Background

Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005, bringing with it sustained winds of 140 miles per hour, storm surge flooding of 20 to 30 feet above normal tide levels, and large and dangerous battering waves. Widespread damage occurred, including beach erosion and damage and/or destruction of homes and infrastructure throughout the 474 square miles subject to surge inundation.  Hurricane Rita placed additional hardships on the devastated Gulf coast. 

Why Remapping Was Undertaken

To assist with the ongoing Hurricane Katrina and Rita recovery effort, the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has revaluated and remapped the flood hazards and risks for the 14 communities located in Mississippi’s coastal counties. 

The reevaluation and remapping effort has resulted in Preliminary versions of detailed, updated, Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs) that can be used to determine where to build and to what elevation new structures should be constructed to maximize the safety of homeowners and businessowners. You may view the Preliminary DFIRMs and associated Flood Insurance Study (FIS) reports on the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Web site.

How the Project Fits in with Other Mapping Projects

The project is being performed as part of the ongoing multiyear FEMA Flood Map Modernization (Map Mod) effort to update and modernize flood maps nationwide. Both riverine and coastal engineering analyses were performed because FEMA determined that the current effective Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) produced during the 1980s and 1990s did not reflect current flood hazards and risks.  The remapping effort in Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson Counties began in 2004 and the new mapping was well underway before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita wreaked their devastation. 

Partner Participation

The remapping project is a team effort.  FEMA, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, county and local governments, and contractors that support them play important roles in making sure the DFIRMs are accurate and are made available to community officials and citizens in a timely manner.  A host of information is available from the various team members, so please visit their Web sites.   

New Maps Enhance Local Decision-Making

The DFIRMs and related products will reflect current flood risks, and property owners throughout Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson Counties [links to specific county pages] will have up-to-date, reliable, Internet-accessible information about their flood risk.  Some residents and business owners will learn that their flood risk is higher, and others will learn that their flood risk is lower, than they thought.  This updated information will assist community officials and citizens in making decisions to reduce or even eliminate flood risk. Such decisions could include raising the first floor of a structure and purchasing flood insurance.

New Maps Replace Old Maps

The Preliminary DFIRMs are based on the latest engineering analysis methods, state-of-the-art technology, and current conditions and provide more detailed, reliable, current, and Internet-accessible data on the flood hazards in Mississippi’s coastal communities.  These new maps will assist community officials and citizens in making decisions to reduce their flood risk.  Therefore, these updated flood maps are an important tool that can be used to make each community safer.

When the DFIRMs become effective, they will also supersede (for flood insurance and floodplain management purposes), the current effective FIRMs.  The DFIRMs also will replace the Katrina Flood Recovery Maps that FEMA produced in November 2005 to help State and local officials, as well as homeowners, identify flood hazards and to start the recovery and redevelopment effort.

Data used to produce the Katrina Flood Recovery Maps have been used in the engineering analysis for the Mississippi Coastal Remapping Project, but the DFIRMs will be more precise because of advanced engineering studies, mapping technology, and improved data quality that were used.  You may view the Preliminary DFIRMs on the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Web site.

If You Need More Information

If you need more information or have a question, several options are available:

• You may find your answer in the Frequently Asked Questions.
• You can take advantage of some of the important resources on this site.  
• You can view videos that FEMA and the State of Mississippi produced to explain the coastal analysis.
• You can contact the call center that has been set up specifically for the Mississippi Coastal Mapping Project in the Biloxi Transitional Recovery Office.  You can reach the call center, tool free, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 1-866-816-2804. 
• You can contact the FEMA Map Assistance Center for more technical questions and information about the National Flood Insurance Program.

If you do not find the information you need, you can also contact a Map Specialist on the Ask the Experts page.