The SWIFT (Southwest Informational Floodplain Team) users group was formed in late 2013 and continues to meet several times a year. The three parishes in the group – Cameron, Calcasieu, and Vermilion – decided to complete the PPI using the multi-jurisdiction format. While Calcasieu is the only parish that is currently in the CRS program, Cameron, and Vermillion are interested in joining and hope that when they do, they will be ahead of the game by having their PPI already formatted.
Louisiana’s PPI Committee includes six members total: one local government representative and one community stakeholder from each parish. The SWIFT group’s flood outreach efforts target a wide range of audiences, including driver’s education students, first time homeowners, business owners, and repetitive loss property owners, among others.
In addition to the six standard messages under the PPI, the community has picked four additional messages that are unique to their target areas and audiences:
- Understand and prepare for the flood risk that comes with tropical storm events, including hurricanes.
- Understand the risk associated with flash floods.
- Know elevation requirements for your property.
- Know mitigation grant options for your property.
