Last week's rain prompted more than a few residents to call the Santa Clara Valley Water District for sandbags.
Sandbags are fine, when flooding appears imminent.
But the most important step to protect property before winter rain becomes a common sight is to consider flood insurance. Tens of thousands of people living in Santa Clara County's flood hazard areas. Under the law, flood insurance coverage is mandatory if a home is in one of the nation's 18,000 flood-prone communities, which includes virtually all of the Bay Area. But federal officials estimate only 25 percent of those required to carry the coverage actually have it. After the devastating 1995 floods, only about 9 percent of the thousands of damaged homes in California were covered by flood insurance.