giving of his time to help others in the country who are in great need of his talents.
Mark Brickman
San Mateo, CA