Three meetings have been scheduled for the public to learn more about a plan intended to improve public access to the main highway for the Outer Banks.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is working with the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and other federal and local agencies to develop a plan for a section of N.C. 12 in Dare County.

The vulnerable, 11-mile stretch of two-lane highway between the Marc Basnight Bridge and the Rodanthe “Jug Handle” Bridge is bordered closely on either side by the Atlantic Ocean and the Pamlico Sound and regularly experiences closures and maintenance issues from repeated storm damage.

Being called the Solving Access for N.C. 12 in Dare County, or SAND, Plan, the group began work in January on short- and long-term solutions to reduce travel disruptions for that section of roadway.

NCDOT representatives will be available to answer questions, facilitate public surveys, and receive comments during the following drop-in informational meetings, all scheduled for 5:30-7:30 p.m.:

• April 28 at the Hatteras Civic Center.
• April 29 at the Rodanthe Waves Salvo Community Building.
• April 30 at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head.

The SAND project is funded with $1.86 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient and Cost Saving Transportation, or PROTECT, grant program.

“The plan aims to minimize environmental impacts and account for community considerations and the costs and feasibility of those solutions,” according to the release.

The team is using the Planning and Environment Linkages process to streamline future environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act. Community stakeholder and public input is being considered important to the process as the plan is developed.

“By addressing environmental requirements in the planning stages, project managers can avoid having to duplicate studies and tackle major environmental hurdles that could delay projects and increase the costs to deliver them,” officials said.

Written comments can be submitted at any of the public meetings or by calling at 984-205-6615 and entering project code 2463, by email at nc-12-access@ncdot.gov or on NCDOT’s public input portal.

Comments during this round of engagement must be provided by May 15. Additional public meetings will be held in the summer and fall. More information can be found on NCDOT’s website.

North Carolina’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint Tool now includes enhanced flood mapping and risk information for five river basins in Eastern North Carolina.

The online tool designed to help local governments, agencies and nongovernmental partners develop, evaluate and prioritize resilience actions has been updated with new nonregulatory or “advisory” flood maps for the Cape Fear, Lumber, Neuse, Tar-Pamlico, and White Oak river basins.

The need for new maps and modeling efforts were identified in the draft blueprint, which was created by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality at the direction of the General Assembly.

The updates were made through extensive coordination with local leaders, other state agencies, nongovernmental organizations, university researchers and evaluating programs in other states like Texas and Louisiana for guidance, according to an NCDEQ release.

NCDEQ Secretary Reid Wilson, in the release, stated that research from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill found that more than 90,000 buildings in Eastern North Carolina flooded at least once from 1996 until 2020, and 43% of those buildings were outside the mapped Federal Emergency Management Agency floodplain. “The General Assembly’s investment in updated modeling and mapping means that North Carolinians in five river basins now have a more accurate picture of their actual flooding risk, Wilson said.”   

The improved mapping was done in partnership with the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program, one overseen by the North Carolina Emergency Management.

“NC Emergency Management is proud to provide flood mapping support to DEQ which will produce additional flood mapping products to build resilient communities across the state,” N.C. Emergency Management Director Will Ray stated. “As part of a multi-year advisory flood data web application development project, which began in 2022, the NCEM Floodplain Management Program was able to provide data and resources to assist in this project, once again showing the whole-of-community approach to disaster preparedness In North Carolina.” 

The mapping includes numerical models that simulate surface runoff and routing on a landscape, and are available for previously unmapped or undermapped basins too small to be included on regulatory maps and extend beyond what is normally included in traditional regulatory floodplain mapping.

The maps also include areas that flood despite being many miles from the nearest stream and allow communities to explore their future risk associated with projected growth patterns and the changing climate fueling more frequent and severe storms and sea level rise.

“These new maps, available through our Flood Resiliency Blueprint Tool, mean that Eastern North Carolinians can make more informed decisions and better investments to build their resilience in the face of more frequent and severe flooding,” Flood Resiliency Blueprint Manager Stuart Brown said in a release.

River Basin Action Strategies for the five river basins are expected to be available this summer, and new maps for the French Broad River Basin available this fall, according to DEQ.

A federal judge last week ordered the Trump administration to restore millions in disaster mitigation funds previously awarded for projects across the country, including dozens in North Carolina.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns last Friday granted a motion to force the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reinstate its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, program.

Stearns is the same judge who, on Dec. 11, 2025, sided with North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson and 19 other state attorneys general, declaring FEMA unlawfully terminated the BRIC program.

Roughly $200 million had already been awarded to North Carolina communities, including those in coastal counties, for projects aimed at reducing and preventing storm damage, when the Trump administration decided to axe BRIC.

Despite Stearns’ issuance of an immediate, permanent injunction restoring BRIC, the administration has yet to comply and release the funds.

Jackson joined other attorneys general in heading back to court to ask the judge to force FEMA to comply.

“FEMA tried to cancel $200 million for North Carolina,” Jackson stated in a March 6 release. “We took them to court, we won, and then they defied the court order and refused to pay. So we just took them back to court – and won again. FEMA has 14 days to show the court they are complying. The clock is ticking, and we are ready to do this again if necessary.”

FEMA has 14 days from the time of the judge’s order to identify all selected, phased, and pending BRIC projects, and provide the steps the agency must take to reverse the termination of the program and provide a timeline to the states for existing project funding. The agency has also been ordered to open new grant applications within 21 days of the March 6 ruling.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is hosting an online public information session this month to provide an overview of the Flood Resiliency Blueprint.

During the meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. March 25, state officials will also provide information on the program’s online decision support tool and ongoing development of river basin action strategies.

The GIS-enabled tool is designed to provide users with accurate, data-driven flood risk and vulnerability assessments, allow them to explore, develop and define flood resilience actions, and help them evaluate and prioritize effective flood resilience actions.

The Flood Resiliency Blueprint, also referred to as the Blueprint, is the largest proactive statewide flood mitigation investment in the state’s history.

The Blueprint supports the planning, evaluation and implementation of flood resilience plans by equipping local governments, the state and supporting organizations with data, tools and processes to guide investments to reduce flood risk, fund priority projects and address gaps in mitigation efforts.

A total of 81 flood resilience projects have been funded since 2024 in the North Carolina General Assembly-designated river basins, which include the Neuse, French Broad, White Oak, Tar Pamlico, Cape Fear and Lumber. Those projects total more than $40 million.

Officials will also deliver during the information session a river basin action strategy for each of the basins, which will include a set of projects and funding strategies to reduce flooding, lessen damage, and strengthen communities’ ability to withstand, adapt to and recover quickly from future disasters.

Attendees of the public information session will get the opportunity to ask questions. Questions may also be submitted via email to blueprint@deq.nc.gov. 

To join by Webex go to https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=m1e4c9ef1d0647e6928d442190ce486e5. The meeting number/access code is 2438 419 0160 and the password is blueprint. To join by telephone dial 1-415-655-0003. 

This story has been updated to include a corrected description of land ownership. Information initially provided to Coastal Review had incorrectly identified the owner.

More people moved to North Carolina last year from different parts of the country than any other state in the nation.

North Carolina’s population grew by almost 150,000 people, trailing behind only Texas and Florida, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released last month.

As political leaders grapple with the demands that growth is placing on essential services like water and sewer, public safety and education, pressure is mounting on conservation groups to acquire, conserve and preserve land.

This month, more than 2,000 acres in coastal counties have been secured for permanent protection from development.

These newly protected areas are filled with natural landscape features that reduce flood risk, improve water quality, and provide habitat for plants and animals that are increasingly getting squeezed out by encroaching development.

In Brunswick County, one of the fastest growing in the state, North Carolina-based conservation nonprofit Unique Places to Save acquired land that serves as a corridor between two protected natural areas, bridging what amounts to nearly 10,000 acres of conserved landscape.

“We really want to be able to maintain large, connected natural areas for habitat for species and to maintain biodiversity of our natural areas,” Unique Places to Save Executive Director Christine Pickens told Coastal Review in a recent telephone interview. “And, particularly, in the southeast of North Carolina, we have some really cool endemic species and really wonderful habitats that you don’t find anywhere else.”

Within the 1,040-acre tract nestled between the towns of St. James and Boiling Spring Lakes are forested wetlands, Carolina bays, sandy pine and wet sandy pine savanna.

The tract, referred to as Boiling Springs Wilderness, specifically connects thousands of acres of privately conserved land including Orton with the North Carolina Boiling Spring Lakes Plant Conservation Preserve.

“When you connect these large areas, you’re connecting a mosaic across the landscape and there’s tiny variations of habitat availability,” Pickens explained. “What that does is allow species that use that area for habitat or refuge or migration to use those slight variations of habitat. When we experience extremes in weather, precipitation or drought or big storms, having just a little bit of wiggle room in terms of available habitat goes a long way to allowing species to be resilient to some of these extremes and some of these changes.”

Habitat that is free from being sliced up by ditches or roads is valuable to species that rely on that habitat, she said.

Take the red cockaded woodpecker, for example. These birds, which were reclassified in late 2024 from endangered to threatened, live in groups, or clusters, helping each other raise their young.

They depend on large, connected natural areas – typically anywhere from 125 to 200 acres – where living pine trees, preferably mature, longleaf pine forests, grow.

Boiling Springs Wilderness includes varying types of soils that support different sets of plants, trees, shrubs and forbs, more commonly referred to as herbs.

A good deal of pond pine and a “little bit” of young longleaf pine grace its landscape, Pickens said.

The headwaters of Orton Creek are within the project area, as are wetlands that blanket the Castle Hayne aquifer, a drinking water source for thousands of Brunswick County residents and tens of thousands in other coastal North Carolina areas.

“That’s a long-term way to protect water quality,” Pickens said. “The areas around streams act as buffers to absorb nutrients, runoff, excess components in surface water that soak in, and they get absorbed by the plants and the roots and the soils around streams. That prevents excess nutrients getting into waterways.”

Then there are the wetlands, which function like nature’s sponges, absorbing stormwater that might otherwise flood developed properties.

“Every chance we get to conserve wetlands is really important right now,” Pickens said.

That’s because state lawmakers decided to align North Carolina’s definition of wetlands with that of the federal government, which is in the process of changing the interpretation of waters of the United States that may omit protections for millions of acres of wetlands in the state.

“It may result in more wetlands being nonjurisdictional, therefore a lot more likely to be converted to uplands through ditching and draining. These conservation easements are perpetual. Once we protect it, that’s it,” Pickens said.

The Boiling Springs Wilderness project was funded through a $3.68 million North Carolina Land and Water Fund grant.

Unique Places to Save will own and manage the tract, while the state will hold the conservation easement. The Coastal Land Trust will steward that easement.

Last year, Unique Places to Save applied for another state Land and Water Fund grant to protect about 500 acres of predominately wetlands between the town of St. James and N.C. Highway 211.

“We’ve got a provisional award from the Land and Water Fund so if they have enough funding we may get funded this year for that effort,” Pickens said.

She touted efforts among other groups that work to conserve land throughout the state, including the North Carolina Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review, The Nature Conservancy, North Carolina Plant Conservation Program, North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, and Cape Fear Arch to name a few.

Tyrrell County parcel transferred

Last week, national nonprofit The Conservation Fund finalized the transfer of ownership of about 1,550 acres of coastal wetlands and forestland in Tyrrell County to the Coastal Federation.

“This partnership reflects years of careful conservation planning and cooperation,” Coastal Federation Executive Director Braxton Davis stated in a release. “This acquisition protects important coastal wetlands that help filter water, support fish and wildlife habitat, and provide natural flood buffering in on the of the state’s most ecologically significant regions.”

Portions of the Tyrrell County property, which is valued at an estimated $1.7 million, are in the Land and Water Fund’s Stewardship Program, one designed to establish, monitor and enforce perpetual conservation agreements.

The property will be included as part of the Coastal Federation’s Land for a Healthy Coast program, which focuses on protecting estuaries, reducing polluted runoff, buffering floods, and boosting long-term coastal resilience.

“Some lands are simply too important to risk losing,” Coastal Federation founder and senior adviser Todd Miller said in the release. “When a property protects water quality, supports fisheries, and strengthens the natural defenses of the coast, we believe it’s our responsibility to step forward and ensure it is permanently conserved and well managed.”

Part of a series about the effects federal budget and staff cuts and the cancellations of programs and services are having in coastal North Carolina.

The call from the North Carolina Attorney General’s office late last year relayed news of a victory.

A federal judge in Boston on Dec. 11, 2025, sided with Jeff Jackson and 19 other state attorneys general in their case against the Federal Emergency Management Agency, informed the caller.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns ruled that FEMA unlawfully terminated a federal grant program under which roughly $200 million had been awarded to North Carolina communities, including Pollocksville, to tailor projects to reduce and prevent storm damage.

Stearns issued an immediate, permanent injunction restoring the Building Resilient Infrastructures and Communities, or BRIC, program.

“And, that’s all we’ve heard,” Pollocksville Mayor Jay Bender said. “We’ve never heard anything official from FEMA saying yay or nay. We have not heard anything from North Carolina Emergency Management saying yay or nay.”

FEMA funnels BRIC grants to state emergency management offices, which are responsible for managing and passing funds on to grant recipients.

N.C. Division of Emergency Management’s Justin Graney, chief of external affairs and communications, said in an email that the agency had not been notified by FEMA as to when funding would be released.

“NCEM continues to work closely with FEMA to determine the next steps and looks forward to a resolution,” Graney said.

But any such resolution could be, at a minimum, months away.

The federal government still has time to appeal Stearns’ decision. The 60-day window to challenge his ruling closes before the middle of next month.

The N.C. Department of Justice’s communications office confirmed in an Jan. 26 email that FEMA had, at that time, not filed an appeal in the case.

“We are closely monitoring FEMA’s compliance with the court order,” the email states.

FEMA’s news desk at its regional office in Atlanta did not respond to requests for comment. 

The agency announced without any forewarning last April it was canceling the BRIC program, one created under President Donald Trump’s first term in office.

But just three months or so into Trump’s second term, an unnamed FEMA spokesperson stated in the announcement that the agency considered BRIC to be “wasteful” and “political.”

FEMA later clarified only projects that had been completed would be fully funded, erasing congressionally appropriated funding for more than 60 infrastructure projects in North Carolina.

Jackson joined a lawsuit filed last July by a coalition of state attorneys general who argued FEMA’s termination of the program was unlawful.

The court agreed, concluding that FEMA did not have the authority to end BRIC because Congress, not the federal agency, appropriated funds for that program.

“The BRIC program is designed to protect against natural disasters and save lives,” Stearns wrote.

“Our towns spent years doing everything FEMA asked them to do to qualify for this funding, and they were in the middle of building real protections against storms when FEMA suddenly broke its word,” Jackson said in a release following the court ruling. “Keeping water systems working and keeping homes out of floodwater isn’t politics – it’s basic safety.”

Pollocksville and Leland were selected to each receive about $1.1 million through the BRIC program.

Leland plans to relocate the town’s sewer system away from Sturgeon Creek from which floodwaters rise often after storms and natural disasters.

Jessica Jewell, Leland’s communications manager, said in an email that the town is exploring other grant opportunities to help fund their project.

At the time of FEMA’s announcement last April, Pollocksville had already paid out about $18,000 in legal, advertising and procurement fees ahead of the project the Jones County town had secured to raise six commercial buildings in its downtown next to the Trent River.

“I mean, this is a project that we thought was done,” Bender said. “We had a contractor. That was probably one of the most frustrating things. We were already under contract.”

Before the state attorneys general filed their lawsuit, town officials were contacted by the state and encouraged to submit their project proposal through the Hazard Mitigation Grant program. The HMGP is federally funded, but managed by the state Division of Emergency Management.

“Having to file all the same paperwork over – I don’t know that I can convey to you the complexity of the paperwork,” Bender said. “The positive thing about this, going through HMGP as opposed to going through FEMA, is that HMGP will be at no cost to the town. There’s no match and so that will obviously make it a more financially attractive proposal than FEMA.”

He went on to say that the town will take “the best deal that comes the quickest.”

“I will feel much more confident when there is an actual piece of paper to sign and when I see people on the street preparing elevate a building,” he said.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has suffered the highest percentage of staff cuts of any state, with nearly one-third of its workforce eliminated between 2010 and 2024, according to an environmental watchdog group.

A whopping 32%, or 386 DEQ staff positions, were wiped out during that 14-year period, according to an Environmental Integrity Project report released earlier this month.

Those staff cuts, the report concludes, leave the state agency responsible for administering regulations to protect water, air quality and the public’s health “ill-positioned to confront” pollution from the state’s growing factory farming industry, climate-driven storms and flooding in coastal communities.

The report notes how the agency was downsized when former Gov. Pat McCrory signed the 2015-16 state budget into law, triggering a shift of several divisions from what was then the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

The Republican governor, who also renamed the agency the Department of Environmental Quality, said the move aligned with his vision for government efficiency.

Josh Kastrinsky, DEQ’s deputy communications director, said in an email last week that it is “difficult” to directly compare present staffing levels to those in 2010 because of the changes that were made to the department in 2015.

“However, for several regulatory divisions that existed in 2010 and 2025, staffing levels declined by at least 25%,” he wrote, adding that, “The EIP report focuses on regulatory work and does not include DEQ’s non-regulatory work, which affects the total numbers of staff shown.”

As of the week that began Dec. 8, the departments vacancy rate was 8%, Kastrinsky said.

“This includes an engineer vacancy rate of 14% and an environmental specialist vacancy rate of 9%,” he said. “Several DEQ programs have larger workloads and several programs have less staff than they did in 2010.”

North Carolina’s population has increased by more than 11.5% since 2010, according to USAFacts, a nonprofit organization that gathers data from federal, state and local governments.

The state’s population growth corresponds to an increase in environmental permit applications filed with the department.

Since 2010, the department’s Division of Mitigation Services has seen a 200% increase in projects.

During that same time period, the number of erosion and sediment control project applicants filed with the Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources has jumped by nearly 60%, and the Division of Waste Management has received a 62% increase in underground storage tank applications.

“The 2010-2025 period also includes several destructive hurricanes, and DEQ staff have been heavily involved in recovery and long-term resilience in impacted communities,” Kastrinsky said. “DEQ’s ability to hire and retain sufficient staff levels has a direct effect on its ability to provide permit oversight, technical assistance to businesses and customer service to North Carolinians.”

The department’s “roughly 1,700 staff members remain dedicated to providing science-based efforts to ensure clean air, water and lands by managing applications, conducting inspections and permit oversight, investigating complaints and taking enforcement measures as appropriate under law,” he continued. “DEQ also continues to focus on a variety of funding and assistance programs to maintain critical infrastructure and make communities’ aging systems more resilient to increasingly severe natural disasters.”

The Environmental Integrity Program analyzed the budgets, annual expenditures and staffing levels from 2010 through to 2024 of the environmental agencies of all 50 states.

