Mississippi’s Jackson County Readying to Buy Flood Prone Properties

A program to buy oft-flooded properties in Jackson County, Mississippi may be moving forward after years of delays.

After Hurricanes Georges in 1998 and Katrina in 2005, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Mississippi Emergency Management Agency offered to purchase properties that repeatedly flooded.

Planning Director Michele Coats told the Mississippi Press the county is preparing to close on 10 such properties.

Coats said miscommunication about paperwork requirements slowed the process.

Under the program, the county does the buying of the properties — using federal funds, and paying for surveys and closing costs — and then retains ownership so that no further development occurs.