Year: 2024
Relevance
Communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System (CRS) engage in additional floodplain management activities, which enhance environmental resilience and result in greater flood insurance savings for community residents. By providing continual technical assistance to Biloxi staff on CRS activities, such as the Program for Public Information (PPI), Sea Grant is able to help the city maintain its class 6 rating.
Response
Sea Grant staff provided assistance to the city of Biloxi by helping organize PPI committee meetings, providing assistance writing PPI updates and helping ensure Biloxi flood communication activities were properly documented. Sea Grant also held two workshops on the PPI. The workshops helped refine Biloxi's PPI approach. Biloxi city staff continually communicate their CRS questions to Sea Grant staff, who provide research and documentation to refine the city's PPI approach.
Results
By actively maintaining a PPI, Biloxi was able to receive points across four different CRS activities. With 2,018 points in total, Biloxi is 18 points into a class 6 rating. Sea Grant technical assistance on the PPI was critical in ensuring that the city maintained its class 6. If the city were to fall to a class 7, the flood insurance discount provided through the CRS would fall from 20% to 15%.
Recap
Sea Grant delivered technical assistance and training on a wide variety of the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System (CRS)activities and deliverables that resulted in communities earning additional points needed to maintain their CRS standing.