North Carolina topped the list of 31 states found to have cut jobs at their environmental agencies from 2010 to 2024. Connecticut experienced a 26% cut during that same time, followed closely by Arizona, which saw a 25% reduction in its environmental agency’s staff.

Seven states, including Texas, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Connecticut, reduced their pollution control funding by at least a third, the report concludes.

The impacts of such cuts will likely only be exacerbated by the Trump Administration’s plans to downsize the Environmental Protection Agency, the program warns.

“The Trump Administration is attempting to dismantle EPA and rollback commonsense federal pollution rules, claiming that the states can pick up the slack and protect our communities – but that’s not the case,” Jen Duggan, Environmental Integrity Project executive director, stated in a release. “The implementation of our environmental laws depend on both a strong EPA and state agencies that have the resources they need to do their jobs. But our research found that many states have already cut their pollution control agencies and so more cuts at the federal level will only put more Americans at risk.”

The report highlights North Carolina’s factory farming industry, which includes the production of nearly 1 billion chickens annually for sale as meat. And, as of March, there were 8.1 million hogs in concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, in the state.

Poultry waste at these CAFOs is sometimes dumped in open-air heaps and, when it rains, washes into nearby streams, discharging harmful nutrients into waters downstream, including those in the Cape Fear River Basin, which has the highest density of CAFOs in the world, according to Cape Fear River Watch.

“The unchecked expansion of hog and poultry farms has left the state environmental agency unable to even evaluate the cumulative impacts,” Drew Ball, director of Natural Resources Defense Council’s Southeast Campaigns team, states in the report. “At this point, policy experts and advocates can’t even get the information they need to protect the public. You can’t respond if you don’t know what’s coming online. We need to think a lot harder about keeping track of potential pollution and what it could mean for downstream communities.”

Coastal Review will not publish Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in observance of the Christmas holiday.

BUXTON – Faced with devastating destruction across a significant segment of its beachfront, this small Outer Banks village is seeking help for coastal solutions, including measures that could require potentially controversial legislative action by the state and federal governments.

Since September, 15 houses have collapsed on a stretch of beach in Buxton just north of Cape Hatteras, the distinctive point of land midway along the East Coast that juts far into the Atlantic. Adaptation to storms and natural forces have fortified the community since its establishment in the late 1800s, but now stunningly rapid erosion is endangering its future.

“Today, small areas of our oceanfront have deteriorated to the point where we can no longer shoulder these challenges alone,” Dare County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bob Woodard wrote to members of the North Carolina General Assembly in November. “With your support, we can preserve our coastline, protect public infrastructure, and sustain the economic engine that benefits all of North Carolina.”

The county is one of the few “donor counties” in North Carolina, with more than 3 million people annually visiting Dare’s beaches and national parks and generating significant state tax revenue, he said. So far, he added, the county has spent about $275 million for beach nourishment as well as additional millions to maintain inlets, with little state or federal assistance.

In addition to a beach nourishment project in 2026 for Buxton, the county is planning to repair a purportedly half-intact groin, one of three installed in 1969 to protect the former Navy base constructed in 1956 near the original location of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

Dare and Hyde counties also have asked the state Division of Coastal Management to lift the 1985 state ban against hardened structures so the remnants of the two deteriorated groins at the site can be replaced.

But beach stabilization of any sort on the Outer Banks, with its extraordinarily high-energy coastal conditions, is becoming more challenging in a changing climate with quickly evolving and often unpredictable consequences: Sea levels are increasing faster than projected, storms are intensifying, rainfall is heavier.

In recent years, Hatteras and Ocracoke islands on the barrier islands’ southern end have been suffering dramatically increased shoaling in its inlets and far worse erosion at numerous hot spots along N.C. 12, the island’s only highway. Over wash, loss of dunes and road damage is becoming more frequent and difficult to mitigate, sometimes resulting in loss of vehicular access for hours or days. 

People say things feel different. Residents — from old timers to long-time transplants — have noticed places flooding where they never did before, shoaling in waterways that had never clogged before, and erosion consuming an entire shoreline that had been wide and stable just a few years before. And this fall and winter, even seasonal nor’easters have switched to overdrive, with the storms coming in one after another and more often than some ole salts say they’ve ever seen. 

“When we really developed these islands in the ’70s and ’80s, it was a different system, and we need to recognize that, acknowledge it, and plan accordingly,” Reide Corbett, executive director of the Coastal Studies Institute and Dean of the Integrated Coastal Program at East Carolina University, said in a recent interview. “We can’t let self-interest lead the way. We need to understand what this looks like, and we need to get behind better policy. And it starts with how we develop.”

Responding to increasing numbers of house collapses in Buxton and Rodanthe, the Hatteras Island’s northernmost village, state leaders are urging Congress to pass legislation introduced by Rep. Greg Murphy, a Republican from North Carolina’s 3rd District, that would authorize proactive Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance payments to remove threatened oceanfront houses before they fall.

While the proposal has garnered bipartisan support, FEMA is currently understaffed and targeted for downsizing, reorganization or even elimination, and its flood insurance program is woefully underfunded.

A delegation representing local, state and federal officials toured the damaged area in Buxton on Nov. 24, where dozens of additional oceanfront houses are scattered willy-nilly, awaiting near-certain demise. Numerous members of the group expressed shock at the disarray and destruction at the scene.

Meanwhile, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson has directed the Coastal Resources Commission’s Science Panel to analyze shoreline stabilization options, including the potential effectiveness or negative impacts of groins.

Erosion on Buxton’s oceanfront has been a persistent problem for many decades, at least to the infrastructure on the beach, such as the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

“It was quite obvious to everybody that in the course of time the lighthouse would topple into the Atlantic Ocean and the thousand acres of park land, upon which no tree and scarcely any blade of grass grew, would be swallowed up by the warring ocean currents that swirl around the point of Cape Hatteras,” author Ben Dixon MacNeill wrote in an article published on July 30, 1948, in the Coastland Times. At that point, he noted, in just the lifetime of a middle-aged man, erosion had already whittled away 1,500 feet of beach. 

Despite the 1937 congressional directive to the National Park Service to preserve what would later become Cape Hatteras National Seashore as a “primitive wilderness,” until the early 1970s, according to park documents, the agency spent more than $20 million to stop the “natural process” of barrier island movement. Projects included installing in 1930 steel sheet pile groins along the beach by Cape Hatteras Lighthouse; installing in 1933 additional sheet pile groins at the lighthouse; nourishment of the beach in 1966 near the Buxton motel area with sand dredged from Pamlico Sound; and in 1967 placement of revetment of large nylon sandbags in front of the lighthouse.

In addition, the U.S. Navy built three reinforced concrete groins in 1969 to protect its facility near the lighthouse; the beach near the Buxton motels was nourished again in 1971 with material dredged from Cape Point; and the beach near the Navy operation was nourished in 1973 with Cape Point sand. 

Those actions were in addition to construction and repeated reconstruction of sand dunes, as well as beach fences and planting grasses, shrubs and trees to hold the dunes. 

Finally, in 1973, the National Park Service acknowledged the futility and unsustainable costs of stabilization, and abandoned its efforts. The agency, however, did continue various attempts to protect the lighthouse with riprap, offshore artificial grass, sandbags and a scour-mat apron. With the sea by then lapping at its base, the lighthouse in 1999 was relocated a half-mile inland.

In a letter dated Jan. 9, 1974, from the U.S. Department of Interior to a Buxton resident, the agency promised that all available data would be analyzed before determining future beach stabilization management decisions in the Seashore, including relative to the groins.

“The most reliable scientific data we have obtained thus far offer no evidence that the existing jetties or groins at Buxton provide acceptable protection from ocean forces,” the department added. “While some stabilizing effect may be gained in the immediate area, the jetties actually cause more erosion in adjacent locations.”

A report the year earlier published by University of Virginia coastal scientist Robert Dolan, et. al, to analyze the effects of beach nourishment in Buxton, in fact, said that the groins — short jetties extending from a shoreline — rapidly increased erosion by the motel area, causing dune destruction and ocean over wash into private property.

“The groins, somewhat unexpectedly, are trapping sediment at the expense of the beaches to either side and as a result of their success, the reach protected by the groins has become stable,” the report said, adding that the localized erosion problem at Buxton had followed construction of the groins.

Barely more than four years after they were built, the groins were damaged by storms and required repairs with new sheet piling. Patches and reinforcements continued until the Navy in 1982 abandoned the base, apparently leaving the groins to the elements.

By the time heated discussions kicked in about whether the lighthouse should be saved in place or moved, the community tried to persuade the federal government to not only maintain the by-then-deteriorating existing groins, but also to add a fourth groin. The petition was soundly rejected, and the Navy, the Park Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers appeared to want nothing to do with the groins.

Today, the county sees the sand trapping barriers — even a single groin — as a way to prolong the effectiveness of a $50 million beach nourishment project, and importantly, as a way to buy time while consultants determine a long-term strategy for Buxton.

Dare County Manager Bobby Outten reported in March that, according to Coastal Science & Engineering, the firm hired to do the beach nourishment and groin work, the southern-most groin would meet the state’s 50% rule that allows repair of an existing structure that has 50% or less in damages. The county is currently awaiting approval from the state, as well as acknowledgement that the application meets the exemption criteria for an exemption from the hardened structures statute, he said.

If the groin work is approved, contractors estimate the $2 to $4 million project would take up to two months to complete this summer and involve about 640 feet of repairs, using steel sheet pile and riprap scour protection within the original footprint.

As Outten summed up the current dilemma facing Dare and other North Carolina coastal communities: There are two extremes, either hold the coast in place as it is, and build sea walls. Or let nature take its course, let the houses fall and see the economy crumble.

“And neither one of those extremes is acceptable,” he told Coastal Review. “To anybody.”

The two federal branches that enforce the Clean Water Act last month pitched changes to the “waters of the United States” definition, which establishes the types of waterbodies that are federally protected against pollution, and if these amendments pass as written, conservation groups fear millions of acres of nontidal wetlands will be left vulnerable.

The Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers have for decades had the authority to regulate “navigable waters,” which means “the waters of the United States, including the territorial seas,” as written in the 1948 Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Expanded in the 1970s, the measure is typically referred to as the Clean Water Act.

The EPA explains on its website that the Clean Water Act “establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters.”

One thing the Clean Water Act doesn’t do is clearly define “waters of the United States.” The EPA calls it a “threshold term in the Clean Water Act and establishes the geographic scope of federal jurisdiction under the Act.”

EPA and Army leadership announced Nov. 17 plans to update the definition, which has been the subject of lawsuits and years’ worth of arguments.

The “Updated Definition of ‘’Waters of the United States’’’ was published Nov. 20 in the Federal Register, launching a 45-day comment period on the proposed changes that closes Jan. 5.  A virtual public meeting is scheduled for 12:30 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, with a 2-2:30 p.m. break. Attendees must register online to speak by 5 p.m. Monday. To listen only, register by the start of the meeting.

This latest attempt, which would exclude isolated wetlands, is directly linked to the Supreme Court’s May 2023 Sackett v. EPA decision. The Sacketts are an Idaho couple fined in the late 2000s for backfilling a section of their property that the EPA considered wetlands.

Judges ruled in the final opinion on the case that the “(Clean Water Act)’s use of ‘waters’” only refers to geographical features described in everyday language “as ‘streams, oceans, rivers and lakes’ and to adjacent wetlands that are ‘indistinguishable’ from those bodies of water due to a continuous surface connection.”

Earlier that year, the EPA had finalized a “Revised Definition of ‘Waters of the United States'” rule that took effect March 20, 2023, and which the Sackett case invalidated. In August 2023, the EPA and Army Corps issued an amendment to align the rule with the Sackett decision.

That final conforming rule is what the EPA and Army Corps leadership are proposing to amend.

The agencies argue that the change “would fully implement” the Supreme Court’s ruling “by ensuring federal jurisdiction is focused on relatively permanent, standing or continuously flowing bodies of water—such as streams, oceans, rivers, and lakes—and wetlands that are connected and indistinguishable from such waterbodies.”

With this proposed rule, the agencies explain in the docket, they “intend to provide greater regulatory certainty and increase Clean Water Act program predictability and consistency by clarifying the definition of ‘waters of the United States.’ This proposed rule is also intended to implement the overall objective of the Clean Water Act to restore and maintain the quality of the Nation’s waters while respecting State and Tribal authority over their own land and water resources.”

Environmental groups argued then, when the Sackett case was ruled, and still maintain that by removing protections from the millions of acres of nontidal wetlands, there will be consequences: Water quality will be jeopardized and flooding will increase, to name just two.

Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney Mark Sabath said in an interview that for 50 years, the Clean Water Act has been the strongest and best federal protection for many of the waters and wetlands around the country.

The law does that “by saying you can’t pollute, you can’t fill, you can’t destroy certain features, certain waters, without a permit,” Sabath said, and the permitting process means that there are certain protections and controls you have to apply to minimize the amount of destruction.

Sabath added that a number of features of the Clean Water Act are dependent on the type of water, and, in addressing its critics, not every puddle in the country covered by the act.

“It’s only things that meet the definition of waters of the United States, and that isn’t defined in the statute itself,” Sabath continued. “Congress didn’t define it, so EPA and the Army Corps, in a series of rules over the years, have tried to define exactly what wetlands are and aren’t covered by the Clean Water Act.”

This proposed rule is the latest revision and it is “by far the most narrow, the most extreme definition,” Sabath continued. “It includes the fewest number of streams and wetlands and other waters of any interpretation of ‘waters the United States’ that we’ve seen.”

North Carolina Wildlife Federation Conservation Policy Vice President Manley Fuller told Coastal Review that with this proposed rule, the bottom line is a massive loss of protection of waters of the United States, which are vital habitats for fish and wildlife.

“This will also negatively affect hunting and fishing, which are a significant part of our natural resource-based economy,” he continued. “Wetlands are also buffers for the built environment and help reduce downstream flooding. Protecting clean waters and wetlands is extremely popular with the public for many reasons and we need to strengthen rather than weaken these programs.”

North Carolina Sierra Club Deputy Director Erin Carey told Coastal Review the rule will effectively remove federal protections from at least 80% of wetlands and over 5 million miles of streams across the country.

“This rule will open millions of acres of wetlands to the threat of development, leaving communities already vulnerable to flooding without the frontline protection afforded by these invaluable habitats. Wetlands act as filters for floodwaters and other runoff, making them critical not only to flood mitigation, but to the preservation of clean water resources,” Carey said.

Environmental Defense Fund Coasts and Watersheds Science Senior Manager Dr. Adam Gold pointed out as well that if the proposed rule is implemented as written, nearly all nontidal wetlands and intermittent streams could be without Clean Water Act protections in North Carolina and across the United States.

While there are many changes in the proposed rule, the most notable are to the definitions of “relative permanence” of waters and a “continuous surface connection” for wetlands, Gold said, adding that the proposed language introduces the concept of a “wet season.”

“Under the proposed rule, wetlands and waters would only receive Clean Water Act protections if they have surface water throughout the ‘wet season,’ described in the rule as ‘an extended period where there is continuous surface hydrology resulting from predictable seasonal precipitation patterns year after year,’” Gold said. “This proposed rule would make it easier to drain or develop wetlands that do not meet the ‘wet season’ surface water requirement, putting our wetlands and the benefits they provide at serious risk.”

In North Carolina, the impact of the proposed rule is 3.2 million acres, or about 88%, of nontidal wetlands estimated to be without Clean Water Act protections. “Importantly, this analysis relies on wetland ‘wetness’ during the growing season, but the proposed rule uses the ‘wet season,’” Gold said.

About the wet season, Gold continued, there are “fundamental issues with the proposed rule’s ‘wet season’ dataset.”

He said the classification of the “wet season” comes from the Army Corps of Engineers Antecedent Precipitation Tool, but the underlying data this tool relies on is modeled using the average monthly temperature and precipitation between 1950 and 1999. The modeled dataset was published in 2001 and does not use the best-available methods.

“The agencies proposed ‘wet season’ dataset classifies most of the year, and in some cases the entire year, as ‘wet’ for much of coastal North Carolina. So, under this proposed rule, wetlands or streams in Jacksonville would need to have surface water year-round (the whole year is classified as ‘wet’) to have Clean Water Act protections. For New Bern, the ‘wet season’ is 11 months, and for Wilmington or Brunswick County, the ‘wet season’ is 10 months.”

Gold said the proposed rule “which could essentially remove nontidal wetland and intermittent waters from the Clean Water Act, does not align with the goal of the Clean Water Act to ‘restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters.’ Science shows us that all wetlands, regardless of how ‘wet’ they are, clean our water, provide critical wildlife habitat, and reduce downstream flooding impacts.”

The EPA and Corps also asserted the week the proposed changes were announced that the new rules would provide “the regulatory certainty needed to support our nation’s farmers who feed and fuel the world and advance EPA’s Powering the Great American Comeback initiative.”

Sabath noted that the idea that this will have huge benefits for farming and for farmers is a common refrain when they’re restricting the protections of the Clean Water Act, “but the Clean Water Act actually exempts most farming activities from coverage already, so you don’t need to get a permit for doing regular farming activities, even when they would affect a wetland or stream that would otherwise be covered.”

The idea that this is a huge benefit for farmers is a nicer story, “because they don’t want to say, well, this is a huge benefit for large industrial facilities, industrial polluters, developers,” Sabath said.

Carey sees the proposed rule as demonstrating “that the EPA has abdicated its mandated responsibility to protect the environment and the people who depend on it. Even worse, the agency appears eager to sacrifice our natural resources on the altar of corporate greed.”

The public should be “very concerned that the federal agency tasked with ensuring clean water, clean air, and the protection of our natural environment seems determined to undermine that responsibility. With this proposed change, the EPA claims to seek clarity in regulation, but this rule would serve only to allow industry to profit from environmental destruction, and the ruination of our natural resources,” she added.

White Oak Waterkeeper Riley Lewis said in a statement that the EPA’s new definition of Waters of the United States ignores decades of scientific understanding and generations of Indigenous knowledge.

“By redefining wetlands using ambiguous criteria seemingly designed to maximize developable land and reduce regulatory barriers, the agency is turning a blind eye to the very real, very predictable impacts on our communities,” Lewis said. “Water will continue to move beneath our feet through groundwater and across the landscape during storms, regardless of a federal definition or a construction permit. This rule sets Americans up for flooding, damaged infrastructure, and increased pollution in the waters we rely on for our drinking supply, our food, and our way of life.”

So, why does this actually matter to the public? Sabath said it does in a few ways.

In North Carolina, people who hunt, fish and paddle use wetlands directly and those might be impacted by being destroyed or polluted without a permit.

“Anyone who is in a community that floods during extreme weather, and we all know that that’s happening more and more now, or that’s at risk of flooding,” Sabath said. By losing those wetlands, you lose their ability to protect communities from flooding, and that comes more often now from extreme weather.

