Floodplain

What is the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)?

The NFIP is a Federal program created by congress to mitigate future flood losses nationwide through sound, community-enforced building and zoning ordinances and to provide access to affordable, federally backed flood insurance protection for property owners. The NFIP is designed to provide an insurance alternative to disaster assistance to meet escalating costs of repairing damage to buildings and their contents caused by flooding.

Participation in the NFIP is based on an agreement between local communities and the Federal Government that state that if a community will adopt and enforce a floodplain management ordinance to reduce future flood risk to new construction in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA), the federal Government will make flood insurance available within the community as a financial protection against flood losses.

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has oversight responsibility for the approximate 330 NFIP member communities within the state of Mississippi.  The over sight includes evaluating, monitoring, providing technical assistance and compliance reviews for participating communities.  Each participating community has a designated floodplain manger to help with design of structures and development permits inside the SFHA.  To find your local floodplain manager contact the State NFIP Coordinators office at 601-933-9884.