Mississippi flood insurance purchases low, despite wetter rainy seasons – and they are not alone

Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged by flooding, as heavy rains inundated Jackson, Mississippi, over the President’s Day weekend, pushing the Pearl River to its third-highest crest ever. Federal data show last year was the second wettest on record across the continental U.S., and Mississippi’s river communities are keeping an eye on forecasts after an unusually early start to the 2020 spring flood season following a soggy 2019.

Yet flood insurance take-up rates remain low. “The alarming truth is that entirely too many Americans could protect themselves with flood insurance, but simply don’t know the extreme risk of devastation they are facing, or even worse, they are deciding to take their chances and ignore it, said Sean Kevelighan, Triple-I CEO. “Triple-I’s recent analysis of National Flood Insurance Program’s data which is now illustrated in an interactive map of Mississippi counties along the Pearl River show some counties’ flood insurance take-up rates are as low as .01 percent. In other words, as much as 99.9 percent of people living in an active flood prone area are without any protection or recovery method. The intent of sharing this information is to encourage Americans to take more action to protect themselves by identifying the right insurance coverage, coupled with taking recommended precautionary measures, all of which are proven to dramatically boost their ability to recover from disaster.” For complete story, please visit the Triple-I Blog 02/25/2020