“It’s a double whammy. You’re losing the benefits that they provide, and you’re probably creating more problems,” and more potential pollution or channels of pollution at the same time by replacing wetlands, natural areas with pavement or developed areas, he said.

With wetlands being a “good natural sponge” that can absorb huge amounts of water, “if anything, we should be trying to expand wetland coverage rather than take it away, Sabath said.

“In short,” Carey with the Sierra Club continued, “communities will watch rivers and streams in their communities fall victim to unchecked pollution. Without federal protections, industry will discharge and develop at will, destroying habitats, water quality, and flood protection measures as they go. The wetlands and streams of this country belong to all people, not just those who seek to exploit them.”

The University of North Carolina’s Center for Marine Science has been awarded a $500,000 grant to help enhance flood safety and resilience efforts in New Hanover County.

With the two-year planning grant, CMS will convene a Flood Resilience Consortium “that unites agencies and organizations focused on community preparedness, facilitating outreach, workshops, research, and implementation planning to guide long-term flood resilience efforts,” according to a release from The Endowment, which awarded the grant.

“This consortium will connect the many agencies and experts already working on flood issues, allowing them to move forward with shared priorities and clear roles,” The Endowment’s Director of Community Safety Mary Vail Ware stated in the release.

The Endowment was established with proceeds from the sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center from the county to Novant Health five years ago. Since that time, millions in grant funds have been awarded to projects and endeavors in the community.

The grant “will help align ongoing resilience efforts, pinpoint high-risk areas, and guide cost-effective solutions that reduce future impacts and support faster recovery,” the release states.

The consortium will produce an inventory of existing resources and tools, including maps, models, and data, a plan detailing vulnerabilities, priority projects, timelines and responsibilities, and a funding strategy that aligns public, private and philanthropic investments with the most critical initiatives.

“This is about building a community that can withstand, adapt, and bounce back,” Ware said. “By investing in early planning and bringing partners together, we’re laying the foundation for solutions that safeguard our environment, infrastructure, and future.”

“Preparing for the future means learning from the past,” Sophie Dagenais, The Endowment’s interim president and chief executive officer, said in the release. “We remember the storms that have shaped this community, and we are committed to supporting efforts strengthening New Hanover County’s infrastructure, so residents, businesses, and ecosystems are better protected. This investment supports a coordinated, data-driven approach to flood resilience.”

JACKSONVILLE – When the proposed flood insurance rate maps for Onslow County were released back in 2016, Jacksonville officials were surprised to say the least.

The preliminary maps created under North Carolina’s Flood Plain Mapping Program shifted more than 800 additional structures in downtown Jacksonville into a high-hazard flood zone.

“Jacksonville had the highest number percentage-wise increase of anywhere in the state,” said Ryan King, the city’s director of planning and inspections. “That was an eye opener for us because, if you look at it, we don’t have a lot of areas that flood. We don’t have a lot of structures that flood. Now, we have some, don’t get me wrong, but we don’t have a lot.”

King spoke with Coastal Review last week during an open house the city hosted for residents and business leaders to review and discuss proposed updated flood studies and revisions to the maps that have been made following the city’s appeal.

Special flood hazard areas, or SFHAs, are identified as areas with a 1% or higher annual risk of a flood. Unlike moderate to low-risk areas, where flood insurance is recommended, but optional, flood insurance and federally backed mortgages are required in high-risk zones.

Jane Sutton and her husband have opted against buying flood insurance, telling Coastal Review that their property, two blocks from the New River, does not have a history of flooding.

“I can tell you as long as I’ve lived here and as many hurricanes as I’ve lived through our neighborhood has never flooded,” Sutton said.

The couple were among the first area residents who trickled into the open house last Wednesday. They were relieved to learn their property will not be affected under the proposed revised maps.

Under the 2016 preliminary maps, which were largely based on storm surge modeling, many downtown homes would have to have been elevated, some as much as 10 feet. That would be on top of the city’s 3-foot freeboard requirement above base flood elevation.

“In the downtown area, which is an area that jumped out at me, you went to an elevation of 10,” King said. “I think that area should be in a flood zone because the houses do flood. But I think the number seemed off at 10 feet.”

There were other things that raised city staff’s concerns. Some properties in Carolina Forest, a residential neighborhood of townhomes and single-family homes roughly 5 miles from downtown, were included in a flood zone based on data from 2000, King said.

Construction of that neighborhood didn’t get underway until after that year.

After city staff shared their concerns with Jacksonville City Council, the board agreed to hire design, engineering and consulting firm Applied Technology & Management Inc. to take a deep dive into some of the discrepancies being pointed out by staff.

The city formally appealed 33 blocks, or areas of land divided into smaller sections on flood maps, identified in the revised maps the Federal Emergency Management Agency released in 2016.

North Carolina received FEMA’s approval some two decades ago to take over the state’s Flood Plain Mapping Program, a move supported by those who believed map updates are best handled at the local level by people who are familiar with the areas under review.

Revised preliminary maps were released in late March 2024.

The maps incorporate newer data, including information gathered using LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, which uses laser light to measure distances and create detailed models of the environment.

The proposed revised maps do not, however, factor in sea level rise.

“And we know, from what I’ve been told, the next revision will incorporate sea level rise so we want to make sure that we get it right this time because I think it’s just going to stack on top of it as we move forward. So, this is almost like the new baseline,” he said.

Beginning Sept. 18, property owners will have 90 days to appeal the 2024 revisions. That appeal period closes on Dec. 18.

King encourages Jacksonville property owners to contact their insurance agents to inquire about flood policies.

“It’s worth reaching out to find out to protect your property, but that’s a conversation the homeowner needs to have with the insurance company,” he said.

This report has been updated.

State transportation crews were clearing N.C. Highway 12 and rebuilding dunes in the wake of Hurricane Erin’s pass offshore, as flooding conditions continued and the road remained closed Friday morning.

Friday morning’s high tide breached dunes in two new locations along N.C. 12, including a 200-foot-long breach at the Canal Zone just south of Oregon Inlet and a 30-foot-long breach in a dune at the visitor center for the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.

In addition, ocean overwash was occurring at Buxton, north of Hatteras, and on the north end of Ocracoke Island.

“Our crews are out, and at the very least we still have no indication of pavement damage, but NC12 remains CLOSED at the Marc Basnight Bridge and on the north end of Ocracoke at this time,” according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s N.C. 12 Facebook page.

Later on Friday, crews from Tyrrell, Hyde and Currituck counties arrived to help get the highway ready to reopen, although there remained no time certain for that to happen. Officials said that before the highway can be reopened, ocean overwash had to stop, dune breaches must be repaired and the highway cleared of standing water and sand, an inspection for pavement damage and repairs completed, if needed.

“When we have a timeline on reopening, we will say so here,” officials posted on the page. “We will issue a press release. We’d shout it from the mountaintops if there were any mountains around here to shout it from.”

The highway will remained closed until it is safe to open, officials said.

Southeast coastal counties and municipalities within them are teaming with the N.C. Emergency Management to update the Southeastern N.C. Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan.

The federally required plan helps prepare for future disasters by identifying natural hazard risks, potential impacts of those risks on communities, and mitigation goals and actions. Plans must be updated every five years.

Residents of Brunswick, New Hanover, Onslow and Pender counties are invited to take a short public survey to provide feedback as part of the update to the plan.

A virtual meeting about the updated plan is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Aug. 18. Anyone wishing to attend may register online.

Hazard mitigation plans are required under the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, which mandates state, tribal, county, and local governments create, approve and adopt mitigation plans in order to be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster and nondisaster grant programs.

There are 30 regional multijurisdictional hazard mitigation plans in North Carolina. This is the state’s fifth update of those local mitigation plans. Updates are managed and funded by N.C. Emergency Management through grant funding.

The update process includes a thorough community-level review of natural hazard risks and potential impacts, capabilities, and a review and updating of mitigation goals and actions established in previous plan editions.

A proposal to strengthen and expand building rules in Leland’s flood zone will not be indefinitely sidelined, proponents of the changes say.

“I’m not going to let this die,” said Leland Councilmember Veronica Carter. “I will bring this up at every single meeting until we get some sort of ordinance.”

Carter, who also sits on the board of directors of the North Carolina Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review, and fellow Councilmember Bill McHugh in telephone interviews last week expressed disappointment after a majority of the council on July 17 voted to table proposed updates to the town’s flood damage prevention ordinance.

Suggested amendments to the ordinance included extending building regulations to land within the 500-year flood zone, which includes nearly 280 acres, restricting residential construction fill to elevate property out of a flood zone, limiting density in a flood zone to two units per acre, and increasing freeboard, or the height added to base flood elevation, from 2 to 4 feet.

The town’s planning board unanimously supported the amendments, but the proposed changes were met with fierce pushback from pro-development groups, including builders and real estate agents.

The nonprofit Business Alliance for a Sound Economy in a letter reported in Port City Daily last month argued the proposed ordinance amendments would undermine property values, limit homeowners from making improvements to their houses, and impose “major new costs to home ownership in Leland” while doing “virtually nothing to reduce the impact of flooding.”

“Were one of them (houses) to be significantly or completely destroyed for any reason, the homeowner would be personally responsible for the major added expense of elevating the home to the new standard,” the letter states.

But building in a flood zone is in and of itself an inherent risk, one that is being exacerbated by the strings of coastal storms in recent years that have dumped historic levels of rainfall in the area, proponents of the measure say.

Next month will be the one-year anniversary of the unnamed storm that dumped up to 20 inches or so of rainfall in southern portions of New Hanover County down through Brunswick County over a two-day period.

That storm, widely called Potential Tropical Cyclone 8, surprised the area with flash flooding that washed out roads and inundated homes.

The National Weather Service said the storm approached an event expected to occur, on average, once every 1,000 years.

“It was ugly and if we’re seeing that kind of catastrophic event happening outside of a major hurricane, just some random summer day, I think we need to take a serious look at where and how we’re building and developing in this zone because, let’s not kid ourselves, the more impervious (surface) that you’re building, the more you push that water out,” McHugh said. “Not taking any action to mitigate that risk, to me, is just wildly irresponsible. The idea that these events are remote and rare and some sort of lottery occurrence is just disingenuous.”

As a result of the unnamed storm, areas outside of Leland’s flood zones were swamped, including Stoney Creek Plantation.

“We all know that the bottom line is things are flooding that have never flooded before,” Carter said. “Our flood maps from the federal government are woefully inadequate and outdated.”

Amendments proposed for the town’s flood prevention ordinance do not halt building in flood zones, she said.

“We’re just saying if you’re going to do it, you’re going to take into account it’s going to flood,” she said.

The coastal storm has been just one of a seemingly growing number of significant rain events hitting the state in recent years and exposing more and more flood-vulnerable areas.

Brunswick County officials are also taking notice. The county is commissioning a study on whether to create a stormwater utility. More than 28,000 structures are within the county’s flood zones.

Strengthening building rules within flood zones, McHugh said, is a moral issue, one where elected officials must ensure they are not creating a situation that puts everyone from property owners to emergency personnel in danger.

“When things flood, when things get damaged, the cost of everyone’s insurance goes up. So, if we limit development in danger zones we limit the risk in an area from hurricanes,” he said. “I remain hopeful that we’re going to pass some sort of meaningful change to flood zone development and I think that this is a matter of critical importance to public safety, to the safety of our first responders, to the insurability of the region, and to these folks who are making the largest investment of their lives, which are their homes. You should be able to trust that a home you buy in Leland is built somewhere safe.”

Both councilmembers said the town might benefit from hosting a workshop, one where residents and special interest groups may come together and share their suggestions.

The council is expected to discuss next steps on the proposed amendments during its Aug. 18 agenda meeting. The council’s regular meeting is scheduled Aug. 21.

Part of a series about the effects federal budget and staff cuts and the cancellations of programs and services are having in coastal North Carolina.

POLLOCKSVILLE – North Carolina’s attorney general is confident federal funding unceremoniously stripped from local governments earlier this year will be reinstated under a court ruling.

“I think we’re going to win in court,” Jeff Jackson said Tuesday afternoon. “I think our argument is very strong.”

Jackson had just wrapped up a short tour of Pollocksville’s Main Street, where the town’s longtime mayor pointed to building after building tapped to be raised higher off the ground and out of the path of future flooding that might spill over the banks of the Trent River.

“This building’s got great potential,” Mayor Jay Bender said as the two men strolled a sidewalk toward the river. One that, in September 2018, rose more than 25 feet when Hurricane Florence dumped more than 30 inches of rain.

Floodwaters forced most of the town’s residents to evacuate and destroyed or damaged more than 80% of its buildings.

“There’s nothing woke, there’s nothing political, there’s nothing wasteful,” Bender said to Jackson.

There’s also nothing left of the federal program that helped communities tailor projects to reduce and prevent damage from future storms.

Four days before Pollocksville officials were to sign contracts to kickstart their project to raise buildings, President Donald Trump’s Federal Emergency Management Agency killed the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, grants program.

The agency said only projects that have been completed will be fully funded.

Gone was the nearly $1.1 million in funding this small Jones County town had worked so hard to secure through a process vetted by FEMA for more than 30 months.

“The rug was pulled out from under us,” Bender said.

A coalition of 20 state attorneys general, including Jackson, filed a lawsuit on July 16 in a federal court in Boston accusing FEMA of unlawfully terminating the BRIC program.

“The basic argument is that was not FEMA money to cancel,” Jackson said during a press conference under a picnic shelter in the town’s waterfront park. “That was congressional money. Congress gave that money to FEMA and told FEMA how to spend it. They said we want you to spend it helping small towns like Pollocksville defend themselves against the next flood. That is exactly what Pollocksville was doing with this money.”

Tuesday’s visit to Pollocksville was his second in recent days to a North Carolina town awarded BRIC funding only to have it ripped away.

Several days ago, Jackson went to Hillsborough to visit a pumping station that flooded when Tropical Storm Chantal swept through parts of central North Carolina early this month. Plans were to construct a new pumping station outside of the floodplain with more than $5 million in BRIC funds.

“We’re going in order of indefensibility,” he said Tuesday in what seems to be a campaign of sorts to raise awareness of FEMA’s decision to cut the BRIC program.

Pollocksville is one of 68 towns, cities and counties in the state that have been awarded BRIC grants since the program officially began its first round of funding in 2020. As previously reported by Coastal Review, almost half of the local governments awarded funding are in the 20 coastal counties.

The only completed BRIC project in the state is a living shoreline in Duck.

Congress approved the program in 2018 with bipartisan support and Trump’s signature during his first presidential term. Since then, nearly $5 billion has been committed to communities across the country for projects to elevate buildings and roads, relocate vulnerable sewer pump stations, control flooding, and strengthen building codes.

“Yes, we want to get this money back to Pollocksville,” Jackson said. “If we’re successful it means we get money back for the entire state.”

He said he expects the court will hold a hearing “within the next few weeks” over a request by the attorneys general for an injunction to lift the funds from being blocked.

“That’s been our request that they treat this as an emergency,” Jackson said. “What we want the court to do is say, while this matter is winding its way through court, which will take six to nine months to fully resolve, the money can continue to flow.”

Jackson said there’s no lack of evidence to support the importance of BRIC funding for communities like Pollocksville that are trying to better protect its residents and infrastructure from floods and other natural disasters exacerbated by the changing climate.

“The flood here, the flood in Hillsborough that happened three weeks ago, there’s fresh evidence with respect to an enormous number of these things,” he said.

The National Weather Service Office staff in Newport invites newcomers to the area, anyone who has never experienced a hurricane and those who would like to learn more about preparedness to attend one of three upcoming community forums.

The first is at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Havelock City Hall, 1 Governmental Ave.

The event will include a presentation from a meteorologist with the National Weather Service on hurricanes and their effects on this part of the state.

“We will go over why you should never focus on just the category of the storm along with discussing all of the impacts any tropical cyclone can bring. We will cover the hurricane outlook for the season while emphasizing it only takes one storm to make an impact on your life,” NWS staff said.

Subsequent community forums are set for 11 a.m. Monday July 28, at the Greene County Senior Center, 104 Greenridge Road in Snow Hill, and at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 11, at the Jones County Civic Center, 832 N.C. Highway 58 in Trenton.

Register online to attend any of the three upcoming forums, which are free to attend and open to all.

The events will conclude with a community discussion and the opportunity to ask questions.

More buildings in 78 North Carolina counties between 1996 and 2020 were exposed to flooding than previously recognized, and almost half of them were not within the federally designated areas that require flood insurance, a new study finds.

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill researchers used anonymous, address-level National Flood Insurance Program records and observational damage to create maps of 78 flood events that three-quarters of the state experienced during those 25 years to determine which buildings experienced flooding and how often.

They found that more than 90,000 buildings flooded at least once, which they predict is “more than twice the number of flooded buildings compared to those at addresses associated with NFIP claims filed between 1996 and 2020,” according to the study published Monday in Earth’s Future, an Advancing Earth and Space Sciences journal.

The study’s results “illustrate that flood exposure, especially repetitive exposure, is much more widespread than previously recognized” and “demonstrate the value of simulating flood events beyond those that generate the most damage and get the most attention from governments, media, and researchers. This first-of-its-kind database of flood maps can be used to better understand how flood exposure, vulnerability, and risk change over time.”

Lead author Helena Garcia, a doctoral candidate in UNC’s Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program, told Coastal Review that the team mapped the nearly 80 events to look at how much flooding at the building level has occurred across those events in those 25 years.

“We know a lot about some of the larger events, like hurricanes Florence and Matthew, but we had questions about some of the other events, too,” she said.

The team used the flood maps they created to build an index to determine what buildings had flooded and how often.

“When we did that, we found that over 90,000 buildings flooded in at least one of those 78 events, with about a quarter of those buildings, or 20,000 of them, flooding in two or more events,” Garcia said. Adding, that of those events, there were 44 that had tropical cyclone activity, and many of the buildings were damaged during those storms.

These findings provide an estimate of how much repeat exposure is happening, especially outside of the large events, like the fall 2018 Hurricane Florence, Garcia said.

The study shows that 43% of the structures that flooded out of that 90,000 were located outside of the Federal Emergency Management Agency-mapped flood zones, Garcia said. “The people that had flooded during some of those events might not have known or realized that they had flood risk at their property.”

FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Area, or SFHA, is where the National Flood Insurance Program’s “floodplain management regulations must be enforced and the area where the mandatory purchase of flood insurance applies,” according to FEMA.

Antonia Sebastian, assistant professor in UNC’s Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program and Department of Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences, told Coastal Review last week that a key takeaway from the study was how much flooding happened outside of mapped floodplains.

FEMA “floodplains are used as the primary indicator of high-risk areas, but flooding can occur outside of them,” Sebastian said. “We weren’t surprised that we had a lot of flooding outside of floodplains, but I think it’s a really important for people to recognize that even if you live outside of a floodplain, you could flood, and we’re finding some of these repetitive flooding hotspots in areas that aren’t mapped.”

