We have assembled a variety of links related to the Mississippi Mapping Project that we hope you will find useful. We have organized them by the following categories:

• County and Community Links
• State Links
• FEMA Links
• Other Federal Agency Links

County and Community Links:

Hancock County

The Hancock County Web site contains contact information for county officials in its different departments. 

The Bay St. Louis Web site currently offline.

The Web site for the City of Waveland is online and contains a page dedicated to the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort.  The Waveland Fire Department Web site contains information on the city’s flood maps, floodplain ordinances, and other flood-related information. 

Harrison County

The Emergency Management section of the Harrison County Web site contains tips on what to do before and during a hurricane. 

The Web site for the City of Biloxi contains a page with Katrina information. 

The Web site for the City of D’Iberville has a Floodplain Management section.

The City of Gulfport’s Web site contains a variety of information.   

The Web site for the City of Long Beach contains a Katrina disaster management page.

The Web site for the City of Pass Christian contains a floodplain management section. 

Jackson County

The Jackson County Web site contains a Katrina Recovery page.  

The Web site for the City of Gautier contains a variety of information.   

The Web site for the City of Ocean Springs contains a floodplain management section and a Katrina recovery page.

The City of Pascagoula’s Web site contains a Katrina information page.   

State Links:

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality have formed a partnership with FEMA through Cooperating Technical Partners Program.  Together, these agencies are updating Mississippi’s flood maps through the Flood Map Modernization effort. 

You may view the Preliminary DFIRMs and associated Flood Insurance Study (FIS) reports for each county on the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Web site.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Web site has a section dedicated to the National Flood Insurance Program and floodplain management.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Web site contains a Flood Map Modernization section.  

To help the State prepare for recover and rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Governor Haley Barbour created the Governor’s Office of Recovery and Renewal.  The Web site contains up-to-date news, information, and an e-newsletter on the recovery efforts.   

The Mississippi Coordinating Council for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems coordinates remote sensing and Geographic Information System activities for all levels of government in Mississippi and promotes data and cost sharing among different agencies. 

The Mississippi Development Authority is the State’s lead economic and community development agency.  The agency is organized into three groups, Economic Development, Asset Development and Administration and Financial Services. 

The Mississippi Homeowner Assistance Grant Program is designed to provide financial assistance to those homeowners outside the flood plain whose homeowner's insurance did not cover structural flood damage

FEMA Links:

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is the Nation’s cornerstone of the Nation’s strategy for preparing the 20,000+ communities that participate in the NFIP for flood disasters.  The NFIP is a Federal program that enables property owners in participating communities to purchase insurance as a protection against flood losses in exchange for State and community floodplain management regulations that reduce future flood damages.  The NFIP is composed of three parts:  floodplain management, flood insurance, and flood hazard mapping.

The Flood Hazard Mapping Web site, offers specialized informational pages for engineers and surveyors, floodplain managers, homeowners, and insurance professionals and lenders.  Technical guidelines, online tutorials, and frequently asked questions are all located on this site.  Site visitors can also sign up to receive period e-mail updates on Map Mod activities and e-mail questions to a Map Specialist.

The Floodplain Management section of FEMA’s Web site includes information targeted at the State and community officials who implement the National Flood Insurance Program. 

The Flood Insurance section of FEMA’s Web site contains information for claims adjusters, homeowners and renters, insurance professionals, lenders, State and local officials, and surveyors.   If site visitors need more information or clarification on an item, they send a questing via the “Ask the Experts” link.

FEMA’s FloodSmart Web site offers helpful tips and resources to individuals looking to buy flood insurance and tools and resources for insurance agents.  

FEMA’s FloodSmart Web site for insurance agents provides useful information and material to assist in the marketing and sales of flood insurance.  Agents can also sign up for the Agent Referral program on this site.

