All summer long, FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) will be reaching out to communities across the country encouraging them to get insured before peak hurricane seasons hits, and brings the waves with it.
This year’s campaign theme is “Keep Home,” and it encourages residents in likely impacted areas to gather flood insurance and protect their property. As part of this, the agency reminded potential policyholders that this insurance can allow them to more quickly recover from the nation’s most common threat.
“Floods represent the number one natural hazard threat facing our nation, destroying lives and causing billions of dollars in damage last year alone,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said. “These threats, exacerbated by climate change, can be particularly devastating for underserved communities. As peak hurricane season approaches, we encourage all residents to recognize their risk and understand that in addition to wind and storm surge, rainfall and flooding from these events can be just as catastrophic.”
This year, the program will expand its outreach efforts through a multilingual approach, tailored to every state within the campaign area. In each area, the same message will be broadcast in the top three languages spoken there beyond English, such as Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese.
Underserved communities often include homes where English is a second language. This year’s target areas include: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.
“Flood insurance, which is often not covered by homeowners or renters insurance, can be the difference between recovery and financial devastation, and it is the best way to protect your home, property and the life you’ve built,” David Maurstad, senior executive of the National Flood Insurance Program, said. “In order to effectively communicate this risk, we must meet people where they are, in languages they understand, and communicate messages that resonate with them and their families, and that’s exactly what this year’s hurricane flood insurance campaign is all about.”
Radio, TV and digital advertisements will launch across various platforms in the days to come. A video is also being produced in American Sign Language to assist the deaf and hard-of-hearing in navigating flood insurance, and this video will be promoted on FEMA’s social media accounts.