About the study

The study area spans eight watersheds, including the entirety of the Neuse-Pamlico and Cape Fear River watersheds as well as portions of the Chowan-Roanoke and Pee Dee River watersheds.

For the study, the researchers used anonymous records of address-level NFIP policies in force and claims from the mid-1970s to 2020 from FEMA for the 78 counties overlapping these watersheds, which is about 77% of the state’s land area.

They used the available NFIP insurance data to map the flood events because it’s not a time-intensive method like physics-based models, and they could produce the flood maps quicker, Garcia explained.

She added that they would have looked at the entire state but the insurance data the team had access to was only available on the three-quarters of the state.

To determine what flood events to analyze, Garcia said the team established a threshold based on data from the 18 flood-related presidential disaster declarations for the study area from the 25-year period.

“We made sure that our algorithm found all of those (18 events) and also found 60 other events,” she said.

The findings highlight flooding hot spots and that information can be helpful for preparedness, mitigation and resilience efforts for these locations.

“We want to make sure that those are the places we’re putting the funding toward, because they need it the most, Garcia said. “And then in the future, I think it’s something to keep track of, to figure out are these hot spots of repetitive flooding shifting as we see different types of flood events that could be more intense or more widespread.”

One of the challenges the team encountered while working on the study was determining what counts as a flood event, Garcia said.

“There’s definitely flooding that happened over this 25-year time period that doesn’t show up in these 78 events, just because it didn’t fit the algorithm,” she said.

To define the flood events, researchers looked for flooding with at least 15 claims recorded within a seven-day period in the same watershed boundary. They chose that threshold because it included all 18 flood-related FEMA federal disaster declarations that occurred within the study area between 1996 and 2020.

Garcia said the biggest surprise for her was how many buildings experienced flooding and repetitive flooding, and not just on the coast. There are properties in inland areas like Lumberton, Winston-Salem and Chapel Hill.

Sebastian said that while the study answered questions, “the coolest thing about this study is all of the potential types of things we can do now with this information.”

Garcia said that with this data set, “we can look at impacts of floods and outcomes over time a wider range of events than we’ve currently or really been able to do so before,” such as financial and health impacts.

“Here we can focus on multiple events and also what happens when people see repeat exposure over time. So, what I’m doing with that is looking at basically people and their movements through time,” Garcia said, adding that there was also interest in finding out whether people are continuing to stay in these repetitive flooding hotspots or moving to lower their flood risk. “Does your experience with previous flooding kind of inform your next residential move, if you do choose to move?”

Dare County officials announced Friday that the public library in Manteo had to close temporarily because of extensive flooding on Burnside Drive and surrounding side streets.

The flooding was caused by a storm that arrived Thursday with rainfall that continued overnight.

“The area is currently unsafe for pedestrian traffic and low-lying vehicles and should be avoided,” officials said in the announcement.

The Manteo Library will remain closed until water levels return to a safe level and access to the facility is restored, officials said.

Once the library can reopen to the public, information will be posted on Facebook.com/DareCountyLibrary.

Library officials encouraged patrons to check out the variety of digital resources available online.

First in a series on a recent visit to Louisiana’s bayous, a trip sponsored by the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, to start a conversation between people there who are being flooded out and those in the Down East communities of Carteret County who face similar threats.

NEW ORLEANS – Our search for connections and common ground began with a tour of this storm-struck city on the Mississippi River.

We didn’t set out to find the Big Easy. No double-decked tourist buses for us. No frozen daquiris from one of the drive-throughs that seem to be everywhere. The famed French Quarter wasn’t on our itinerary. Neither were any cool jazz clubs on Bourbon Street or warm beignets at the Café Du Monde. No, ours was a melancholy excursion that took us to landmarks of our hubris, monuments to our supreme self-confidence that we can control the uncontrollable.

We visited the places where the levees gave way and the walls collapsed 20 years ago in August when Hurricane Katrina exposed their fragility and futility. Canals designed to drain water away from the city carried a devastating storm surge into it. One built to encourage commerce took the flood into New Orleans’ beating heart and drowned an entire parish that has yet to recover. Pumps failed, and as much as 17 feet of water ended up covering 80% of a city that exists mostly under sea level. Almost 1,500 people died, more than 100,000 families were left homeless, and about $200 billion worth of property was destroyed or damaged. The American Society of Civil Engineers later called it “the worst engineering catastrophe in U.S. history.”

The hurricane wasn’t the killer. We were. We thought we were gods who could contain the tempest. Rosina Philippe knows better. You’ll meet her later in our journey through the bayous of southern Louisiana. She’s an elder with the Atakapa-Ishak Nation in Plaquemines Parish, down in the far southern tip of the state. Her people have existed for centuries surrounded by water.

“Water will always meander,” she told us. “It will always find you. It will go this way and that until it finds your weakness. You can never control the water. You can only try to live with it.”

It seemed like a fitting first lesson for a group of North Carolinians who spent six days in June exploring a state that a dozen hurricanes have battered since Katrina, a place where a football field of marshes disappears on average every day. As Rosina warned and Katrina attested, the calculations of engineers may not offer much protection when the storms come, and the floods threaten.

Sponsored by Duke University and led by Karen Amspacher, a Harkers Island native and the director of a cultural museum there, the group hoped to connect the people of the bayous with those living at the water’s edge in the small fishing and farming villages of low-lying eastern Carteret County, Amspacher’s beloved Down East. They face a grim future of increasing storms and flooding as the climate warms and the seas rise. Many of their homes will become uninhabitable by century’s end. Can connecting with people who have already faced those dangers raise awareness and lead to understanding and ultimately to solutions?

“I don’t know if it can,” she said, “but we have to try.”

The Unexpected Flood

We drove along City Park Avenue, atop the remnants of a sand ridge that the Mississippi created eons ago, took a right on Canal Boulevard, and headed north, downhill, toward Lake Pontchartrain. In a couple of miles, we reached Lakeview, a neighborhood of handsome brick and stucco homes. We were below sea level, kept dry by the city’s extensive system of earthen walls, or levees. Look closely, advised Barry Keim, and the evidence of living below the sea is everywhere. Many of the houses’ foundations are exposed and their driveways cracked as the peat soil of the old marsh beneath them dries and compresses. Side streets are buckled, and the tops of storm drains are above the sinking pavement.

“Every house you see on both sides of the road was flooded after Katrina,” he noted. “The water here was 8 to 10 feet deep, some of the worst flooding in the city.”

A thick black line around the exterior of the neighborhood Starbucks memorializes those dark times. The line is more than 7 feet above the ground with one word printed above it in bold letters: “Katrina.”

“And this is where all that water came from,” Keim said, standing on the seawall that borders the lake. An affable man who was the state climatologist for more than 20 years, he now directs the Environmental Health, Climate, and Sustainability Program at Louisiana State University in New Orleans. He knows the city intimately, having grown up in one of its suburbs.

Down this way, they call the oval-shaped body of water behind him a lake, though it’s technically a lagoon because it has an opening to the Gulf of Mexico at its east end. By any name, it’s big, covering more than twice the area of North Carolina’s largest city, Charlotte. Though a levee was built along the shoreline here after a 1947 hurricane flooded a portion of New Orleans, Pontchartrain was considered far less of a threat than the mighty Mississippi, which snakes along the other side of the city.

Engineers found the lake to be a convenient place to dispose of excess water as New Orleans grew from its original settlement on the high ground of a natural levee created by the river. Over time, they dug three large canals to drain the low-lying land that locals call “the Back of Town.” Katrina came along on just the right path to turn the tables, pushing its deadly surge up the canals. “Everyone expected the big flood to come from the river,” noted Amy Lesen. “No one expected the levee system here to fail as it did during Katrina.”

A professor at Antioch and Tulane universities, Lesen organized much of the trip to come. She has spent most of her career teaching and writing about climate change and its effects on people. A striking resume popped up on Google when I searched: Bachelor of Science in marine fisheries biology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley; a long list of books and publications; an impressive array of research grants; and weighty appointments and awards. Most striking, though, is what Google only hints at. Unlike most professors, Lesen gets out of the classroom and into communities, helping the poor and disadvantaged recover from storms or prepare for them. Over the next six days, I will come to learn that she’s just a big-hearted Jewish girl from the Bronx who came to New Orleans almost 20 years ago and found her life’s work helping the marginalized water people of the bayous adjust to a rapidly changing world.

Residents of 4900 block of Warrington Drive didn’t have much time to react when Katrina arrived that morning of Aug. 29, 2005. All they could do was run for their lives. Water from the lake rushed up the London Avenue Canal, which ran through their backyards along a channel lined by concrete and sheet metal walls that had been reinforced just a decade earlier. The engineers unknowingly anchored their walls in the soft sand of an ancient barrier island, Keim said. At 9:30 a.m., a 30-foot section of the wall collapsed, releasing a geyser of sand and a torrent of water that topped 15 feet. The neighborhood disappeared. “When I drove down here, there were houses on houses, cars on top of cars,” Amy remembered. “It was complete devastation.”

We are peeking through the windows of 4918 Warrington, a solid brick house that withstood the flood. No one lives here now, and you can’t go inside. The Flooded House Museum is a stark re-creation, a haunting reminder of what the people here came back to after the flood waters receded. Dark mold covers the walls. The baby grand piano in the corner is destroyed. Yet, the books on the shelves seem undisturbed. Photo frames hang askew. Toys are tossed around the room, and a thick layer of dirt covers every piece of furniture. The wrinkled, faded front page of the city’s Times-Picayune sits atop a broken table. The newspaper was published the day before the storm. “Katrina Takes Aim,” the headline screams.

We headed back to the van. “I hate I have to take you on this tour of woe,” Lesen says.

Mister Go

In the ponderous language of the bureaucracy, it’s known as the Mississippi-Gulf Outlet Canal. Locals took the acronym, MSGO, and came up with a more memorable moniker, Mister Go. It was the last and maybe most depressing stop on Amy’s tour. Of all the deadly screw-ups that led to a drowned city, Mister Go was the most predictable and most lethal.

Fittingly, then, it started to rain, though the sun was still shining, as we headed south out of town on LA 39, following the Mississippi. A huge levee obscured the river on our right, though we sometimes glimpsed the smokestacks of passing ships. “The devil is beating his wife,” Keim said from the front seat. “That’s what we say down here when it rains while the sun is shining.”

As Lucifer wailed away, St. Bernard Parish rolled by our windows. At almost 2,200 square miles, it is the state’s second-largest parish, or what we In North Carolina would call a county. Eighty-three percent of it is water, however, making it the wettest place in Louisiana, which is saying something. The passing scenery confirmed that: a thousand cuts of water coursing through an endless sea of marsh grasses, dotted by small islands of bald cypress trees. “Out here, you’re in another world,” Keim noted.

We reached our destination, Shell Beach, which has neither a beach nor any readily apparent shells. Shrimp trawlers and rusting oyster dredges were tied up along the Mister Go waterfront, confirming the community’s past prominence as a fishing port. “If you came here before Katrina, you would have seen a lot of activity,” Keim said as we got out of the van. “It was a bustling place.”

About 40 minutes from downtown New Orleans, Shell Beach is about halfway up the 76-mile channel that links the Gulf of Mexico to New Orleans’ inner harbor. The city had been clamoring for years for a shortcut for commercial ships. With support from the Army Corps of Engineers, Mister Go finally got congressional approval in 1956. The Corps started digging two years later, dredging up more earth then was moved during the building of the Panama Canal and destroying thousands of acres of wetlands in the process. The channel opened to shipping in 1965 at a cost of $92 million, or almost $900 million today when adjusted for inflation.

“Scientists warned of the environmental effects, and locals worried about the flooding.” Keim explained as we walked along the deserted waterfront. “The people here didn’t want this built. They thought it would be a disaster. It turned out to be worse than they imagined.”

As soon as the channel was dug, saltwater from the Gulf swept in, drastically changing the ecosystem. The dead, sun-bleached stalks of bald cypress and live oak trees, what scientists call ghost forests, mark the salt’s line of advance. Muskrats went next, taking the parish’s thriving fur industry with them. The oysters followed along with another industry. The brackish marshes were important to wintering waterfowl, but the birds went elsewhere after the water’s salt content tripled, killing most of the marshes.

The long-term effects stretched far beyond muskrats, oysters, and ducks, however. An estimated 20,000 acres of marsh that served as a buffer against storms were swept away over the next 40 years. By the time Katrina arrived, the original 500-foot-wide channel had more than quadrupled in size in some places.

Poor people bore the brunt of what came next. Katrina’s storm surge barreled up the channel and into the connecting Industrial Canal in the heart of New Orleans. Containing walls collapsed, and the city’s Lower Ninth Ward, a predominantly Black neighborhood, was under 12 feet of water. Its residents became the storm’s human face of suffering on TVs around the world. The Lower Ninth was the last place in the city to get power restored, the last to be pumped dry. Empty lots and collapsed houses covered in vines dot it still.

In poverty-stricken St. Bernard Parish, the destruction was complete. Every inch of the parish was underwater, every building flooded. Many who fled never came back. The parish’s population is still two-thirds of what it was before the storm.

The most-maddening thing about it? All that death and all that destruction and all that despair were for nothing. Absolutely nothing. A few people probably made money on Mister Go, but the economic boom it was predicted to trigger along its length never happened. In fact, it was a bust. Before the storm, the channel cost more than $8 million to maintain each year for the two large container ships that used it on any day. In the Corps of Engineers’ long list of misjudgments and disasters, the Mississippi-Gulf Outlet Canal must rank somewhere near the top.

Under extreme local pressure, the Corps shut the whole thing down after Katrina. It built a rock dam in 2009 at Mister Go’s Gulf end to close it to shipping and completed a $1.1 billion storm-surge gate across its connection to the Industrial Canal four years later. In New Orleans, it built floodgates at the mouth of the other canals.

The people of St. Bernard Parish were left to mourn, but they got busy building, too. They erected a monument along the shore in Shell Beach that lists the names of all 164 residents who died during the flooding: Bernhard, De la Fosse, Gallodoro, LaBlanc, Morates, Roark, Vidross …

“Those are the names of St. Bernard Parish,” Amy said.

Next in the series: Ground zero for wetland loss in the world.

OAK ISLAND – When Gigi Donovan looks at the dune fronting a row of largely undeveloped oceanfront lots across the street from her home, she sees a false sense of security.

“We’ve seen this dune go away three times in 12 years,” she said.

The sandy mound that separates the public beach from private lots along a stretch of East Beach Drive wasn’t here just a few years ago. It has been built up and planted with dune-stabilizing sea oats through the town of Oak Island’s efforts to restore its oceanfront shore. 

Now there is enough of it to render at least one of the thin slices of long-vacant beachfront lots suitable for building.

That has Donovan and several of her neighbors worried.

Amber and Dean Russell live a few doors down from the Donovans. When the Russells bought their bungalow in 2022, they went ahead and purchased the beachfront lot directly across the street.

“We bought that just to keep our view,” Amber Russell said. “It’s not safe to build on.”

That’s a sentiment a group of homeowners and residents who live in the area of SE 58^th Street and East Beach Drive have expressed to town officials in the days and months since they received notice that a developer had applied for a Coastal Area Management Act, or CAMA, permit to build a house on one of the oceanfront lots.

They’ve made countless telephone calls and sent emails to North Carolina Division of Coastal Management and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff.

They’ve posted handmade signs that read “SAVE OUR BEACHFRONT — No Building on Narrow, At-risk Lots!” along their block of East Beach Drive.

They started an online petition that, as of June 13, had more than 600 signatures.

They’ve dug in their heels and pushed back, calling “for the return to responsible, sustainable environmental development on fragile oceanfront properties” in a plea to Oak Island’s mayor.

But even they acknowledge this fight is an uphill battle, one that is likely to rage on as low-lying coastal areas deal with the effects of sea level rise, more frequent, intense coastal storms and shoreline erosion.

Regulatory flexibility

Last month, a CAMA minor permit was issued for 5515 East Beach Drive. Proposed building plans on the 0.17-acre lot include a 2,856 square-foot house.

Town officials in an email responding to questions said they do not have on file when a home last stood on that lot. Aerial satellite images from Brunswick County show that this particular block of East Beach Drive had more homes along the oceanfront in 1989 than today.

The homes captured by satellite imagery in 1989 were gone in 2003, destroyed by nature or demolition.

Today, houses stand on only two of the oceanfront lots along this block of East Beach Drive.

Oak Island officials said the town does not have an overarching designation determining whether a lot is buildable based on oceanfront construction setbacks.

“For building on an oceanfront lot, the developer would submit information to show compliance with CAMA regulations and receive a permit if they meet said requirements,” an official said in an email.

Back in 2023, the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission rubber-stamped Oak Island’s beach management plan, which gives beachfront builders more regulatory flexibility regarding how far back they must build from the sea.

The year before, the commission repealed regulations that allowed coastal communities to use the less restrictive setback measurement line for oceanfront construction, instead requiring builders to measure back from what is referred to as the preproject vegetation line.

The preproject vegetation line is the first line of stable, natural vegetation that is on an oceanfront before a large-scale beach nourishment project begins, one where more than 300,000 cubic yards of sand is placed on the beach.

But coastal communities that create and follow beach management plans approved by the commission may measure setbacks from the vegetation line rather than the preproject line as long as they meet the obligations detailed in their plans. Setbacks are 60 feet from the measurement line.

Coastal Resources Commission approved beach management plans for five coastal towns: Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Wrightsville Beach in New Hanover County, and Oak Island and Ocean Isle Beach in Brunswick County. Once approved, plans must be reauthorized every five years.

Oak Island’s authorized plan calls for placing a total estimated 16.2 million cubic yards of sand on the beach over the next three decades. Under the plan, the beach will be nourished every six years.

Oak Island’s most recent sand nourishment projects were carried out in 2021 and 2022.

A nourishment project originally planned for winter 2024-25 was postponed after the town was informed contractor bids for the project “had far exceeded the amounts expected or budgeted,” according to the town’s website.

The project is again out for bids, and town officials anticipate a contract will be awarded and work will begin later this year.

Risky building

“They’re looking to the renourishment as the permanent solution,” Donovan said.

Dr. Gavin Smith, a North Carolina State University professor who researches hazard mitigation, disaster recovery and climate change adaptation, is not a big fan of beach nourishment.

“I think that overrelying on beach nourishment as a way to protect coastal development is fraught with problems,” he said in a telephone interview earlier this month. “It’s extremely expensive. It can take several seasons or it can take one bad storm and it’s gone.”

Smith pointed out that coastal zones, in particular barrier island, are highly dynamic and subject to significant change.

“Thinking about the construction of a house in a highly dynamic area, I think we need to be really careful,” he said. “Builders and homebuyers need to think about the life of that structure. The conditions that that site might face in 40 or 50 years is worthy of consideration. Individuals need to think about and actually ask a question: While you might be able to legally build in a given place, should you build there? I think that’s something that we all need to perhaps be more aware of.”

