floodplain

No, the point is - flood insurance (on a floodplain) is so expensive people simply don't get it.

Why build a house on the ground in a floodplain in the first place?

Dunno about Winnipeg's historical geography, but take a look at old New Orleans maps: people didn't build in the floodplain, for obvious reasons.

Much of the central Sacramento valley is floodplain which can be, and has been, more of an inland sea or lake during wet winters than a valley.

If EPA had Google Fiber, I'd probably brave the (moderate, now) security risks, air quality, and floodplain.

The way to deal with floods, if you must live on the floodplain, is to build levees, berms, dikes, etc.

I'd worry more about a home below floodplain taking on water.

Well, yes, but they have successfully replaced them with housing, which is a pretty daft use of a rather badly contaminated floodplain, which isn't shy on the flooding bit.

It makes it look like all the people living in the hillside because they didn't want to move to the floodplain have to pay for the guy's house in the flood plain even though they warned him not to build there.