"I would rather not pay for flood insurance, but I have to because it is required as part of my mortgage," said John Pappa, 41, whose house at the intersection of Nevada Avenue and Carmel Drive is a quarter-mile away from the Guadalupe River.

Pappa said he sees no need to pay for flood insurance because the 1995 flood—the biggest in the history of San Jose—didn't impact his house at all, although it did damage 800 homes countywide and shut down Highway 87.

Tony Torres, 37, who lives at the intersection of Minnesota and Bird avenues, doesn't want to pay the approximately $1,200 required every year to maintain flood insurance but his bank requires it.

"It's a rip-off," Torres said. "If we have a 100-year flood, all of San Jose will be underwater. We are paying for an estimate."

Not all property owners within the flood zone—which is determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency—must purchase flood insurance. Only those who want to get financing to buy, build or improve structures in special flood hazard areas are required to buy it. Lending institutions that are federally regulated or insured must determine if the structure is located in a flood hazard area and must provide written notice requiring flood insurance. The insurance fee varies according to elements such as the house's structure and age.

About 4,100 residential and nonresidential units in Willow Glen are within the high-risk flood areas, according to the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the county's flood control and drinking water agency.

The official flood map was drafted in 1978. The flood map of Willow Glen went into effect in August of 1982 and hasn't been updated since.

"The map hasn't been updated because there are no capital flood improvement projects that will change the watercourse," said Mike Di Marco, a spokesman for the Santa Clara Valley Water District. "The map may be old, but it's still accurate."

Di Marco said a major flood improvement project is scheduled to begin early next year along the Guadalupe River once the district obtains permission from various regulatory agencies. Although it may take at least 15 years to complete the project, residents won't be threatened by floods once it's completed.

Water district officials also want to clarify the "100-year flood" concept.

Flood experts say the 100-year flood should not be considered an event that occurs regularly every 100 years. Rather there is a 1 percent chance of a major flood occurring in any given year over the course of a century, but that does not mean that two floods of the same magnitude cannot occur within a few years or even within a few months.

Although the 100-year flood has a small risk of occurrence in a given year, the risk is cumulative. Considering the average home loan is 30 years, the chance that such a flood will occur approaches 30 percent.

"We encourage people to evaluate the risk," said Randall Talley, engineering unit manager of the water district. "Even if you are not in the 100-year flood plan, you should still consider buying flood insurance to protect your property."

Residents who have suffered from flooding also recognize the necessity of buying flood insurance.

Gloria Spanier, 63, who has lived in her house on Creek Drive for 31 years and was a victim of the 1995 flood, said it is worthwhile to have the insurance.

"We had been paying for flood insurance for so many years and wondering why we had to pay for that. Then all of a sudden, the flood came," said Spanier, whose backyard faces the Guadalupe River.

The 1995 flood inundated her house. She received $5,000 compensation for the damage.

Her husband, Evan, 64, said, "Just like any insurance, you are preparing for the worst scenario."

Stella Dye, 66, who lives next to the Spaniers, said flood insurance is absolutely necessary.

"One way or the other, you have to have flood insurance," said Dye, who was forced to leave her house for months because of the 1995 flooding. "When winter comes, I just wonder what will happen this time."

Right now, the water district is repairing the stream bank and maintenance ramp along the Guadalupe River between Willow Glen Way and Alma Avenue.

Work on the west bank of the river behind the 1,500 block of Creek Drive involves removal of a damaged concrete maintenance ramp and sack concrete wall. A temporary sandbag wall will be replaced with a planter box behind a residence on the 1,500 block of Mackey Avenue.