It’s time governments at all levels, local, state and federal, “do better,” he said.

“How can we recognize or applaud local governments that have the political will to adopt more stringent standards than the minimums? That’s what many governments adhere to is the minimum standards” Smith said. “Our codes are inadequate in the state, yet that’s what we adhere to in many cases. The National Flood Insurance Program should be viewed as a minimum, not the maximum. In an era of climate change we’re moving toward this idea of nonstationary, which we don’t know what the future holds. So, therefore our codes and standards ought to be that much more rigorous to account for the uncertainty. But instead, we’re relying on old data. We’re relying on old codes and that’s a significant problem.”

Sitting at the kitchen table in her home on a late May afternoon, Donovan mulled the many concerns she, her husband Mark, and their neighbors have raised to government officials.

They worry about whether more lights from new construction will hinder sea turtles from nesting on the shore. They worry about how stormwater runoff from new rooftops, driveways and other impervious surfaces may exacerbate flooding on their second-row lots.

They worry what one unwelcome coastal storm, be it a hurricane of any category or a potential tropical cyclone that packs a punch like the unnamed storm that pummeled Brunswick County last year, might do to the dune and any homes standing on the small land plots just behind it.

“We don’t know. That’s the thing. We don’t know what’s going to happen,” Gigi Donovan said.

In a statement to the town’s mayor last month, the Donovans and their neighbors wrote: “While we cannot control the weather, we can mitigate the damage it causes by responsibly managing the development of oceanfront properties.”

Oceanfront lot development “should be based on comprehensive land-use plans that take into consideration beach erosion, turtle nesting habitat, climate change, protection of private and town property, and preserving the legacy of (Oak Island) as a quaint, family-focused beach community.”

They are appealing to Coastal Resources Commission Chair Renee Cahoon, who determines whether or not property owners can make their case in a hearing before the full commission.

“We are very motivated and stubborn,” Gigi Donovan said in a text message. “If we allow them to plow ahead, steam-rolling any local opposition, our entire island beachfront will be irreparably destroyed.”

Hear from flood managers, hazard mitigation leaders and scientists during a 60-minute interactive webinar on planning for and addressing the aftermath of flooding from king tides, storm surge and heavy rains.

Titled “How Communities Are Fast-Tracking Flood Readiness — and What You Can Learn,” the webinar starts at 3 p.m. June 11. Register for a link to watch the discussion live via Zoom or to receive the recording and resources afterward.

Woods Hole Group Senior Climate Scientist Chris Gloninger has been invited to moderate the panel discussion with American Shore and Beach Preservation Association Executive Director Nicole Elko, Mērak Labs Urban Planning and Climate Tech Innovator Erin Rothman, and Lee County, Florida, Public Safety Director Benjamin Abes.

Designed for professionals working in flood preparedness, response and recovery, the panel is expected to discuss share why this work is important to them, flood protection strategies based on data, and real-world case studies. There will be time for questions and peer discussion.

Hohonu Inc. is hosting the webinar. The Hawaii-based environmental water data company has deployed and collects data from water level monitoring instruments at more than 100 locations across more than a dozen states.

Coastal communities are inundated more often than previously believed, and floodwaters take longer to recede in rural areas than in urban areas, according to a new study.

The study, published Monday in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, also found that the way government agencies gather data used to predict floods fails to truly estimate how frequently water may get pushed over land.

“To capture the burden on coastal communities and to capture what people are really seeing on the ground, it’s so important to measure flooding on land,” said Dr. Miyuki Hino, a co-author of the study and assistant professor of city and regional planning at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

What people living in Beaufort, Carolina Beach and Sea Level, an unincorporated area of Carteret County, told researchers they are seeing is that it floods “all the time,” said corresponding author Dr. Katherine Anarde, an assistant professor of coastal engineering at North Carolina State University.

“People know where it floods and a lot of people can put numbers to how frequently it floods, but as scientists, we just had no idea what ‘all the time’ meant,” she said.

To find that answer, researchers installed a network of in-house, custom-designed water level sensors in storm drains in Beaufort and Carolina Beach. Sensors were installed next to ditches cut along roads in Sea Level, a rural community about 28 miles northeast of Beaufort.

Each sensor measures when water rises and spills onto a nearby road.

The frequency at which that occurred during the course of the one-year study stunned researchers.

From May 2023 through April 2024, Beaufort experienced 26 days of flooding. Carolina Beach flooded 65 days.

And, “all the time” in Sea Level equated to 128 days of flooding. That’s one-third of the year, or once every three days.

“That was really shocking for me and I think for Miyuki too, just the sheer magnitude of flood days,” Anarde said.

It’s a reality in low-lying coastal areas where flooding is being driven more often by a combination of ingredients rather than large storm events.

The major ingredient, Hino said, is sea level rise. Rising seas strain storm drain systems and infrastructure designed decades ago when the ocean was much lower than it is today.

“And so while that highest tide 50 years ago, 100 years ago, might not have been high enough to get onto the road, now it is,” Hino said.

Sea level rise is exacerbating normal variations in water levels from tides and wind, which play a huge role in flood frequency.

If, for example, it rains on a day when a community’s storm drains are inundated with water from the tide, the rain that would normally drain into that system is pushed out across nearby roads.

But Mother Nature is not solely to blame.

Coastal areas have seen a population boom that has all but erased any semblance of what were once small fishing villages.

“Development definitely plays a role,” Anarde said. “Water has to have somewhere to go, and if the landscape is covered in impervious surfaces — roadways, buildings – then water is just going to sit on top of the road and on top of those impervious surfaces and create deeper, longer floods.”

Even in rural, low-lying areas that have fewer buildings and roads, water is not being absorbed into the ground at the rate it once was because sea level rise is elevating the groundwater table in the coastal plain.

One of the big motivations for installing the water level land sensors was to study how the different ingredients combine to cause flooding and, if you measure flooding from all of those sources, how the information gathered from those sensors compares to that taken from tide gauges.

Forecasters have widely relied on tide gauges to predict flood occurrences. The problem is, that is not what tide gauges are meant to do. And, there are many areas of the coast that are not close to a tide gauge, which are maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“They do a great job at what they’re supposed to be doing, which is measuring water levels in oceans and bays,” Hino said. “But we knew that they’re not designed to measure flooding and that some of the other forces that influence flooding, like rain and local infrastructure, weren’t being captured there and so we wanted to know how accurate those tide gauge-based indicators are and how well they match up against what people living there are experiencing day to day and year to year.”

Over the course of the past five years, 11 land sensors have been installed in coastal areas of the state.

The information these sensors provide can help guide a community’s plan for a future expected to be only further impacted by sea level rise.

“We get asked a lot about how to fix this problem of more recurrent, chronic flooding in coastal areas,” Hino said. “There are solutions to the problem. They’re going to be different from place to place and many of them are going to involve difficult choices and so having more input from the affect people into what those choices are is really important.”

Jeremy Hardison, Carolina Beach’s director of Community Development, said in an interview last month that the study has “definitely” been a benefit to the town.

“We’ve kind of monitored how much water was in the street before, but not in the storm drains where the water is actually coming up during high tide events,” he said. “I don’t know that we would have come up with flooding sensors within our storm drains to monitor how much water is in our drains. We want to continue planning and we want to do some implementation and try to see what we can do to mitigate the problem so we’re working in that direction.”

Tropical storms have cost North Carolina tens of billions of dollars over the last 40 years.

These weather-related disasters are putting a spotlight on the state’s “flood-risk crisis,” according to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, as well as the potential for “the role of a changing climate, including increases in rainfall and sea level rise to worsen the crisis.”

Heightening the threat, in association with a growing population, is that more impervious surfaces are being built, which decreases the amount of rainwater the ground can absorb.

The North Carolina General Assembly, in an effort to better understand and prepare for flood risks across the state, allocated $20 million in 2021 to NCDEQ’s Division of Mitigation Services to develop a flood resilience program, and nearly $100 million to implement resiliency projects in six of the state’s 17 river basins.

Called the North Carolina Flood Resiliency Blueprint, the program is intended to serve as “the backbone of a State flood planning process that increases community resiliency to flooding, shall be a resource for riverine and stream management to reduce flooding, and should support the establishment and furtherance of local government stormwater maintenance programs,” per the 2021 session law.

Stuart Brown, who has been leading the blueprint team for a little more than a year, told Coastal Review in a recent interview that the blueprint’s goal is to make the state more resilient to flooding.

“We’re trying to better understand what floods, how it floods, and what the impacts of that flooding are,” he explained, which began with looking at what information was available statewide on flooding, what information was needed to better understand flooding, and to see what other states and federal agencies were doing to try to address similar issues.

Studies show that around 60 to 70% of flood damage happens outside of federally defined flood hazard areas, Brown continued. “If that is our understanding of floods, then we’re not going to be particularly successful at mitigating that flooding, or doing things that help reduce the damage caused by that flooding.”

To get a more accurate estimate of current and future flood risks, NCDEQ has partnered with state Emergency Management and other agencies to improve existing flood modeling tools.

Being built right now, the improved modeling will consider, for example, changes in precipitation patterns and sea level subsidence in coastal areas, and all of that new information will feed “into our understanding of what our current and future flood risk is,” Brown said.

The improvements to existing flood modeling tools that are to “provide more accurate estimates of current flood risks and project future flood risk to support long-term strategic planning,” as NCDEQ states, are just one part of the blueprint strategy.  

Once the blueprint is complete, it is expected to offer decision-makers, especially in communities with limited resources, help to build site-specific flood mitigation projects and with funding opportunities.

“Traditionally, disaster management focuses on preparedness, response, and recovery. The Blueprint’s focus is on proactive resilience planning and implementation that can reduce the initial impact from future flood events and help communities recover more quickly,” according to the blueprint spring 2025 update.

Blueprint background

Brown explained during a presentation earlier this year that the state has suffered for decades from billion-dollar disasters and the blueprint “represents an opportunity to take a step back from the disaster cycle and invest in the proactive planning and implementation of resilience work to mitigate future risk and reduce the cost and disruption from future flooding.”

He was speaking at the two-day North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute’s annual conference this March in Raleigh. WRRI is a multi-campus program of the University of North Carolina System and provides resources and support to junior faculty and students.

After hurricanes Matthew in 2016 and Florence in 2018, both totaling around $27 billion in damage, the General Assembly, knowing that these types of storms are becoming more frequent, more severe and more costly, recognized that they should look more into investing in resilience, Brown continued.

When the General Assembly tasked NCDEQ in 2021 with developing the statewide flood resiliency blueprint for major watersheds impacted by flooding, it was with the goal “to better equip the state and its communities to manage current and future flood risk.”

The blueprint is imagined as a statewide program, but right now, the project is funded and authorized to work only in the Neuse, Cape Fear, Lumber, Tar-Pamlico, White Oak, and the French Broad, which was added in 2024 prior to Hurricane Helene, Brown said.

Ultimately, the blueprint is to provide a way to explore different options to reduce risk, exposure to and disruption from flooding, building resilience and give local governments “the tools and data and processing they need to support their flood resilience planning,” he added.

Phased approach

Brown said in an interview that the project has several components and is being developed in three phases.

The first phase was completed in March 2024 with the release of the 98-page draft blueprint document and 77-page draft Neuse Basin Flood Resiliency Action Strategy a few months later. 

The draft blueprint was the “first major deliverable and is the outline for how we do this work,” Brown said. “This is the framework for how to do these river basin action strategies. We put that framework in motion.”

A river basin action strategy is tailored to a specific river basin and uses the blueprint tool and public input to outline specific actions for increasing flood resilience.

The draft pilot Neuse action strategy serves as a template for this type of planning going forward, but is currently missing information about vulnerability that the flood modeling improvements are expected to illustrate, Brown said.

Both documents were written using contributions from more than 150 researchers, technicians, government leaders and staff, researchers, and other partners.

Phases two and three are being developed concurrently. Phase two includes building the interactive online tool with community-specific data and project management guidance tailored to the user’s needs. The tool also is a repository for information, modeling outputs and technical reports. Though the online decision-support Blueprint Tool is public now, Brown said the team is “still building functionality.” Once the improved modeling is complete, that new information will be incorporated into the online tool.

In addition to revisiting the Neuse pilot strategy during phase three, “we’ve also kicked off river basin action strategies for the Cape Fear, Lumber, White Oak and Tar-Pamlico,” he added.

The basin strategy advisory boards are to use the draft blueprint and online tool to develop the other five river basin action strategies.

Staff have been meeting with these advisory boards, and there are plans to meet with different municipalities and counties, all leading to river basin action strategies in Early 2026, Brown said.

Funding, partnerships

The blueprint has an implementation component, Brown explained.

Staff began funding projects last year out of that $96 million allocated in 2021 for priority projects in the six river basins. The money was released after the draft blueprint document was published in March 2024.

NCDEQ partnered with state agencies and local governments to enable dozens of projects worth more than $65 million. The blueprint program invested $25.6 million into these projects according to the April 30 quarterly report to the General Assembly.

“We funded 61 projects so far statewide, that includes many coastal projects among them,” Brown said.

Beaufort, Brunswick, Carteret, Hyde, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico and Pender have all been selected to receive or have received close to $4 million total for stream debris or sediment removal, infrastructure, flood risk reduction, restoration or acquisition.

The state announced funding through the blueprint twice in November 2024 and again in April. Right now, proposals are being accepted for projects that address flood reduction or flood resiliency in key river basins in the state. The deadline is June 30.

“By investing in a more flood-resilient state now, North Carolina will protect and improve the lives and livelihoods of North Carolinians, secure and build upon its thriving economy, expand tourism, support agriculture, forestry, and other working land businesses, fortify transportation infrastructure, protect critical aspects of the military mission, and steward natural resources,” the draft blueprint document states.

Secretary Wilson highlights blueprint

NCDEQ Secretary Reid Wilson has spoken about the blueprint in front of larger audiences since stepping into the leadership role the first of this year, including at the WRRI conference in March and at the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s 2025 Coastal Summit in April in Raleigh.

“We have to engage the public. We have to plan for the future, and again, plan for more severe storms, which is why it’s a wonderful thing that our Division of Mitigation Services is developing the North Carolina Flood Resiliency Blueprint,” Wilson said at the WRRI conference.

He added that the blueprint is the backbone of a planning process to increase community resilience to flooding through all of our river basins and “is the largest statewide flood mitigation investment in state history.”

Wilson explained in April that the blueprint is one step the agency has taken toward resiliency and that the online decision support tool “will enable state and local government agencies to better understand how to build and rebuild to mitigate hazards.”

He continued that while the blueprint team is working with volunteers to develop the six river basins, including those on the coast, “the hope is to expand into all other basins as well. The action strategies are intended to bring together stakeholders to figure out steps to take to make their communities less vulnerable,” Wilson said.

Around the time of a funding announcement, Wilson said “so we’re trying to get the money out the door but in a really smart way, so we know there’s more to do on resilience.”

Just beyond a wooded area that marks Paws Place Dog Rescue’s east-facing property line, signs of neighbors to come dot the horizon.

Rooftops of two-story houses in various stages of construction peek over treetops in a new development cropping up on one side of the rescue’s land in Winnabow, an unincorporated area along U.S. Highway 17 in Brunswick County.

On a recent May afternoon, Paws Place President Lee VanOrmer looked in the direction from where the steady sounds of building filled the air and mustered up her best, glass-half-full shot of optimism.

“That’s more families that can come here and adopt dogs,” she said.

The reality is that the new neighborhood, like so much of the seemingly endless development occurring in Brunswick County, is not one welcomed by existing residents worried that too much building, too fast, is creating problems.

Here in North Carolina’s southernmost coastal county, it’s not uncommon to read local news stories about mounting traffic-related issues, concerns about flooding exacerbated by stormwater runoff and human run-ins with alligators being squeezed out of the once-secluded areas they prefer.

And, by all indications, development here is not going to slow down.

Years of building to come

Since June 1, 2015, the county has approved 123 developments that call for the construction of more than 45,900 housing units, according to information provided on Brunswick County Planning and Community Enforcement’s website.

Only 13 of those developments are 100% complete. Construction of residences in more than half – 75 to be exact – has not begun.

“It is so much,” Brunswick County resident Christie Marek said. “When I started this I didn’t realize how much I was getting into. It’s like the more you try to change something you learn that we’re several years behind homebuilders. It’s like they almost planned on this.”

Marek founded Brunswick County Conservation Partnership, a nonprofit born out of a coalition of residents concerned about their county’s future. The aim of the partnership is to protect Brunswick’s natural resources and advocate for “responsible” development.

That can look like any variety of measures, be it creating wider buffers between a new development and wetlands or adjacent properties, limiting clearcutting, or implementing stormwater mitigation plans to ultimately keep runoff from flowing into and polluting streams and rivers, Marek said.

Marek lives in Ash, a rural, largely agricultural, unincorporated area along N.C. Highway 130 that she refers to as “the country side of the beach.”

“We don’t have a lot of growth out here,” Marek said.

So, when builders asked the county to approve a sprawling, multiuse development of thousands of homes and commercial space next to her small family farm, she took notice.

County officials in March 2024 approved Ashton Farms, a development that will include more than 2,700 single-family lots, 200 townhome lots and a little more than 20 acres of commercial space.

Early this year, the county planning board approved the 645-acre King Tract, an 1,800-home development through farm and forestland adjacent to Ashton Farms.

Residents persistently raised concerns about potential impacts these developments may have on what equate to hundreds of acres of wetlands in the area.

Months before the King Tract was approved, Marek began asking county leaders to adopt a temporary building moratorium.

“I would love to see a moratorium to just halt development until we get a flood study done and wildlife study done,” she said.

Brunswick County commissioners in a split vote last fall turned down that idea.

The county later posted an explanation on its website that local governments are barred from adopting temporary building moratoria.

“State law provides little to no ability for local governments to issue temporary moratoria on development projects within their jurisdiction,” the website states. “This aspect of state law is important to keep in mind whenever the County receives questions or suggestions to put a moratorium on residential development due to reasons like amending the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) or writing or updating plans.”

The website goes on to explain that proposed developments undergo “a thorough review process” and that impacts to infrastructure and water and wastewater systems are addressed before proposals go to the county planning board.

Several projects are either under construction or planned to expand capacity at wastewater treatment plants and the county has “dedicated significant time and resources” to updating its 20-year water and sewer master plans and five-year capital improvement plan, according to the county.

Brunswick County Conservation Partnership has applied for a $1 million grant to study the potential effects, including flooding, overdevelopment in the area may have on everything from wildlife to wetlands to trees.

But as the federal government guts grant programs, Marek said she’s not counting on those funds to come through. The partnership late last year launched an online donation campaign to raise funds to cover the cost of the study.

“It’s not that we want to stop all development,” Marek said. “It’s stopping irresponsible development and that’s what’s going on here.”

