Online workshops are set for the second week of April for residents of the Albemarle and Cape Fear regions to discuss and identify areas subject to damage or loss due to climate hazards such as hurricanes, flooding and high winds.
The workshops are an initiative of the state-managed Regional Resilience Portfolio Program, which supports nine regional partnerships based on Council of Government boundaries in eastern North Carolina.
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The Regional Resilience Portfolio Program is a component of the Regions Innovating for Strong Economies and Environment, or RISE, Program and is a partnership between the N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency, or NCORR, and N.C. Rural Center, in collaboration with the North Carolina Councils of Governments. RISE aims to support resilience in the storm-impacted regions of North Carolina.
The Cape Fear Council of Governments, which includes Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover and Pender counties, is partnering with RISE for the RISE Cape Fear workshops at 10 a.m. and again at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 7. Register by April 6 at https://form.jotform.com/220743857526159 to attend one of the virtual sessions.
The Albemarle Commission, which includes Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hyde, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell and Washington counties, is partnering with RISE for RISE Albemarle workshops at 5:30-6:30 p.m. April 7, 1:30-2:30 p.m. April 8 and 10-11 a.m. April 9. Register by April 6 at https://form.jotform.com/220744585126154.
Workshop attendees can share personal experiences with disaster preparedness and recovery as well as provide direct input on the development of a regional vulnerability assessment. The assessment is to be released for comment before it’s finalized and used to create a portfolio of priority community resiliency projects, officials said.
Workshops for the Eastern Carolina Council of Governments region, which include coastal counties of Carteret, Craven, Onslow and Pamlico, as well as Duplin, Greene, Jones, Lenoir and Wayne counties, are to be posted on the RISE website.
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Managed by NCORR, a division of the state Department of Public Safety, RISE is funded by a $1.1 million U.S. Economic Development Administration grant, with support from both NCORR and N.C. Rural Center. The Duke Energy Foundation has committed $600,000 to offer Accelerator Grants to the regions for priority projects identified as an outcome of the program.
In addition to the Albemarle, Cape Fear and Eastern Carolina council of government regions, the Regional Resilience Portfolio Program serves Kerr-Tar, Upper Coastal Plain, Mid-Carolina, Mid-East, Lumber River, and Triangle J, except for Wake, Durham and Orange counties. A list of counties for each region are on the RISE website, along with a program kickoff announcement.
