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It cost Jaime Sandoval and his family a pretty penny---but it was something he said he was willing to pay to protect his home.

"We now have insurance," Sandoval said.

This time last year, Sandoval and dozens of other residents in La Joya scrambled to get their belongings to dry land.

Without flood insurance, Sandoval had to pay, out of pocket, for the thousands of dollars worth of damage the flood waters caused to his home.

"Now we're ready for anything that comes...lets see what happens."

Mayor Fito Salinas said he does not want La Joya to endure a repeat of last year---so he started to prepare the city early.

"We have to be ready," Salinas said.

Salinas said there was no evacuation plan in place---no plan to handle a flood.

"We had a meeting last week so residents could come over and we could give them routes to evacuate and how we could warn them about what to do," Salinas said.

With a plan in place--Salinas said they are ready for whatever might come their way.