ATLANTA- Unincorporated George County, Miss. will be placed in probationary status with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) on November 28 unless deficiencies in the local floodplain management program are corrected. The county must also address violations of the criteria that are required for participation in the NFIP.
Being placed on probation is a formal notice to the community that the local floodplain management program is not compliant with the minimum standards of the NFIP. Probation is the first step in the process to suspend the community’s eligibility to participate in the NFIP. During the probationary period, flood insurance coverage will remain available within George County; however, a $50 surcharge will be added to the premium of each new and renewed flood insurance policy sold within the community for at least one year from the effective date of probation. Probation will remain in effect until all program deficiencies are corrected and all violations are remedied to the maximum extent possible.
When a community joins the NFIP, it voluntarily adopts local floodplain management regulations to meet NFIP minimum floodplain management criteria. Community Assistance Visits conducted by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and FEMA on August 14, 2003, and on August 26, 2014, identified serious program deficiencies and apparent violations of the county’s adopted floodplain management regulations. The county was informed of these findings after each visit.
The program deficiencies include:
- Failure to require permits and maintain records of permits for construction of new structures and for other new development (such as filling and grading) activities in a Special Flood Hazard Area.
- Failure to obtain and maintain elevation certificates of the lowest floor of all new construction and substantially improved structures in the Special Flood Hazard Area.
If significant progress is not made to correct program deficiencies and violations during the first six months of NFIP probation, George County could be suspended from the NFIP. Suspension would result in the loss of federally-backed flood insurance in the community.
Suspension means that federal agencies are prohibited from making grants, loans, or guarantees for the acquisition or construction of structures located in the Special Flood Hazard Area. Lending institutions insured or regulated by a federal agency may continue to make conventional loans in these areas at their discretion.
If a flood disaster occurs in a suspended community, most types of federal disaster assistance would not be available. This includes the acquisition, construction, or repair of insurable structures within the Special Flood Hazard Area as well as federal assistance to individuals and households for housing and personal property. Since 2004, FEMA has provided more than $13 million through the Individual and Households Program to help people recover in George County, and more than $3.2 million in Public Assistance to rebuild infrastructure to help the community recover from natural disasters.
Unincorporated George County has 114 flood insurance policies in force with a total coverage of over $16 million. Since joining the NFIP, there have been 43 flood insurance claims submitted, resulting in more than $387,000 in claims paid in the county.
George County faces significant risks from flooding. FEMA and MEMA remain available to assist the county in establishing an effective floodplain management program to protect public health, safety and welfare of the community.
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