FEMA’s Mississippi Katrina Flood Recovery Web site that contains Katrina Recovery Maps that show coastal Advisory Base Flood Elevations (ABFEs).  These ABFEs are based on a flood frequency analysis completed by FEMA that updates the flood risk data with information on storms that have occurred in the 25+ years since the Flood Insurance Rate Maps were published, including (but not limited to) Hurricane Katrina.

FEMA has developed a series of useful NFIP-related documents related to the rebuilding effort.

FEMA’s Web site has a page dedicated to tips on how to rebuild smarter and stronger. 

FEMA has developed a Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction Technical Fact Sheet Series (FEMA 499) provide technical guidance and recommendations concerning the construction of coastal residential buildings.

FEMA is updating the Nation’s flood maps through an effort called Flood Map Modernization to make flood maps more reliable, up-to-date, and in digital format. 

The Cooperating Technical Partners (CTP) Program is an innovative approach to creating partnerships between FEMA and participating NFIP communities, regional agencies, and State agencies that have the interest and capability to become more active participants in the FEMA flood hazard mapping program.

The 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.

Through the Map Service Center (MSC) Web site you may research, view, and purchase the available inventory of National Flood Insurance Program maps and other products.  After selecting a specific area, you can also print a FIRMette—a paper copy of a portion of an effective flood map—and save it to your computer.  The MSC Web site shows the effective flood maps that have been adopted by a community.  Also, the MSC has over 75,000 historic maps to assist agents and property owners provide documentation should they wish to use “grandfathering” when rating for a flood insurance policy.

FEMA’s Information Resource Library (IRL) is a searchable Web-based collection of publicly accessible FEMA information resources.  The resources in the IRL include print publications, brochures, policy papers, program regulations and guidelines, forms, documents and reports, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, audio tapes, posters and display items, and disability resources.

FEMA  Guidelines and Specifications for Flood Hazard Mapping Partners defines technical requirements, product specifications for Flood Hazard Maps and related National Flood Insurance Program products, and associated coordination and documentation activities. These Guidelines combine FEMA technical, programmatic, and administrative procedure publications, guidance documents, and memorandums regarding Flood Hazard Mapping.

Recommended Residential Construction for the Gulf Coast: Building on Strong and Safe Foundations (FEMA 550) is a design manual that provides recommended foundation design and guidance for rebuilding homes destroyed by hurricanes in the Gulf Coast.  This manual is also intended to provide guidance in designing and building safer and less vulnerable homes to reduce the risk to life and property.

For information on the remapping effort in neighboring Louisana, please visit the Louisiana Mapping Project (LaMP) Web site. Mississippi Coastal Mapping Project and LaMP staff stayed in close contact during the mapping effort to coordinate the projects.

Other Federal Agencies:

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a Federal agency focused on the condition of the oceans and the atmosphere.  NOAA also has a Katrina recovery site with useful interactive maps. 

NOAA also runs the National Weather Service (NWS), which monitors and forecasts weather events.  The NWS also manages the National Hurricane Center.   

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for different areas of flood hazard mapping, flood protection, and Gulf coast recovery.  The coastal counties of Mississippi are run by the New Orleans District of the USACE’s Mississippi Valley Division.  The USACE also maintains a Hurricane and Emergency page. 

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has identified Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) areas in Mississippi’s three coastal counties.  The CBRS is comprised of undeveloped coastal barriers along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Great Lakes coasts.  The law encourages the conservation of hurricane prong, biologically rich coastal barriers by restricting Federal expenditures that encourage development, such as Federal flood insurance through the NFIP. 

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is the Nation's largest water, earth, and biological science and civilian mapping agency.  The USGS collects, monitors, analyzes, and provides scientific understanding about natural resource conditions, issues, and problems.  The USGS has two areas that specifically relate to the Mississippi Gulf Coast Mapping Project:  the National Geospatial Program Office and a Water Resources Discipline. 

The USGS National Geospatial Program Office (NGPO) has the goal to strengthen geographic research and to consolidate geospatial data programs that the USGS oversees. 

The USGS Water Resources Discipline’s mission is to provide reliable, impartial, timely information that is needed to understand the Nation's water resources.