The City of Biloxi, as part of its continuing efforts to educate property owners about the dangers of storms and flooding, is reminding residents this week about the importance of having flood insurance, regardless of where they live.
“More than 20 percent of the claims in the National Flood Insurance Program are from outside identified flood zones,” says a postcard being mailed to all residents of Biloxi, “and claims outside the flood risk area account for a third of disaster assistance for flooding.”
The postcards, part of the city’s award-winning public outreach efforts, also remind residents about the importance of buying flood insurance before hurricane season, which begins June 1. The postcard notes that flood insurance policies take 30 days to become effective and no policies will be sold when a storm is in the Gulf of Mexico.
The postcard also uses quick response codes to link to the city’s web site. In a few weeks, residents in flood zones will receive a notice reminding them of the risks they face, followed by a citywide newsletter to remind residents of steps they should take to minimize the damage from storms and flooding.
Said Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich: “These postcards and newsletters, which we have been doing annually for many years, are mandated by the federal government, and by doing them we are helping keep flood insurance rates low for homeowners.”
See the postcard: To see this year’s flood-insurance postcard, designed by Robin Stephens of The Ad Group, click here.
Storm & Flood: To visit the Storm and Flood Preparedness section of the city web site, click here.
News and notes
The week that was: To see the latest reports from the Fire and Community Development departments, click here.
City council meeting: The next scheduled council meeting is set for Tuesday at 6 p.m., not 1:30 p.m. as was sent out in an email last week. To see the meeting agenda and supporting documents, click here.
Reflection on the past: The annual series Preservation in May begins Thursday at 5 p.m. with a walking tour of historic Howard Avenue. To see the event flyer, click here.
