Flood awareness week this week

PEARL – The state of Mississippi averages nearly 60 inches of rain each year which can cause flooding in our state.  This is why Governor Haley Barbour has declared March 14-18 as Flood Awareness Week in Mississippi.
 
Flooding is the most common and costliest disaster in our state.  This high risk is why the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, the Association of Floodplain Managers of Mississippi and the National Weather Service are teaming up to educate residents about their flood risk.
 
This is why residents are encouraged to take this time to learn what their flood risk is and the benefits of buying flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program.
 
“What many people in our state don’t realize is that every family should carry flood insurance on their home, even if they don’t think they are at risk of flooding,” said MEMA Director Mike Womack.  “Many of the areas impacted by flooding are outside of the special flood hazard areas.”
 
The entire state of Mississippi is a mapped flood zone with more than 5 million acres that fall within the “High Risk Zones” which means we all share some risk.
 
Since the creating of the NFIP in 1978 there have been 42 Presidential Disaster declarations in Mississippi, 30 of those declarations were for flooding at a cost of nearly $3 billion.