Mrs. Tammy Campbell, Floodplain Administrator for the City of Picayune, is currently working toward the City's enrollment in the Community Rating System (CRS) Program of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP.)  What can this mean for the residents of Picayune?  Based on a community's CRS rating, residents can qualify for up to a 45% discount on their annual flood insurance premium.  There are only 1,049 communities that are currently in this program and the goal is for the City of Picayune to join the ranks of CRS communities in the United States.

Community Rating System (CRS)

The National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements. As a result, flood insurance premium rates are discounted to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from the community actions meeting the three goals of the CRS: (1) reduce flood losses; (2) facilitate accurate insurance rating; and (3) promote the awareness of flood insurance.

Click here for the Flood Insurance Discount Program
 

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)

The City of Picayune participates in the NFIP, which makes federally backed flood insurance available for all buildings, whether they are in a floodplain or not. Flood insurance covers direct losses due to surface flooding caused by rising water in lakes, streams, rivers and local drainage problems.

The NFIP insures buildings, including mobile homes, with two types of coverage: structural and contents. Structural coverage is for the walls, floors, insulation, furnace and other items permanently attached to the structure. Contents coverage may be purchased separately provided the contents are in an insurable building.
                           

  Click here to view your property on FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)

  Click here to find out if your property is in a flood zone

  Click here to go to FEMA

  Click here for information on Flood Insurance Costs and Coverage    

Mandatory Purchase Requirement

The mandatory requirement applies to all forms of federal or federally related financial assistance for buildings located in a Special flood Hazard Area (SFHA). This requirement affects loans and grants for the purchase, construction, repair, or improvement of any publicly or privately owned building in the SFHA, including machinery, equipment, fixtures, and furnishings contained in such buildings. Financial assistance programs affected include loans and grants from agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, Farmers Home Administration, Federal Housing Administration, Small Business Administration, and Federal Emergency Management Agency. The requirement also applies to secured mortgage loans from financial institutions, such as commercial lenders, savings and loan association, savings banks, and credit unions that are regulated, supervised by Federal agencies such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of Thrift Supervision. It also applies to all mortgage loans purchased by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac in the secondary mortgage market

How it Works:

Before a person can receive a loan or other financial assistance from one of the affected agencies or lenders, there must be a check to see if the building is in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). The SFHA is base (100 year) floodplain mapped on a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). It is shown as one or more zones that begin with the letter A or AE.
Copies of the FIRM are available for review at The City of Picayune's Floodplain Administrator's Office at 815 N. Beech St; Picayune, Mississippi

Many lenders and insurance agents also have copies. It is the agency or lenders responsibility to check the FIRM to determine if the building is in an SFHA, although the City of Picayune provides assistance.

If the building is in a SFHA, the agency or lender is required by law to require the recipient to purchase a flood insurance policy on the building. The requirement is for structural coverage equal to the amount of the loan (or other financial assistance ) Or the maximum amount available, whichever is less. The maximum amount available for a single-family house is $250.000.

The mandatory purchase requirement does not affect loans or financial assistance for items that are not covered by a flood insurance policy, such as vehicles, business expenses, landscaping, and vacant lots. It does not affect loans for buildings that are not in the SFHA, even though a portion of the lot may be flood prone. While not mandated by law, a lender may require a flood insurance policy as a condition of a loan for a property in any zone on a Flood Insurance Rate Map.
 

Repetitive Loss Properties

A repetitive loss property is one for which two or more claims of at least $1,000.00 have been paid by the NFIP for flood loss since 1978.  The City of Picayune provides public information to assist residents with flood protection. The Floodplain Administrator of the City of Picayune offers the following services in the incorporated areas of the city:

• Assistance in determining if a property is flood prone, including flood elevation or depths; and data on the history of flooding where available.

• Site visits to advise property owners on appropriate flood protection measures.

• The reviewing and critique of retrofitting plans for flood prone buildings.

As an owner of a repetitive loss property you will also receive information and brochures as they are made available to us to further assist you on flood proofing your property.

For help with the aforementioned services or information, contact Tammy Campbell, Picayune's Floodplain Administrator, Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. at 601-749-7010.
 
 

Links of Interest

Hurricane Evacuation Study
 FEMA "To Do" Lists
NOAA Hurricane Information Site
Red Cross Hurricane Information Site
Storm Watch Website from the Weather Channel
USGS Realtime Rain gauge and River Basin Information
Geostationary Satellite Photos of Tropical Atlantic and Gulf
NOAA Lower Mississippi River-Pearl River Basin Flood Information
NOAA Hurricane Flooding Information Site