Sitting on his front porch, gazing out over theMississippiSound, former Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes wonders how anyone would not want to reside there.
“Peoplethey will always be drawn to the water,” he said. “and we have a stunning waterfront.
However, it was not guaranteed that people would come back after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which resulted in 238 fatalities in Mississippi and left only concrete slabs in many places. A decade later, as beachfront reconstruction progressed slowly, Gulfport started providing property tax incentives to those who constructed homes near the water. Hewes mentioned the objective was for individuals to “rebuild better, faster, and assist in revitalizing the economy.”
Where to encourage development remains a challenging choice for local governments in regions prone to flooding or wildfires. Despite the risks, such as increasing sea levels, these areas still require residents and tax contributors. Like othersGulf CoastAfter Hurricane Katrina, Gulfport mandated that residents construct buildings at higher elevations and implemented stricter construction regulations. However, the majority of residents living near the water are situated in at least a moderate-risk flood area. Across the country, a greater number of homes are being constructed in flood-prone regions compared to those being taken out of such areas.
A local government might not have been considering the need for people to construct in an area prone to flooding,” said Miyuki Hino, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who studies flooding. “Instead, they were focused on the fact that this land wasn’t being used effectively and saw an opportunity to boost property tax income.
Storm created a ‘postapocalyptic’ desert.
Allen Baker experienced Hurricane Camille in 1969 in the nearby area.Long Beachand believed he had an idea of what to expect following Katrina. However, the 2005 storm was significantly more severe. His historic beachfront house was destroyed by what observers described as a tornado generated by the hurricane.
“Returning, there was no place to go,” Baker said.
Along the coastline, areas situated between the beach and a railroad track to the north were devastated by powerful storm surges and strong winds. Rebuilding took a long time.
It was somewhat eerie down here,” Baker remarked. “I mean, it looked like one of your post-apocalyptic films.
Baker and his wife remained waiting. They did not relocate to a new house until 2016, following Gulfport’s decision to exempt city property taxes for seven years if owners invested specific amounts in construction south of the railroad tracks. Owners were still required to pay county and school taxes.
Sixty properties were granted tax breaks by Gulfport prior to the city ceasing approval of new applications in 2021, according to tax records. The savings were not substantial, usually ranging from $500 to $1,000 annually, based on the property’s value. However, Baker and others believed it was a signal to overcome hesitation and begin construction.
“In basic terms, it was a green light,” Baker stated.
Steel bars and sturdy bases
Not all regions have experienced the same level of recovery. In a low-lying area on Gulfport’s western side, where decaying chicken and large paper bales from the port washed ashore, numerous lots remain empty. However, just one block inland on the eastern side, appealing new homes stand alongside buildings that managed to endure.
Hewes also received advantages from the tax incentive, constructing a new residence on a coastal property that has been in his family since 1904 — the second most expensive home built through the initiative, as per tax documents. Hewes mentioned that he and his wife utilized their tax savings to strengthen their home.
“We invested significantly more funds into strengthening this house to a much higher level,” Hewes stated.
Baker’s present residence also surpasses Gulfport’s construction regulations, featuring steel reinforcement within the walls that connect to a 3-foot-thick concrete base and secure the roof. This made the house eligible for an insurance industry standard known as “fortified,” which offers reduced costs for costly wind insurance. However, only 1,500 homes in Mississippi have achieved fortified status, according to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. This is significantly fewer than the 9,000 inLouisianaand 50,000 in the top-performing Alabama.
After piloting airplanes, Baker transitioned into a career as a civil engineer and contends that coastal regions require more rigorous construction regulations.
Every aspect of this house is designed to endure hardship,” he said. “If you truly intend to reside in this setting, you must prepare for it.
Some advancement, but not sufficient?
Katherine Egland, a resident of Gulfport who leads the NAACP’s national Environmental and Climate Justice Committee, is concerned that the community might not be ready for the next major storm.
I’m not claiming we didn’t achieve some advancement,” Egland stated. “What I mean is we didn’t reach the level of progress that we were expected to achieve.
She continues to oppose how Mississippi focused on business recovery, stating that certain development projects further inland have made rainwater flooding worse in historically Black neighborhoods. The areas benefiting from the tax break are whiter and more wealthy compared to the city as a whole.
“You’re offering rewards to people living south of the tracks, yet you’re also putting those who reside north of the tracks at risk,” Egland stated.
A majority of the first block overlooking the beach in Gulfport has a 1% annual probability of experiencing flooding, although the so-called 100-year flood zone can extend further inland. The Federal Emergency Management Agency classifies nearly all the area south of the railroad track as having a flood risk ranging from 1% to 0.2% each year. In this lower-risk region, flood insurance is typically not mandatory.
Hino stated that it’s “completely true” that raising a building decreases the risk, but he also mentioned that the risk increases over time due to rising sea levels, which might necessitate elevating a home several times throughout the decades. Although a 1% annual chance of flooding seems small, these probabilities accumulate over time.
“Throughout your 30-year mortgage, there’s a 40% chance of experiencing flooding,” Hino stated.
It’s common for homes to be constructed in flood zones in Gulfport. Between 2001 and 2019, over 840,000 residences were built in flood-prone areas across the country, as reported by a 2024 study from the University of Miami. This occurs partly because the federally supported National Flood Insurance Program consistently covers rebuilding costs, regardless of the level of risk.
“The motivation for local governments is to construct, and in some respects, the motivation for individuals is to remain where they are,” Hino stated.
The acquisition that failed to take place
A strategy was developed to evacuate more individuals from flood-prone areas in Mississippi. Government officials explored the possibility of purchasing 2,000 properties located in regions most vulnerable to hurricane-related flooding. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimated that a $408 million buyout, adjusted for 2008 currency, would reduce annual storm-related damages by between $22 million and $33 million. However, Congress did not provide the necessary funding.
Hino mentioned that buyouts can result in parkland that functions as both an environmental barrier and a public resource. However, Hewes believes that Gulfport’s decisions “may have contributed more to our recovery than any federal buyout.” He noted that it took several years for Gulfport to effectively repurpose land from a pre-Katrina buyout near a flood-vulnerable bayou.
“Are you creating a space that becomes blighted, abandoned, and neglected over time?” Hewes inquired.
Even without the tax incentive, construction is still taking place in coastal regions. However, it might not be evident how effective the recovery has been until these new structures face the next major storm.
Some individuals constructed using concrete,” Baker remarked. “Others utilized superior materials. Some did not. And those individuals are in for a surprise.
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