Wetter ground

There’s a patch of marsh on the grounds of where Paws Place Dog Rescue has operated the last eight years.

“We could count in the summer on it being dry,” VanOrmer said.

That’s no longer the case.

The kennel where dogs are housed in a sprawling building that sits at the end of a gravel road stretching hundreds of yards off N.C. Highway 87 is on 17 acres classified as being of minimal flood risk.

Yet, since the no-kill shelter opened in spring 2017, flooding and the threat of it has been on the uptick. VanOrmer is convinced that is due, at least in part, to encroaching development, despite assurances from officials that developers have to comply with the county’s stormwater management and discharge control ordinance.

Unprecedented rainfall from two coastal storms that swept the area within the span of less than a decade caused historic flooding.

Paws Place’s 7,000-square-foot building was inundated with 3 feet of water following Hurricane Florence’s record rainfall in September 2018.

U.S. National Guard troops were called in to help evacuate the kennel’s inhabitants at the time to dry ground at a local gas station.

Last September, Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight, more commonly referred to in these parts as the “unnamed storm,” dumped more than 20 inches of rain, destroying dozens of homes, washing out roads and causing millions of dollars in damages.

“We had water come up to the door and we used dog food to keep the water out,” VanOrmer said.

But the two people who rode out the storm at the kennel were trapped by floodwaters that cut off the entrance to the property.

The unnamed storm amplified to the rescue’s board of directors the need for an on-site storm shelter, one a quick walk from the kennel that, as of May 20, housed some 35 dogs.

The rescue had just enough money to pay a contractor to pour an elevated concrete slab that will be the base of the storm shelter.

Now the rescue is racing to raise enough money to finish the shelter, the ground level of which will house lawn equipment and a van. Walls of the second level, which will be climate controlled, will be lined with crates ready for dogs that get moved from the main building during storms.

“Really, the situation has become, we need an evacuation-type scenario,” VanOrmer said.

She said $95,000 in pledges have been made to the rescue, closing in on its $150,000 goal. VanOrmer said she hopes construction will begin in early June with the building being finished before September.

Next door, homes will likely continue to be erected in the new neighborhood of Saltgrass Landing, plans of which call for nearly 260 residences.

Another large housing development is planned adjacent the Paws Place property across Town Creek, which winds to the Cape Fear River.

“Unfortunately, we can’t seem to stop development,” VanOrmer said.

Guest Commentary

To stimulate discussion and debate, Coastal Review welcomes differing viewpoints on topical coastal issues. 

The Outer Banks is known for its beautiful coastline and rich ecosystems, drawing millions of visitors each year. Millions of dollars in tax and business revenue are collected as a result. Unfortunately, beach erosion poses a significant challenge to homeowners, business owners and vacationers along the barrier islands, particularly those in Rodanthe. Last year, the community lost seven oceanfront homes, a record high and an indicator of a worsening problem.

Beach erosion, which has occurred for millions of years, is the defined result of changing sea levels, currents, wind patterns, and severe weather events. In fact, the Outer Banks would not exist if not for this natural process. However, erosion is consuming as much as 15 feet of shoreline each year along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

To preserve structures in place, federal, state, and local governments have launched coordinated responses, investing heavily in beach nourishment, inlet relocation, and terminal groin projects in a race against the sea. To put the severity of this issue into perspective, a 2020 review by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (NC DEQ) Division of Coastal Management found that nearly 9,000 oceanfront structures are at risk.

Despite the growing problem, many property owners are forced to wait until their home collapses before they can file a claim through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Shoreline erosion damages are excluded from standard homeowners’ insurance, and the NFIP only covers flood-related damages, creating confusion and prohibiting proactive planning.

That is why I introduced the Preventing Environmental Hazards Act, a commonsense bill to address the unfortunate reality of beach erosion coastal homeowners face. The bipartisan legislation would authorize NFIP compensation for structures condemned due to chronic erosion or unusual flooding and allow advance payouts for demolition or relocation of up to 40% of the home’s value, capped at $250,000 – the same terms as current NFIP policy. The purpose here is to use the money to remove the structure before it collapses, rather than wait until it creates an environmental disaster.

As erosion continues to accelerate, thousands of homes across the Outer Banks are at severe risk of being swept away by the sea. Additionally, when a home collapses, debris can spread up to fifteen miles along the coast, contaminating groundwater through failing septic systems, harming aquatic species, shorebirds, and their habitats, posing safety risks to beach visitors, and creating other serious environmental hazards. Our coastal communities cannot afford a delay any longer for proactive solutions to address these challenges.

Since coming to Congress, I have worked tirelessly to address the challenges created by our shifting shoreline, meeting regularly with local officials, representatives from NC DEQ, and the National Park Service. It is a privilege and a top priority of mine to secure federal funding to help cover the cost of projects to protect our beach communities. However, mitigation programs intended to protect threatened homes are often slow, suboptimal, and difficult to access. Advance NFIP payouts will empower homeowners by providing flexibility to prepare for or recover from natural disasters while at the same time mitigating risks to beachgoers and mariners.

Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of Coastal Review or our publisher, the North Carolina Coastal Federation.

Guest Commentary

To stimulate discussion and debate, Coastal Review welcomes differing viewpoints on topical coastal issues. Morty Gaskill is a member of the North Carolina Coastal Federation Board of Directors. The nonprofit advocacy organization publishes Coastal Review, which remains editorially independent.

In 1976, a North Carolina Sea Grant newsletter sounded the alarm: large-scale land drainage was wiping out wetlands that protect our coastal fisheries. Fishermen saw their livelihoods at risk and 3,000 of them pleaded for action.

“We, the undersigned, being commercial and sport fishermen who use the creeks, rivers, and bays adjacent to Pamlico Sound and the waters of Pamlico Sound, petition the Marine Fisheries Commission and state officials as follows: … to investigate the effect of changing salinity in said waters upon the economy of Pamlico Drainage areas and to initiate proper controls to insure the continued health of commercial and sport fishing in this area.”

They saw it coming. But there was hope — state and federal leaders acted. For decades, farming, forestry, development, and fisheries co-existed under federal and state wetland safeguards — rules that carefully balanced economic growth and environmental protection. These safeguards didn’t create unbearable hardships; they provided stability for all.

Yet here we are again, nearly 50 years later, facing the same crisis — not just for our fisheries, but for our homes, businesses, and communities. Given the changing economic and environmental conditions of many coastal communities across North Carolina, it could not come at a worse time.

This time, the rollback of wetland protections isn’t coming from local drainage operations. It’s happening due to recent federal and state government actions. The Supreme Court’s Sackett v. EPA decision has dramatically narrowed the definition of federally protected wetlands. The North Carolina General Assembly followed suit, choosing to adopt the weaker federal standard instead of maintaining the stronger state level protections that had been in place for years. And now, under new leadership, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is further diluting the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, stripping even more protections from wetlands and streams that feed our coastal estuaries.

The consequences? More wetlands drained. More freshwater rushing unchecked into saltwater nurseries. More flooding. More property damage.

Costly gamble

History has already shown us what happens when we fail to protect our wetlands. In 1976, Rose Bay fisherman Troy W. Mayo spoke out as catches dwindled.

“Twenty-five years ago, I owned a 26-foot shad boat. We used to go out in Rose Bay, two people, for five or six hours and we’d catch 35 to 40 tubs of oysters—that was two men pulling by hand,” said Mayo. “Today you go out in this same area with a power winder and all modern equipment, and I’d be surprised if you catch 10 tubs of oysters.”

Scientists confirmed what fishermen already knew. “Salinity is a major ingredient for survival in the estuaries”; reported the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. Preston Pate, who studied juvenile shrimp in Rose Bay, found that freshwater intrusion “definitely disrupted the salinity of small creeks in the area. The result was a smaller shrimp harvest by fishermen.”

But wetland loss isn’t just bad for fisheries. Wetlands absorb floodwaters, buffer storm surges, and keep pollution out of our waterways. Every acre lost means more homes and businesses at risk.

In North Carolina, our coastal communities have already been battered by hurricanes, rising insurance costs, rising property taxes, lack of affordable housing, and an aging drainage infrastructure that can’t keep up with heavier rains. Weakening wetland protections only adds fuel to the fire. It shifts costs onto property owners, local governments, and taxpayers — many of whom will be left paying for flood damage that could have been prevented.

Commonsense approach to conservation

Those lessons from the 1970s helped shape policies that kept North Carolina’s wetlands intact for decades. But now, history is repeating itself. The rollback of WOTUS protections and the state’s decision to weaken its own rules mean more wetlands will be drained, increasing flooding, pollution, and economic losses.

This shouldn’t be a divisive political issue. Wetland protections aren’t just about environmental policy — they’re about practical economics, public safety, and community well-being. They help prevent costly flood damage, safeguard private property, and support the resilience of coastal economies that depend on fisheries, tourism, and clean water.

Jim Brown of the Division of Marine Fisheries put it best nearly 50 years ago:

“We love beans and beef, and we have a serious need to extend agricultural operations. At the same time, we dearly love shrimp and oysters. There exists a very serious need for imposing compatibility between the two. Can it be done? That’s the question. Or do we just keep plodding along with our fingers crossed?”

If we ignore history, we aren’t just crossing our fingers — we are guaranteeing a grim future for our coastal communities. The fishermen of Rose Bay warned us decades ago. Will we listen this time? Or will we, once again, pay the price for failing to protect the wetlands that sustain our way of life?

Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of Coastal Review or our publisher, the North Carolina Coastal Federation. See our guidelines for submitting guest columns.

Coastal communities along the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf coasts can now better assess changing flood risks using a newly released model created by the National Ocean Service.

The service, which falls under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, on Monday launched Coastal Ocean Reanalysis, or CORA, a dataset that includes more than four decades of modeled and historical water level and wave information roughly every quarter mile along the U.S. coastline.

CORA closes what have been in some areas of the coast huge gaps in water level data collection that left some coastal communities without such information. That’s because historical data was until today available at NOAA’s tide gauge locations, which can be hundreds of miles apart along some areas of the coast.

“Historical coastal water level information is necessary to assess changing flood risks to communities and to predict the likelihood of flooding,” National Ocean Service Director Nicole LeBoeuf said in a release. “This new dataset will improve NOAA’s current flood-risk assessment tools and help scientists develop new coastal flood products and services for the nation.” 

The information provided in CORA can help advance coastal flood planning for everyone from local government planners, engineers, and flood management professionals.

“CORA provides coastal communities with new insights into how their flood risk has changed over time,” Analise Keeney, project lead and oceanographer at NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services, stated in a release. “In Charleston, South Carolina, for example, CORA shows the full extent of the devastating inland flooding caused by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Combined with NOAA’s long-term tide gauge data, the data enables more coastal communities to understand their past flood risks so they can better prepare and respond to future events.”

CORA’s historical datasets will be merged into tools including the Sea Level Calculator and High Tide Flooding Outlooks, and used by NOAA scientists to model monthly high tide flooding predictions every 500 meters along the coast to provide more communities with timely information about their flood risks. 

NOAA’s Office of Water Prediction is also collaborating with NOS to pair CORA dataset with the National Water Model to help make coastal flood inundation mapping more robust.

CORA datasets for the West Coast, Hawaii and Alaska are expected to be released in late 2026.

CORA is available for public download through NOAA’s Open Data Dissemination platform. Additional information, maps, and related resources are available on NOAA’s Tides and Currents website.

CORA was made possible through collaboration with the University of North Carolina’s Renaissance Computing Institute. The model was validated by the University of Hawaii’s Sea Level Center.

CORA is a community-based modeling effort made possible through collaboration with the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s Renaissance Computing Institute. Modeling validation was conducted by the University of Hawaii’s Sea Level Center.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has been awarded more than $1 million to create a drone program that officials say will improve response to natural disasters like hurricanes Florence and Helene.

NCDOT’s Division of Aviation was awarded a $1.1 million grant Monday from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the state announced Tuesday.

NCDOT is one of 47 recipients nationwide to be selected for funding from the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation Grants, or SMART, program. The SMART program is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and has awarded around $200 million between 2022 and this year for planning and protype projects in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

“We are thrilled,” Nick Short, interim director of NCDOT’s Aviation Division said in a statement. “This will make us better prepared for natural disasters. With what we saw during Helene, Florence and other natural disasters, when you’re not able to use highway infrastructure to get goods and assets to an area, it seriously limits your ability to provide life-saving care and quick response to people in need.”

Aviation staff are to develop a program using drone-in-a-box technology. The secure boxes containing autonomous drones act as a charging station, storage and place from which to launch and land. These boxes can be placed in a community ahead of a natural disaster and then deployed remotely to start collecting images of damage and deliver emergency supplies.

“With the ‘drone in a box,’ we can place a drone with medicine like insulin on the side of a road and then those supplies are there and ready to be deployed right away,” Short explained. “We will be able to deploy the drone remotely, so we can begin collecting data and delivering supplies without having to wait on someone to respond by driving into the area. In doing so, we’re also removing the risk of putting people in further danger during a natural disaster.”

Staff will pilot the project in Lumberton, which was hit particularly hard by hurricanes Matthew in 2016 and Florence in 2018.

“These storms tend to impact people in historically disadvantaged communities where roads and other infrastructure become inundated faster and for longer periods of time than many other communities,” Short said. “That was true in Lumberton during Hurricane Florence and is one of the main reasons we’re piloting this program there.”

The Division of Aviation will work closely with the town and surrounding communities because public feedback will be important as the agency studies the issue and develops a better response program, Short said.

While this program will be conducted in Lumberton, state aviation officials expect to evaluate the technology for disaster response deployment at other locations.

“This grant covers all the studies we’ll have to do, from researching the environment at these locations as well as all the community involvement we’ll be doing and feedback we’ll be seeking,” he said.

Short said expediting disaster response comes at a crucial time as scientists predict that climate change is expected to continue delivering storms that are more severe and more frequent.

Not much has changed in Sledge Forest in the more than 20 years since its distinctive features were captured on the pages of a document created to offer guidance for its future use.

That, said geologist Roger Shew, is the beauty of it.

The forest that rises from the banks of the Northeast Cape Fear River and sprawls thousands of acres across northern New Hanover County is still an important part of the river floodplain, one of the largest landscape corridors in the southeastern part of the state.

Towering up from the forest bed are cypress and loblolly pine trees, some of the oldest in southeastern North Carolina, that are hundreds of years old, a “rare old-growth occurrence,” according to a biological survey published in May 2003 by the Natural Heritage Program of North Carolina, which identified the forest as a significant natural area.

The forest’s attributes have in recent weeks been thrust front and center in a rumble that tipped off when a Charlotte-based developer submitted to the county’s planning department preliminary plans to build thousands of homes on about a quarter of the more than 4,000-acre, privately owned site.

Because the land being eyed for the proposed development of more than 4,000 single-family houses, a golf course, trails and a horse farm does not have to be rezoned, the project gets pushed straight through to the county’s technical review process, effectively omitting the opportunity for public comment.

That’s simply unacceptable to Castle Hayne resident and local activist Kayne Darrell.

“It’s a by-right property so they can go in and start clear-cutting any time they want,” Darrell told Coastal Review in a recent telephone interview. “We’re hoping they don’t yet. It’s unconscionable to me that we have no opportunity to get our questions answered or have any input on what’s happening because it’s going to impact so many of us in so many negative ways.”

Attempts to reach the developer, Copper Builders, LLC, were unsuccessful. An engineer listed on the development plan application did not return a call for comment.

The homes of Hilton Bluffs, the name of the proposed development, would be built on about 1,000 acres of uplands that adjoin about 3,000 acres of protected wetlands, those that have a continuous surface connection to the U.S. Supreme Court-defined “waters of the United States” – in this case, Prince George Creek, which connects to the Northeast Cape Fear River.

Sledge Forest is one of the largest tracts along a more than 35-mile stretch of the floodplain corridor running from Holly Shelter Creek, at the north, south to Smith Creek.

Shew, senior lecturer in the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Ocean Sciences and Environmental Sciences department and a conservationist, said in an email response to Coastal Review that the forest is dominated by hydric soils that are “periodically inundated during high-tide flooding events and storm events.”

Such floods are forecast to only increase with sea level rise, the latest projections of which are a minimum of one foot by 2050.

“High-tide flooding is common along the river and has the potential to inundate much of the site,” Shew said. “And, in the future … most of the area will be inundated fully or partially with river waters. Putting golf courses, horse barns and cabins or single-family homes in this area are ill-advised.”

The roads that will connect those neighborhood amenities will have to be built over wetlands, which will, in turn, block water movement, Shew said.

“And of course, whatever (fertilizer, herbicides, etc.) is put on these areas will runoff into the surrounding wetlands and river,” he wrote.

“The best and most logical use of this land is for it to be left as a natural area that supports wildlife, rich plant communities, corridor connectivity, reduces floodwaters, and maintains all of the ecosystem services of these wetland communities for the benefit of our community in a way too fast-growing area in northern (New Hanover County),” he said. “We need to have a comprehensive plan that maintains large natural areas and this and parts of Island Creek are sights that would be best and be opportune investments for the county for its future.”

Most of the old-growth trees are largely within the project building footprint, Darrell said. A 2003 natural area inventory dated cypress to be more than 350 years old and estimated to be as much as 500 years old, and dated loblollies to be more than 300 years old.

Area residents are also concerned about what is projected to be a significant increase in traffic on rural roads in the area – more than 30,000 additional vehicles per day.

Inactive hazardous site abuts tract

Opponents of the proposed development say they’re also troubled by the fact that the development is being proposed on land that is adjacent to a state-designated inactive hazardous site.

According to information provided by the North Carolina Division of Waste Management, contamination at the site off Castle Hayne Road resulted from drums of calcium fluoride and lubricants being stored in unlined trenches during the 1960s and 1970s.

That contamination spreads across two parcels, one of which is owned by General Electric.

Contamination in groundwater in the northwest corner of GE’s roughly 100-acre tract includes uranium, vinyl chloride and fluoride.

Those contaminants spill over onto a neighboring 1,500-plus-acre parcel owned by Nuclear Fuel Holding Co. Inc., a GE affiliate, according to Securities and Exchange Commission documents.

There are also contaminants in groundwater around the main plant on GE’s property. Those contaminants include tetrachlorethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE), cis- 1,2-dichloroethene, 1,1-dichloroethane, vinyl chloride, benzene, and naphthalene contaminate, according to the state.

Contamination at the main plant area is contained on-site, but is also close to the northern central property line, said Katherine Lucas, public information officer for the Division of Waste Management, in an email responding to Coastal Review’s questions.

“A portion of the (northwest) Area Contamination has migrated to the adjacent property in the deep groundwater aquifer,” she said in the email.

The site was added to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Inactive Hazardous Sites Branch inventory in 1988.

The department’s Division of Water Resources conducted regulatory oversight of all remedial activities at the site until 2008, when site management was transferred to the branch as part of a reorganization between the waste management and water resources divisions.

