Educate Your Residents
Informed residents take protective action before floods occur, cooperate with community mitigation programmes, and recover faster after flood events. Oiriunu provides municipalities with a complete resident education toolkit — guides, campaigns, and print-ready materials.
Informed residents are a community’s most effective flood mitigation tool
Community-scale flood resilience depends on individual action as much as infrastructure investment. Residents who understand their risk take preventive measures that reduce claims, cooperate with buyout and mitigation programmes, and make informed decisions about insurance before they need it. Municipalities that invest in resident education consistently outperform their peers in grant applications, NFIP compliance, and post-event recovery speed.
FEMA’s Community Rating System awards credits for Public Information activities — including outreach projects, hazard disclosure programmes, and flood response preparation. These activities earn CRS points that directly reduce NFIP premiums for every property owner in the community. Education is not just good governance — it pays for itself.
Plain-language flood guides for every audience
Oiriunu’s homeowner guides are written for general audiences — no technical knowledge assumed. Each guide covers a single topic with enough depth to drive action without overwhelming the reader. All guides are available as web pages on oiriunu.org and as downloadable PDFs municipalities can distribute.
Understanding your flood risk
What FEMA flood maps show — and what they miss. How to find your flood zone, read your risk, and understand why the official designation may understate your actual exposure.
Protecting your home from flooding
Eight practical measures from downspout extensions to sump pump backup systems — ranked by cost and impact, with guidance on which measures matter most for different property types.
Flood insurance — what you need to know
Why standard homeowner’s insurance doesn’t cover floods, the difference between NFIP and private coverage, what’s actually covered, and how to find the right policy for your situation.
Grants and funding to protect your home
Federal and state programmes that help homeowners pay for flood mitigation — FEMA FMA, BRIC, state resilience grants, and local programmes. Who qualifies, how to apply, and what to expect.
What to do after a flood
Hour-by-hour recovery checklist — safety first, documentation for insurance, notifying FEMA, beginning cleanup, and accessing financial assistance. Suitable for distribution after a flood event.
Denied flood insurance? Your options
For residents who have been denied, cancelled, or priced out of flood coverage — a four-step requalification pathway and alternative coverage options for high-risk properties.
Bundled guide sets for municipal distribution
Pre-assembled guide bundles designed for specific distribution contexts — community meetings, post-event distribution, new resident welcome packets
New resident welcome packet
Risk + Insurance + Prevention guides. Ideal for inclusion in utility connection packets or new resident welcome mailings. Orients new homeowners to their flood risk before the first storm season.
Pre-storm season community mailing
Risk + Prevention + Preparedness checklist. Timed for distribution 4–6 weeks before peak flood season. Prompts residents to take preventive action while there is still time.
Post-event disaster response packet
Recovery guide + FEMA registration checklist + Insurance claim guide. Suitable for distribution by emergency management within 24–72 hours of a significant flood event.
FMA programme outreach packet
Tailored for municipalities running FMA grant applications. Explains what the programme offers, what the property owner must agree to, and why participation is beneficial. Increases voluntary participation rates significantly.
Campaign frameworks for the full preparedness cycle
Effective community preparedness is not a single event — it is a sustained communications programme that reaches residents at the right moments in the flood season and immediately after significant events. Oiriunu provides campaign frameworks municipalities can adapt and deploy using their existing communications channels.
Spring readiness campaign
4–6 weeks before the primary flood season. Goals: prompt residents to assess risk, check insurance, and complete quick-win prevention measures before the first significant rain event.
Key messages
Storm warning communication
48–72 hours before a significant flood-risk weather event. Goals: activate resident preparedness plans, prompt last-minute prevention measures, and ensure residents know where to find information during and after the event.
Key messages
Post-flood recovery campaign
Within 24–72 hours after a significant event. Goals: connect affected residents with immediate assistance resources, protect documentation for insurance claims, and register for FEMA aid.
Key messages
Ongoing awareness programme
Quarterly touchpoints that maintain flood awareness outside storm season — particularly important for reaching new residents, building insurance awareness before the 30-day waiting period matters, and maintaining CRS credit requirements.
Key messages
12-month community engagement calendar
A sample annual calendar showing when to deploy each campaign type for maximum resident impact. Customise timing based on your community’s specific flood season pattern.
Print-ready materials for direct resident distribution
All materials are available as print-ready PDFs optimised for both standard office printing and professional printing services. Formats include letter-size flyers, tri-fold brochures, 4×6 door hangers, and A4 checklists.
All materials are co-brandable — municipalities can add their logo, contact information, and local resources to any piece. Versions are available in English and Spanish, with additional languages available on request for qualifying municipalities.
CRS public information credit
Distributing flood-related public information materials to residents earns credits in the FEMA Community Rating System’s Outreach Projects category. Document distribution quantities and dates — these records support CRS annual recertification and may earn 100–350 additional credit points depending on scope and reach.
Know your flood zone — community flyer
Single-page flyer explaining how to find your FEMA flood zone, what it means, and how to access the free oiriunu.org risk assessment. QR code included.
Pre-storm preparedness checklist
Two-sided checklist: before the storm (24-hour actions) and after the storm (documentation and recovery steps). Laminated version suitable for refrigerator display.
Flood protection grants available — flyer
Awareness flyer explaining that federal and state grants exist for homeowner flood mitigation. Prompts residents to visit oiriunu.org for personalised funding guidance. Ideal for FMA outreach.
Document your damage — post-flood card
Wallet-size card (prints 4-up on letter) with the 8 most critical documentation steps for insurance claims. Designed for emergency distribution within 24 hours of an event.
“5 things to do now” — door hanger
Pre-storm season door hanger with five priority prevention actions, QR code to oiriunu.org, and local emergency contact information. Suitable for targeted canvassing in high-risk zones.
Flood insurance explained — tri-fold brochure
6-panel tri-fold covering why homeowners insurance doesn’t cover floods, NFIP vs. private options, cost range, and how to get a quote. Suitable for display in utility offices, city halls, and libraries.
Co-brand all materials with your municipality
Every material in the Oiriunu library is available with your municipality’s logo, contact information, local emergency numbers, and custom messaging added. Co-branded materials maintain Oiriunu’s content accuracy and design quality while presenting as a service of your community. Turnaround: 5–7 business days.
Community Resilience Portal — coming soon
In developmentA dedicated community-facing web portal, co-branded with your municipality, that gives residents a single place to access their flood risk assessment, find local resources, view campaign materials, and connect with vetted providers. Municipalities can customise content, add local contacts, and track resident engagement in the admin dashboard.
Resident risk portal
Residents enter their address and immediately see their community-specific risk data, local resources, and personalised prevention recommendations.
Local resource library
Downloadable materials, local programme information, community contacts, and disaster recovery resources — curated by your floodplain manager.
Engagement analytics
Municipal admin dashboard showing resident engagement, most-accessed resources, and geographic distribution of risk assessment usage — supporting CRS documentation.
Start with your community risk assessment
The most effective resident education programmes are grounded in accurate, community-specific risk data. Your municipal risk assessment provides the foundation — and connects you to all the resources on this page.