City officials say even though levee improvements have removed much of Sacramento from the floodplain, people need to be prepared.

"Because we are a community surrounded by levees, there will always be a risk."

Jessica Hess is with the city's Utilities Department. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, about 2,000 city homeowners have dropped their flood insurance in the past year.

Hess says it's not clear why…but one reason may be the subprime mortgage crisis.

"Once a bank takes over a property and it's been foreclosed upon, they are not required to carry insurance any longer so the bank can drop that policy."

The city has scheduled five flood preparedness meetings through early December. The first one is tonight at 6:30 at the Pannell Meadowview Community Center.