The site was added to the branch’s Site Priority list in 2008.

“The area of the contamination has not been calculated,” Lucas said. “Ground water contamination is being remediated with a series of hydraulic control wells and pump and treatment of contaminated groundwater.”

More than 3,500 people have signed an online petition to save Sledge Forest.

Darrell, who helped organize Save Sledge Forest, said the ultimate goal is to get the land in conservation.

“That’s where it belongs,” she said. “We’re not giving up. It’s too special a place.”

Sandy Cross, senior planner for Duck, recently brought Coastal Review with her as she walked along the edge of Currituck Sound, where a project to make the Dare County town more resilient was completed in May.

Cross excitedly pointed out signs of continuing progress at the site.

“See this little grass right here? This is a black needle rush or Juncus roemerianus,” she said, growing more excited as the stroll continued another 10 to 15 yards farther along the shoreline.

“Wait a minute. See this grass that looks kind of like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree?” she asked. “That’s called Spartina cynosuroides, which is a coastal wetland species. We did not plant that.”

The project funded with local, state and federal money also elevated a portion of N.C. Highway 12 to reduce flooding, and it restored native marsh to protect the shoreline and improve natural habitat.

In October, the American Planning Association recognized the project, honoring the town with its Marvin Collins Planning Award in Sustainability and Resilience.

The award-winning projects and programs were selected for their “high quality, originality, and innovation, as well as a degree of transferability,” according to the association. “They are also impactful, in that they address a known community need and position the community for a stronger, more equitable future.”

Most vulnerable infrastructure

N.C. 12 is the only road that connects Duck to the rest of Dare County to the south and Corolla village in Currituck County to the north. At the north end of Duck’s business district, the highway was prone to flooding. When the wind was strong enough for long enough, revetment rocks that were placed alongside the road were lifted from their bed and strewn across the highway.

“For anyone that’s been in Duck any length of time, they know that a good southwest wind will inundate the roadway,” Cross said.

Town officials knew well that the quarter-mile stretch of the road was at risk. A 2019 Western Carolina University vulnerability assessment, “indicated that this section of roadway was the most vulnerable infrastructure we had in the in the town,” Cross said.

The project cost a little more than $4.3 million, which was mostly paid for with grants, although the town did contribute $398,500 of its own. Construction began in October 2023 and took six months to complete.

Sills were installed to protect a new living shoreline. Marsh grasses were planted after the invasive phragmites reeds that had taken over the nearshore were removed. The small riprap rocks were replaced by Class III Armor Stone, revetment stones that weight more than a ton each and should withstand even the strongest winds and waves.

The roadbed was raised 2.5 feet and a new sidewalk was built, all with resilience features.

“They put in strips,” Cross said of the design, “intended as a small stormwater mechanism. They’re probably about 2 feet deep, and at the base there’s some filter cloth, and then there’s a rock bed, and then there’s bio-retention soil.” 

There is also a wild grass planted between the road and the sidewalk— liriope.

In the past the town had used little bluestem between the highway and sidewalk, but Cross really wanted to find a grass that would work better as a barrier.

“They (little bluestem) get really tall, and they get really floppy when they get wet,” she said.

Liriope is a flowering grass that Cross said, “is probably the only plant that can survive the soot and the very small space in which it has to survive.”

Duck has created a series of vision documents beginning in 2009 with its “2022 Vision” that describes the town as “a pedestrian first community that is safe and easy to navigate by walking and cycling.”

That same document stressed environmental stewardship with an emphasis on living shorelines for protection on the sound side of the village.

Phase 4 of the sidewalk project was to be at the north end of the business district, and plans called for a living shoreline to create additional defense from soundside flooding.

Standing at the south end of the project area, Cross explained how the project went from an ambitious but relatively limited shoreline plan to an award-winning project, a process kickstarted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“We were going put in a sidewalk, and we were going to put in a living shoreline. That was all scheduled to begin in 2019,” she said. “Then FEMA came out with their Building Resilient Infrastructures and Communities grant program and there was a huge pot of money for resilience projects.”

With possibility of funding for raising the road in conjunction with the living shoreline and sidewalk project, the town paused to “apply for this BRIC grant to raise the road and then really make it a resilience project,” Cross recalled.

The state, Cross said, said the project was a good candidate for funding but advised the town to hold off on the sidewalk and living shoreline components.

“You need to encompass it all in order to really fare well in the scoring of the grant,” she said. “So we started the grant process with BRIC in 2020. Fast-forward to 2024, when we actually saw the money for the grant.”

The roughly $1.9 million appeared to be enough to raise the roadbed and replace the riprap.

“Then COVID happened,” Cross said. “Everything you thought was going to cost one thing ended up costing double that. We were able to apply to the Department of Emergency Management with the state for some additional funding. We ended up getting an additional $1.5 million and change to offset some of the increase in cost of the project.”

There were other grants as well, including the $398,500 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for the living shoreline, $148,000 from the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau for the sidewalk, and an additional $20,000 grant from the Community Conservation Assistance Program administered through the soil and water districts by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Soil and Water Conservation.

Ricky Wiatt, senior landscape architect with environmental and government consulting firm VHB, which has long worked with the town, wrote on the company’s blog that the project, “was not merely a one-and-done solution but rather a dynamic and layered approach designed to adapt and thrive in the face of ongoing challenges. By embracing the principles of resiliency and incorporating diverse strategies, the Town of Duck is not only safeguarding its infrastructure but also fostering a more sustainable and vibrant community for generations to come.”

For Cross, however, although construction has been completed, there is still work to be done.

“We do expect this to be a case study. That’s one of the things I am continually telling people, and one of the reasons why I want to get some monitoring program together,” she said. “This is all fine and dandy, but if we don’t have a way to track it when it’s done, then what have we done it for?”

The state office that helps homeowners and local governments with disaster recovery and resiliency is accepting public comments on proposed new mitigation funding use to help owners of properties at risk of flooding by elevating structures.

The North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency will accept comments until 5 p.m. Dec. 14 on a proposed amendment to how it administers Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation funds.

Changes being considered include allocations to the Affordable Housing Development Fund, the Public Housing Restoration Fund, the Infrastructure Recovery Program and Strategic Buyout Program, among other updates.

A draft of the new Substantial Action Plan Amendment 6 for mitigation funding is available for review online.

“The proposed action plan amendment is intended to address homeowner mitigation needs, including establishing the Residential Property Elevation Fund, which will be used to rehabilitate, reconstruct or replace properties located in a floodplain or at risk of future flooding,” according to the state. “The new fund will help protect properties against future flood damage through structural elevations and related activities.”

This fund is separate from the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery-funded ReBuild NC Homeowner Recovery Program, which mostly serves properties that do not need home elevation.

Submit comments to either ncorr.publiccomments@ncdps.gov or to NCORR Public Comments, P.O. Box 110465, Durham, NC 27709.

In addition to mitigation initiatives, the office administers programs that include long-term disaster recovery, resiliency, community development, affordable housing, strategic buyout and local infrastructure.

Because of the potential for strong wind gusts, elevated tides and heavy rainfall associated with a low-pressure system, Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials advise visitors to exercise caution on roads and beaches from Thursday evening into this weekend.

National Weather Service forecasters in the Newport office said Thursday morning that the low-pressure system will impact eastern North Carolina Thursday and Friday, “bringing the potential for multiple hazards including: strong winds, coastal impacts, heavy rain, and a tornado or two.”

Forecasters warn that rapid water levels could rise along soundside areas on Ocracoke and Hatteras islands, and that minor to locally moderate coastal flooding could continue through this weekend because to high astronomical tides. For weather-related updates, visit the National Weather Service website.

“Visitors should avoid the beach between the north end of Rodanthe and South Shore Drive, and the north end of Buxton, due to the potential for small-to-large pieces of debris to fall off multiple threatened oceanfront structures during and after the storm conditions,” Park Service officials said Thursday.

Officials also said that motorists should use caution along vulnerable areas of N.C. Highway 12 Thursday evening through at least early Saturday morning because of periods of ocean overwash. Travelers should monitor road conditions at https://drivenc.gov.

The Dare County Sheriff’s Office in a social media post Thursday morning warned that overwash was already happening at the north end of Buxton Village.

Beach driving conditions are not expected to be favorable at off-road vehicle ramps. All Seashore campgrounds are open at this time but campers around low-elevation sites may experience flooding.

As Hurricane Helene moved Wednesday through the Gulf of Mexico, heading for the Florida panhandle, officials here reminded residents to prepare for the storm’s effects.

“Helene is expected to become a major hurricane by Thursday. While significant impacts will remain west of our area, some impacts are still possible for Eastern North Carolina,” forecasters with the National Weather Service said at its 11 a.m. Wednesday briefing.

Because of the storm’s size, forecasters expect that effects will be felt far away from the storm center, especially to its east. “Local impacts will include gusty winds, some areas of flooding, isolated tornadoes, and dangerous surf conditions,” they said at the noon briefing.

Also on Wednesday, Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency ahead of the powerful storm expected to cause flash flooding, numerous landslides, damaging debris flows, slope failures across steep terrain, and riverine flooding across portions of western and central North Carolina. Flooding may occur in areas that do not typically flood, according to Cooper’s office.

“Helene threatens heavy rain, flash flooding, landslides, and damaging winds to the mountains and Piedmont areas of our state,” Cooper said. “Now is the time for North Carolinians to prepare, make sure emergency kits are up-to-date and pay attention to the weather alerts in your area.” 

Effects could be felt as early as Thursday night, but Friday will bring the storm’s worst to this area.

“A few tornadoes are possible which may produce enhanced areas of damage,” and there’s an enhanced threat for rip currents, a chance of coastal flooding, especially in areas still with elevated water levels, and strong winds, especially over the coastal waters south of Cape Hatteras,” forecasters said.

The state of emergency gears up certain state emergency operations and allows for the North Carolina departments of Transportation and Public Safety to act to ensure the quick movement of utility vehicles and those carrying essential supplies such as food, medicine and fuel or transporting livestock, poultry and crops.

State officials provided the following tips to prepare:

• Have multiple ways to receive emergency information, including watches and warnings. Make sure emergency alerts are enabled on your cell phone and monitor local new outlets and the National Weather Service.
• Ensure that you have multiple ways to receive warnings, especially with the potential for severe storms to be moving through during nighttime hours.
• Have an emergency plan. Know where you would go if you need to evacuate, especially if you live in a flood prone area.
• Gather emergency supplies or refresh your emergency kit. Visit ReadyNC.gov for info on how to build an emergency kit.
• Never drive through flooded roadways or around barricades. Turn around. Don’t drown.
• Make sure you know where to seek shelter if a tornado warning is issued for your area.
• Check to see if your local emergency management office offers emergency alert services for its residents. You can visit your county government website for more information.
• Avoid unnecessary travel. If you do not need to drive, stay home. You can find current roadway conditions by visiting DriveNC.Gov.

Featured Image

A vehicle creates a wake Tuesday while passing through floodwaters from the saltmarsh along Crow Hill Road near Otway in Down East Carteret County. Carteret County and coastal Onslow County were placed under a coastal flood advisory Tuesday effective until 5 p.m. Wednesday. Up to a foot of inundation above ground level is possible in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways. Officials urge people not to drive through waters of unknown depths. Photo: Dylan Ray

As Brunswick County continues to recover from damage caused by flooding from last week’s unnamed storm, officials here are urging residents to keep an eye on a newly formed tropical storm they hope skirts well west of southeastern North Carolina.

Topical Storm Helene formed Tuesday and is forecast make landfall Thursday around the Gulf Coast of Florida.

As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, Helene’s center was near latitude 19.5 degrees north, longitude 84.3 degrees west, and the storm was moving toward the northwest at about 12 mph.

The forecast for Friday and into the weekend in the Brunswick County area could include rain, depending “on the timing and location of remnants of the system and will need to be monitored,” according to a county update issued Tuesday.

Brunswick County and portions of New Hanover County, including Carolina Beach, were awash with flooding after the recent storm that unexpectedly dumped upwards of 20 inches of rain.

Floodwaters closed schools, damaged and washed out portions of roads and displaced residents in Brunswick County.

The American Red Cross shelter has relocated from the Brunswick Center at Leland to The First Tee of Coastal Carolinas, 445 Tarkin Court NW, Shallotte.

James Jarvis, executive director of the Red Cross Cape Fear Chapter, said by phone Tuesday morning that the shelter was housing one person.

“We’re prepared to receive more,” he said.

The Red Cross is working with some residents displaced after a building in a senior living community in Southport was inundated by flooding. Jarvis said eight units within the building were damaged.

Individuals and families in need of post-storm assistance, including shelter, may call 1-800-RED-CROSS or the Brunswick County call center at 910-253-5383. The call center is operated 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

More than a dozen Brunswick County schools are to open their doors Wednesday. Schools were closed last week because of damaged roads.

The schools opening for face-to-face instruction include the following: 

• North Brunswick High School.
• West Brunswick High School.
• The COAST.
• BCECHS.
• Leland Middle School.
• Shallotte Middle School.
• Town Creek Middle School.
• Waccamaw School.
• Jessie Mae Monroe Elementary School.
• Union Elementary School.
• Supply Elementary School.
• Lincoln Elementary School.
• Belville Elementary School.
• Town Creek Elementary School.

“If there is an opportunity to open more of our schools, we will update you all as soon as possible,” a Brunswick County Schools Facebook post states.

The latest road conditions and closures in the county may be found here.

Real-time road incidents may be checked by visiting the North Carolina Department of Transportation‘s DriveNC.gov map (using the Potential Tropical Cyclone filter), the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office’s  social media pages and mobile app, and local municipal pages.

The county landfill continues to operate on its regular schedule. The Free Cleanup Week at the Brunswick County Landfill has been extended through Saturday to allow residents additional time to benefit from this service following the storm.

Stay prepared, alert.

Brunswick County residents are encouraged to be prepared during hurricane season. Residents should take the following preparedness tips:

• Register for the ReadyBrunswick emergency notification system.
• Track updates weather updates from the National Weather Service’s Wilmington office at weather.gov/ilm. The latest weather briefings are available at weather.gov/ilm/briefing.
• Have multiple ways to receive weather updates, including local news and radio stations, NOAA weather radios, and emergency alert notifications.
• Create a plan to keep you, your family, and pets safe if flooding is forecast for your area.

Regardless of whether potential tropical cyclone No. 8 becomes a subtropical or tropical storm before it makes landfall on the South Carolina coast late Monday, Eastern North Carolina residents were already feeling and will continue to feel the effects of the low-pressure system.

All tropical storm warnings had been discontinued and there were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, as of the 5 p.m. Monday update from the National Weather Service.

At that time, the storm was about 45 miles west of the Cape Fear region, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. The center of the storm was around 33 degrees, 9 minutes, north latitude and 78 degrees, 8 minutes west, longitude.

The low-pressure system was expected to reach the coast of South Carolina Monday evening and then move inland across the Carolinas through Wednesday. The low was forecast to dissipate by early Wednesday.

“The main threat will be periods of heavy rain with storm total rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches, with locally higher amounts possible. The highest rainfall totals are expected for areas south of Highway 70. This will bring the threat of localized flash flooding especially in low-lying, urban, and poor drainage areas,” forecasters said Monday morning. Rain over the past week will make some areas more susceptible to flooding.

On the Outer Banks, expect minor flooding and inundation in low-lying areas, and N.C. Highway 12 may have standing water caused by ocean overwash, especially near high tide. The highest impacts should will likely be around the typical vulnerable spots such as Pea Island, the north side of Buxton and other locations with compromised dune structures, forecasters said.

The region is already facing tropical-storm-force winds, which are projected to continue into Monday evening, mainly south of Ocracoke Inlet. Onslow and Carteret counties are at the highest risk. These high winds could result in scattered tree damage and power outages.

Minor storm surge with inundation 1 to 3 feet above ground level remains possible through Tuesday night on the coast and tidal rivers, as well as minor ocean overwash along the coast through midweek. The Neuse, Bay and Pamlico rivers are expected to have the highest water levels and impacts.

Stronger and more frequent rip currents should be anticipated through much of the week, and dangerous marine conditions will continue for the coastal waters, sounds and rivers, with strong winds and dangerous seas.

Forecasters warn that a few tornadoes could produce locally significant damage, with the greatest threat occurring Monday into Tuesday.

Storm-related closures, advisories

Several state roads in southeastern North Carolina will be closed for the foreseeable future due to damage from Monday’s storm, North Carolina Department of Transportation said Monday afternoon.

The department is urging people not to drive at this time. If folks must get out on the roads, they should use extreme caution. Drivers should never go around a ‘road closed’ sign or drive through flood waters. Drivers should also be alert for damaged roads.

Portions of U.S. 17 and N.C. 211 in Brunswick County and U.S. 74 in Columbus County, are closed because of large amounts of rain throughout the day. Additional closures as inland rains move downstream are anticipated.

“As soon as it becomes safe, NCDOT crews will mobilize teams to make emergency repairs to impacted roads, including N.C. 211 where bridges are damaged over Duke Energy Canal and Dutchman Creek,” NCDOT officials said.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore recommended travelers avoid the north end of Ocracoke Island Monday evening during high tide because of a combination of a higher-than-average high tide and high surf advisory.

Travelers should also use caution at the north end of Ocracoke Island around high tides through the rest of this week, and use caution on the beach at the north end of Rodanthe, due to the presence of hazards, such as building materials and parts of septic systems, from threatened oceanfront structures.

Over the next several days, the seashore expects varying levels of ocean overwash in Hatteras, Buxton and Rodanthe, and possibly near the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge visitor center.

State recreational water quality officials are advising the public to avoid swimming in coastal waters in New Hanover and Brunswick counties that are being heavily impacted by potential tropical cyclone 8.  

These waters include Mason Inlet down to Shallotte Inlet, to include Holden Beach, Long Beach, Oak Island, Caswell Beach, Bald Head Island, Kure Beach, Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach.

“Severe weather events like tropical storms and hurricanes bring excessive amounts of rain, storm surge and cause extreme flooding. These conditions increase levels of harmful bacteria in our coastal waters that can cause illness,” Erin Bryan-Millush, manager of the N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program said in a statement. “The sources of bacteria can vary and include failing septic systems, sewer line breaks and overflowing manholes.”

These waters should be avoided until testing indicates bacteria levels are within the state’s and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standards. Testing will begin as soon as conditions are safe, and areas are accessible. The advisory will be lifted in part or in whole as test results become available.

Brunswick County has declared a state of emergency effective 11:30 a.m. Monday, which allows the sheriff’s office to control ingress and egress and move people within roadways that may be impeded by flooding or fallen trees.

“Potential Tropical Cyclone #8  is bringing excessive rain and dangerous flooding conditions to our area,” Chairman Randy Thompson said in a release. “Residents and visitors are encouraged to stay off the roads and stay alert as the storm passes through.”

