Designed specifically for homeowners, the “Coastal Homeowner’s Handbook” is a critical resource for anyone wanting to reduce the risks to their family and property from natural hazards. The handbook covers essential information on emergency preparedness, evacuation planning, flood/wind insurance, and steps to protect life and property. 

The original set of Homeowner Handbooks were developed in 2010 as a project of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) Coastal Community Resilience (CCR) Team, a partnership of federal, state, and local organizations that share a vision for healthy and resilient communities. The handbooks were designed specifically for homeowners in the Gulf Coast states (Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, and Florida), to promote individual resilience; thereby creating a fortified community. The handbook covers essential

information on emergency preparedness, evacuation planning, flood/wind insurance, and steps to protect life and property.

In 2023, the “Homeowner Handbook” mobile application was developed to expand the reach and usability of the tool by incorporating mobile technology and taking advantage of the proliferation of smartphone use in the United States. According to data obtained in ongoing studies by Pew Research, a substantial majority of Americans are cellphone owners. In 2021, 85% of Americans owned smartphones.  This represents a substantial, and still-growing, majority of citizens across a wide range of demographic groups.  While smartphone ownership exhibits disparities based on age, household income, and educational attainment, the gaps are declining.  Mobile technology use among rural adults and minorities has also risen rapidly, with the share of those owning smartphones increasing sharply since 2011.

The development of the “Coastal Homeowner’s Handbook” mobile application provides a new opportunity to expand public access and assist in the preparation for and recovery from coastal disasters, along with the ability to monitor and assess usage of the tools. 

 In 2025, the “Coastal Homeowner’s Handbook” mobile application was enhanced to include Spanish and Vietnamese language versions of the handbooks for Mississippi homeowners. 

Along with the introduction of new language versions of the handbook, a Social Media Marketing campaign was commissioned and implemented.  The following tasks are being performed in the delivery of the campaign:

• Implement software frameworks for social media marketing
• Develop creatives and conduct a “Coastal Homeowner’s Handbook” social media awareness campaign on Facebook, Instagram, and Google for three months
• Implement monitoring and measurement tools for management of the social media awareness campaign

In this session, we will provide an update on the “Coastal Homeowner’s Handbook” language options.  We will also present an overview of the Social Media Marketing Campaign methodology and progress.