Mississippi faces devastating hurricanes and storm surges along the Gulf Coast, widespread river and flash flooding, frequent tornadoes (the second-highest per capita in the U.S.), severe thunderstorms with large hail and straight-line winds, occasional winter ice storms, droughts, and wildfires.

Grant Programs

Mitigation grant programs provide homeowners with funds to enhance their homes' resilience against storms and other natural hazards, such as wildfires and floods.

  • Strengthen Mississippi Homes Grant program: PAUSED. Provides grants for retrofitting to FORTIFIED Roof or Silver levels to reduce hurricane damage. More Details.
  • FORTIFIED Fund Grant Program - Qualifying households may receive up to $15,000 for a roof replacement on an existing home or up to $7,500 towards a FORTIFIED Roof on a new construction property. The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas operates this program. More Details.

Mitigation Insurance and Tax Incentives

Property owners, residents, and businesses can receive insurance discounts and tax breaks to build stronger to better withstand damage from natural hazards.

  • FORTIFIED Discounts - Homeowners can qualify for insurance discounts by installing a FORTIFIED Roof™ or building a FORTIFIED Home™. Savings range from 12-55% off the wind portion of the property owner's insurance.
  • Free FORTIFIED Roof Endorsement - Eligible and renewing policies with the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association (MWUA) can re-roof to FORTIFIED for free when a covered claim results in the replacement of 50% or more of a roof.
  • Wind Mitigation Insurance Discounts - MWUA policies may be eligible for insurance discounts for wind mitigation construction in jurisdictions that have been graded according to the Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS) for residential and commercial structures.
  • Catastrophe Savings Accounts - Deposits made into an account labeled as catastrophe savings can be deducted from a taxpayer's gross income.
  • FHLB Dallas Affordable Housing Program (AHP) The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas's Affordable Housing Program awards grants to member institutions for affordable housing developments, prioritizing FORTIFIED construction with additional scoring points to enhance resilience against storms. More Details.

    Continuing Education

    We are a certified Continuing Education Provider offering specialized training for Insurance Agents, Adjusters, Home Builders, Roofers, and Real Estate Agents to enhance their expertise and meet professional licensing requirements.

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    "Really appreciated this class. Very rarely have I been in a CE class that actually teaches me something USEFUL for my team to offer to customers. Appreciate it!"

    - Insurance Agent

    Funding to Help Rebuild or Re-Roof

    These federal and mortgage-backed programs may provide financing for disaster recovery, home repairs, energy upgrades, and rehabilitation, supporting homeowners, renters, and small businesses, particularly for those with low incomes or who are affected by disasters.

    Small Business Administration Loans - Those affected by a disaster can rebuild stronger by increasing their SBA disaster assistance loan up to 20% of the verified physical damage to make mitigation improvements. There is no cost to apply, and you are under no obligation to accept a loan if approved.

    • Generally, borrowers have two years after loan approval to request an increase for higher rebuilding costs, code-required upgrades, or mitigation.
    • Call (800) 659-2955 and ask about increasing your loan for mitigation purposes, or visit sba.gov/disaster for more information.

    Fannie Mae HomeStyle Renovation Loans - A mortgage that provides a simple and flexible way for borrowers to renovate or make home repairs with a conventional first mortgage, rather than a second mortgage, home equity line of credit, or other more costly methods of financing.​

    Fannie Mae HomeStyle Energy Loans - A mortgage that helps lenders offer financing for homeowners to increase home energy efficiency and reduce utility costs.

    • Both HomeStyle Renovation and HomeStyle Energy mortgages may be combined with a HomeReady® mortgage so that low-income borrowers can take advantage of flexible features and additional savings.

    USDA- Single Family Housing Repair Loans & Grants - A loan program providing loans to very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve, or modernize their homes. Grants are also available for very-low-income elderly homeowners to remove health and safety hazards.

    HUD 203(k) Loans - A loan program for rehabilitating and repairing single-family properties, allowing homebuyers and homeowners to finance both the purchase or refinancing of a house and the cost of its rehabilitation through a single mortgage, or to finance the rehabilitation of their existing home.

    • The 203(k) program permits homebuyers and homeowners to finance up to $35,000 into their mortgage to repair, improve, or upgrade their homes.

    HUD Mortgage Insurance for Disaster Victims - 203 (h) - Loan program for renters or homeowners if their homes are located in an area designated by the President as a disaster area and were destroyed or damaged to such an extent that reconstruction or replacement is necessary. These loans may be used to finance the purchase or reconstruction of a one-family home that will be the homeowner's principal residence.

    • The borrower must submit their application to an FHA-approved lending institution within one year of the President's disaster declaration.

    Resilience Policy and Legislation

    Legislation and regulation are tools used to encourage and incentivize building to higher standards, thereby reducing losses and costs for property owners and residents.

    • MS 2025 HB959: Extends the Comprehensive Hurricane Damage Mitigation Program for ongoing support. More Details.
    • MS 2024 HB1705: Funds a program to help homeowners protect against hurricane damage. More Details.
    • MS 2024 HB1799: Allocates funds to the Department of Insurance for resilience programs. More Details.
    • MS 2024 SB 2130: Prohibits insurers from canceling policies based on the age of a roof. More Details.
    • MS 2020 SB2709: Amends and replaces MS 2012 HB1410. This act provides an insurance premium discount or insurance rate reduction for homeowners and business owners statewide who build, rebuild, or re-roof to the FORTIFIED standard. More Details.
    • MS 2014 SB2378: An act to adopt certain nationally recognized codes and standards as the state uniform construction code. More Details.

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