Scranton's flood zone residents will keep getting cheaper flood insurance.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has renewed a designation that means lower prices on insurance of up to 20 percent for city residents in flood zones, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey announced Friday.
FEMA first gave the city the designation, known as A99, in July 2011, but it must be renewed each year. Mr. Casey asked the agency to renew the designation.
"Flood insurance is a big cost for many families in Northeastern Pennsylvania and it's important that FEMA did its part to keep those costs down," he said in a statement.
The designation mostly affects people who live in flood zones in the Plot, Weston Field and Green Ridge neighborhoods. Regulations require flood insurance for buildings with mortgages from federally regulated lenders.
Flood insurance typically costs between $472 and $2,930 a year.
Cities that receive the A99 designation are required to show "adequate progress" toward reducing potential flood damage.
Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@ timesshamrock.com