The Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen will have a forum from Sept. 1 at the Vicksburg Auditorium for homeowners in the areas hit by the 2011 flood who are interested in participating in a voluntary home buyout program.

The board announced the forum at its Thursday meeting, and authorized Mayor Paul Winfield to apply to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency for funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency 2012 Hazard Mitigation Grant Program for the possible buyout of homes in the areas hit by the flood.

Residents in the Kings, Cedar School Circle and Warrenton Place communities fled their homes in early May as the Mississippi River rose to record heights in Vicksburg, cresting at 57.1 feet on May 19, 14.1 feet above flood stage and 1.3 foot above the Great Flood of 1927.

A number of homes in Kings were severely damaged, and some have since been razed.

The buyout program will consist of at least two rounds, city officials said.

To be considered for the first round, the home must be in the 100 year or 1 percent flood area, and been inspected by the city and determined to have been substantially damaged. Substantial damage means the cost of restoring the home to its condition before the flood equals or exceeds the value of the home before the flood.

Homes that do not meet the criteria for the first round will be considered in a second round, after Jan. 1.

Winfield said city, FEMA and MEMA officials will be at the forum to answer homeowners’ questions.