Brunswick County government offices closed at 11 a.m. Monday. All Brunswick County government offices, libraries, parks, and other facilities will reopen on their regular schedules Tuesday unless additional closures or schedule changes become necessary. 

The Brunswick County Board of Commissioners meeting scheduled for Monday evening was canceled and will be rescheduled.

The Brunswick County Landfill and county convenience centers are also closed Monday. GFL Environmental still plans to collect curbside trash and recycling carts as scheduled this week, including Monday customers.

The Bald Head Island ferry service was temporarily suspended at 8 a.m. Monday and will remain so until further notice. Village Hall and Public Safety office staff are working remotely. A staff directory is at https://villagebhi.org/contact/.

Holden Beach Town Hall closed at noon Monday.

Caswell Beach announced around 11 a.m. Monday that staff had been notified that Barbee Bridge is closed due to impassable areas on Long Beach Road, but Swains Cut Bridge was open for access from Oak Island to the mainland. Portions of Southport-Supply Road between Middleton Boulevard and Long Beach Road were impassable as well.

After a year of record coastal flooding, eastern North Carolina may feel a slight reprieve from high-tide flooding days between now and April 2025.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service last week released its 2024-25 Annual High-Tide Flooding Outlook, which projects slightly fewer of these flooding days through spring 2025 than last year. That’s because El Niño conditions are transitioning to La Niña conditions, and these two opposing climate patterns in the Pacific can affect weather worldwide.  

“Bottom line: Over the past year, we’ve seen record coastal flooding, or high-tide flooding, along our coastlines,” Nicole LeBoeuf, National Ocean Service director, during the Aug. 6 online news briefing, said. “When the ocean runs hot, sea levels run high, and we see that playing out in our coastal flooding data.”

The outlook recaps high-tide flooding events from May 2023 to April of this year at 97 NOAA tide gauges along the U.S. coast, and it projects what to expect at these locations through April 2025.

High-tide flooding, which is sometimes called nuisance or sunny-day flooding, happens when tides reach anywhere from 1 to 2 feet above the daily average high tide, and cover what is typically dry land along the coast. “As sea levels continue to rise, high-tide flooding occurs more frequently, even without severe weather,” she said.

For the 2023-24 season, coastal communities in the United States experienced seven to eight flood days, LeBoeuf said. In 2023, 34 locations broke or tied their records for flood days, which she called “a dramatic increase” from the previous year.

Hot ocean temperatures led to the highest levels of sea level measurement on record. There were 44 NOAA tide gauge locations, mostly on the East Coast, that broke or tied their previously recorded sea levels to date. This means “we got an additional 6 inches of sea level rise and five median coastal flood days annually compared to the year 2000, roughly a 200% increase,” LeBoeuf said.

The recurring climate pattern called El Niño contributed to the record-breaking 2023-24 observations.

“El Niño typically raises ocean temperatures and can result in more frequent and intense storms hitting the coastlines, especially along the East Coast, where we saw many records break this past year,” she said. “With sea level rise and high-tide flooding increasing, El Niño simply makes things worse for coastal communities, home to almost 40% of the U.S. population.”

Because high-tide flooding can degrade infrastructure, damage property and disrupt coastal ecosystems and people’s daily lives, NOAA works to help communities predict this kind of flooding and its potential impacts, she said.

NOAA maintains the tide gauges across the U.S. and its territories that make up the National Water Level Observation Network. Some of the gauges have been recording water-level data for more than 150 years. Through this network, “NOAA monitors the unrelenting creep of sea level rise and the rapid increase of high-tide flooding,” LeBoeuf said.

The outlook brings together data about high-tide flooding events between May 2023 and April 2024. That time frame is used to “account for increased sea levels in the fall and increased stormy weather during winter months, so that we can most effectively predict the year ahead,” she continued.

There are four National Water Level Observation Network stations on the North Carolina coast. According to the annual outlook, Duck experienced 22 high-tide flood days between May 2022 and April 2023 compared to 13 the year prior. Oregon Inlet Marina encountered seven days, up two from the previous year’s five. High-tide flood days at the Duke University Marine Lab at Pivers Island in Beaufort increased from six to 11. At the Wilmington tide gauge, high-tide flood days increased from two to three.

“Almost every location we measure between New York and Georgia broke their sea level and flood-day records in 2023. It’s like El Niño had the US East Coast in its Bullseye,” she said.

In the coming year, NOAA projects that the country’s coastal communities will see a median range of four to eight high-tide flooding days between May of this year and next April, which she said is slightly down from last year “as we move away from El Niño and into La Niña conditions.”

The outlook projects that for Duck, there will be nine to 15 high-tide flood days, four to seven at Oregon Inlet Marina, four to six at Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort, and two to six in Wilmington.

NOAA’s National Ocean Service researchers predicted that this year’s Atlantic hurricane season will increase the chance of significant flooding in some places, particularly along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

Hurricane predictions are not directly factored into NOAA’s high-tide flooding outlooks, but the product “can provide situational awareness regarding baseline flooding that can compound the impacts from real-time weather events like hurricanes and tropical storms” she said. “Events like hurricanes get a lot of attention, but high-tide flooding is one of the most tangible impacts of long-term sea level rise, reminding us that while we brace for impact today, the United States must also plan for a wetter future.”

NOAA scientists project that communities across the nation will experience an average of 45 to 85 high-tide flood days per year by 2050, which means that “every four to eight days, Americans along our coast will face disruptive and damaging seawater inundation regardless of the weather at the time.”

The federal agency also produces a Monthly High Tide Flooding Outlook to provide flooding likelihoods each day of the year, up to a year in advance, offering windows of time where there’s increased flood risks.

“Together, these outlooks complement one another with information across time scales to protect lives, ecosystems and economies as towns, states, tribes and businesses are faced with increased coastal flooding,” LeBoeuf said.

Coastal Ecologist Dr. Christine Voss, who recently retired from University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences based in Morehead City, in response for comments about this high-tide outlook, explained that the trends in rising sea levels and the acceleration of global, regional and local water levels are sustained, and the data are clear. 

“If one examines the entirety of the data, there is some annual variation, yet the ‘big picture’ is unchanged. In its reports, including this one, NOAA makes clear that the Southeast US region, including coastal NC, is experiencing more high-tide flooding due to global sea-level rise, land subsidence, and regional oceanographic effects — compared to 2000 and the previous century,” she said in an email.

NOAA’s Aug. 6 article suggests that the expected development of La Niña is likely the reason that their models predict a lower number of high-tide flooding events from May 2024 through April 2025, compared to the previous year.

“So, this is the ‘regional oceanographic effects’ part of the equation. There are also numerous astronomical harmonic constituents that cause variation in our water levels,” Voss said. “Some of these harmonics have a period of up to almost 19 years,” pointing to the harmonic constituents at the NOAA Beaufort, Duke Marine Lab gauge and the Wilmington gauge.  

“Regardless of the flux in water levels, the major trend is the continued rising of sea levels and an acceleration of this trend. We, along the NC coastal region, need to proactively prepare for higher sea levels and do what we can to slow climate change,” Voss continued.

Sometimes it’s a puzzle why people don’t ask more questions, such as, “Has the river that’s down your road ever flooded your house, the house I’m thinking of buying?”

The maxim “buyer beware” is wise advice no matter where a house is situated, but it’s good to have rules in place to cover homebuyers’ backs for the things they overlook or wrongly assume.

As of July 1, prospective real estate buyers in North Carolina must now be provided the required North Carolina Real Estate Commission residential disclosure form by the seller that for the first time includes questions related to a property’s flood risk.

The change in the form was requested in a petition for rulemaking filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center in December 2022 on behalf of the Natural Resources Defense Council, or NRDC, the North Carolina Justice Center, MDC Inc., the North Carolina Disaster Recovery and Resiliency School, Robeson County Church and Community Center, and NC Field.

“Most of those are small, local nonprofits that respond to disasters,” Brooks Rainey Pearson, senior attorney with the law center, told Coastal Review in an interview, referring to petitioners. “So we really wanted to give a voice to the people on the ground who deal with the fallout from flooding.”

Pearson said that the Real Estate Commission had quickly granted the petition at the time and agreed to add the questions proposed by petitioners. It was then delayed by mutual agreement, she said, to adjust the law to allow the commission to merely make changes in the form. That would avoid having to go through a lengthy rulemaking process.

“It was a longer journey than it should have been, but not because of any pushback,” she said. “I think everyone understands that homebuyers deserve to know if the property has flooded before.”

Questions about flooding that have been added to the disclosure statement include the following:

• Is the property located in a federal or other designated flood hazard zone?
• Has the property experienced damage due to flooding, water seepage or pooled water attributable to a natural event such as heavy rainfall, coastal storm surge, tidal inundation, or river overflow?
• Is there a current flood insurance policy covering the property?
• Is there a flood or Federal Emergency Management Agency elevation certificate for the property?
• Has (the property owner) ever filed a claim for flood damage to the property with any insurance provider, including the National Flood Insurance Program?

The form also notes that the requirement to obtain flood insurance passes down to all future owners for those properties that have received disaster assistance.

Joel Scata, senior attorney with the NRDC, a national environmental nonprofit organization that is one of the petitioners, said that in the past, the only flood information that had to be disclosed to homebuyers in North Carolina was whether the property was in a floodplain.

“Now with the changes, a buyer is going to have access to much more detailed information,” he told Coastal Review.

According to state law, residential property owners are required to complete the disclosure statement and provide it to a buyer before an offer is made to purchase the property.  New construction or never-occupied properties are exempted. Every question must be answered with “Y,” “N,” “NR” or “NA” for “Yes,” “No,” “No Representation,” and “Not Applicable,” respectively.

Despite stern language in the form about requirements, there is enough gray area to give pause to anyone with insight into human failings.

“An owner is not required to disclose any of the material facts that have a NR option, even if they have knowledge of them,” the statement says. Also: “If an owner selects NR, it could mean that the owner (1) has knowledge of an issue and chooses not to disclose it; or (2) simply does not know.”

The form does warn that failure to disclose hidden defects “may” result in civil liability. It also assures that if an owner selects “No,” it means that the owner is not aware of any problem. But if “the owner knows there is a problem or that the owner’s answer is not correct, the owner may be liable for making an intentional misstatement.”

If an owner selects NA, it means the property does not contain that particular item or feature.

Scata said that he believes that whatever remedies are available for enforcement are strictly civil, and do not include criminal charges in the case of fraud or misrepresentation.

“A buyer could file a civil suit, claim that the seller intentionally misled the buyer, make a fraud claim,” he said. But damages and other penalties would depend on the impact of what wasn’t disclosed, he added.

A buyer should take any “NR” answer as a cue to ask the owner about what they don’t want to disclose, Scata said, adding “it’s a good indication that something is wrong with the property.”

That choice could not be removed from the form unless it was done through a change in the legislation, he said.

“The buyer always has the right to go back and explicitly ask the seller the question,” he said. And don’t just push the question with the buyer, he said, but also go talk to neighbors about the situation with flooding episodes in the neighborhood.

Also, real estate brokers by law have a duty to disclose what they know, or reasonably should know, regardless of the seller’s response. “So if a seller says something like ‘No, there’s never been (flooding) on the property,’” Scata said, “but the Realtor knows that’s not true, there’s a duty on them to disclose. And they can be liable if they are complicit in that fraud.”

In that instance of potential fraud by a broker, the buyer can file a complaint with the Real Estate Commission.

According to an NRDC press release, homes in North Carolina with prior flood losses would be expected to average an annual loss of $1,211, compared to $61 for the average home. In 2021, there were 13,237 homes purchased that were estimated to have been previously flooded. The expected annual flood damage totals for those homes were estimated at about $16 million.

With climate change causing more intense rain and stronger storms, flooding is only going to become more of an issue, Pearson said.

“Before when you only had to disclose if the house was in a floodplain, well, that’s no longer a good indicator of whether your house might flood,” she said. “The best indicator of whether your house might flood is whether it’s flooded before. And so, we think, just for the sake of transparency, people deserve to know that. But they also deserve to know that because — I believe it’s called behavioral economics — when people have more information, they’ll make different and better decisions.”

Nearly 150,000 policyholders in the state will have to wait almost a year to find out if the cost of their mobile home insurance will increase.

The North Carolina Rate Bureau filed April 8 a proposed overall state average increase of 82.9% for mobile home fire policies and 49.9% for mobile home casualty policies, both over a three-year period. The nonprofit Rate Bureau represents the insurance companies and is not a part of the North Carolina Department of Insurance.

While both of these types of insurance for mobile homes are similar and include flood coverage, the fire policies cover “a broader range of perils,” according to the state.

Because Department of Insurance officials don’t agree with the Rate Bureau’s request, Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey has set a hearing date, as required by state law, for 10 a.m. April 7, 2025, in the Department of Insurance building in Raleigh.

“We are not in agreement with the insurance companies’ proposed increases,” Causey said this week in the announcement. “It is now necessary to hold a hearing to reach a resolution that will make the most financial sense for our residents and insurance companies.”

The hearing will take place unless the Department of Insurance and the Rate Bureau are able to negotiate a settlement before that date, officials said.

State law gives the commissioner 45 days to issue an order once the hearing concludes. Once the order is issued, the Rate Bureau has the right to appeal the decision to the N.C. Court of Appeals. An appeals court order could then be appealed to the state Supreme Court.

The Department and Rate Bureau can settle the proposed rate increase at any time during litigation.

The mobile home fire policies increase request is 24.9% for 2024, 21.2% for 2025 and 20.9% for 2026. The mobile home casualty policies increase request is 15.9% for 2024, 13.9% for 2025 and 13.5% for 2026. The Rate Bureau is requesting that the increases take effect on Nov. 1 of each year.

The Insurance Department held a public comment period on the rate increases in April.

The last Rate Bureau mobile home rate increase filing was in 2022 and resulted in a settlement of 10% for mobile home casualty policies and a settlement of 15% for mobile home fire policies. Both took effect Aug. 1, 2023.

RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Transportation announced Friday that it had won a national award for the flood warning system that allows the agency to better respond to hurricanes and other storms.

The advance-detection warning system, which became fully operational in 2022, was developed after Hurricane Florence caused more than 2,500 roads to close in 2018. NCDOT said the system allows the agency and its partners “to deploy resources more efficiently before a storm, recover more rapidly after it and adapt to changing climate conditions,” according to the announcement.

The department was one of 14 recipients from across the country to win the Federal Highway Administration’s 2024 Environmental Excellence Award award. The awards announced last week recognize transportation projects, programs or organizations that incorporate environmental stewardship and partnerships with other agencies. NCDOT and its partners were specifically recognized for their approach to flood resilience through real-time monitoring and predictive monitoring.

“This innovative system not only helps keep our transportation network more resilient against future flooding, but it also has the potential to save lives,” said Matt Lauffer, NCDOT’s state hydraulics engineer, in a statement. “We can use this information to better inform our emergency partners and the public about potential flooding problems.”

NCDOT’s system is a partnership with the N.C. Department of Public Safety, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Coastal Center of Excellence at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and other consulting partners.

The system uses computer modeling programs that receive various kinds of data, such as rainfall totals and river forecasts. It also relies on a network of stream gauges that monitor 2,200 miles of state roads and almost 16,000 bridges and culverts across the state. During a storm, the system automatically generates email or text alerts to warn NCDOT maintenance and bridge crews of potential problems.

Last year, the flood-warning system was named a top-12 finalist for two prizes in the America’s Transportation Awards competition.​

Tidal flooding is creating a potential public health hazard on the streets and roads of coastal towns, according to a recently published study.

The study found elevated levels of fecal bacteria in water samples collected over the course of two months from a tidal creek in Beaufort and its streets following rainfall.

Dr. Natalie Nelson, an associate professor at North Carolina State University, explained that the study reaffirmed what researchers already knew — stormwater runoff is the largest culprit of elevated levels, or levels that exceed regulatory recreational water quality standards, of enterococcus bacteria in Taylors Creek.

Tidal flooding forces water into the town’s stormwater system that empties into Taylors Creek. When the system exceeds capacity, water overspills onto road surfaces.

This type of flooding occurs when rainfall causes saltwater to overflow from the ocean, sounds and estuaries and, because of sea level rise, it’s becoming more prominent in coastal areas like Beaufort.

Samples collected from floodwater patches on roadways almost consistently had elevated concentrations of enterococcus bacteria.

And, in some cases, bacteria in those samples maxed out the detection limit, Nelson said.

“What it indicates to us is that the concentrations were likely high because of a source from within the stormwater network,” she said. “We say that because the floodwaters, it’s not like they were so extensive that we could really argue that they might be flushing the land surface. But, because those floodwater patches were pretty small, we think the elevated concentrations were coming from within the stormwater network.”

When floodwaters glazing the roadways drained back into the stormwater system during ebb tide, researchers recorded higher levels of bacteria in the creek, indicating that the contamination in the creek is coming from the stormwater network, Nelson said.

The contamination wasn’t present in all of the locations sampled and the presence of the contamination was brief, she said.

Enterococci are bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and warm-blooded animals. People who swim or play in waters with bacteria levels higher than state and federal standards have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal illness or skin infections.

“I think the problem that we uncovered is not at all unique to Beaufort,” Nelson said. “The stormwater network was never designed to have water come back up through it and then go into places where pedestrians encounter and so we’re now in an era where we have to think about how our infrastructure systems are being stressed in new ways and how that might lead to new types of issues like maybe floodwaters having issues with contamination, but it’s a topic of ongoing research.”

In recent years, Beaufort has repaved hundreds of feet of one downtown street with pervious pavement, which allows water to soak through to the ground rather than route the water to the town’s stormwater system.

That project fell under the 2017 Beaufort Watershed Restoration Plan, one that aims to restore hydrology and reduce polluted runoff using retrofits that direct stormwater to filtrate into the ground or collect it for later use.

The town is among a number of coastal communities that have been examining how to best respond to what researchers often call “sunny day flooding” and other weather-related issues that are being exacerbated by the changing climate.

Dozens of coastal municipalities and counties have received grants through the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management’s N.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Program, or NC-RCCP.

The program is a creation of the state’s 2020 Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan, which was the result of Executive Order 80 signed by Gov. Roy Cooper in October 2018.

NC-RCCP aims to boost resilience efforts in the state’s 20 coastal counties and encourages those who live and work along the coast to participate in finding solutions to prioritize projects designed to help their communities bounce back from storms and floods.

For more information about tidal flooding and precautions, visit North Carolina Sea Grant’s website.

Put out the flags. A hurricane is coming.

Long before the days of around-the-clock hurricane news coverage, there were flags.

A little more than 150 years ago, the U.S. Army Signal Corps, the 1870s equivalent of the National Weather Service, issued the first U.S. hurricane warning by setting out signal flags from Cape May, New Jersey, to New London, Connecticut.

We’ve come a long way in our hurricane forecasting abilities since those warning flags were hoisted Aug. 21, 1873, but there’s work to be done.

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill researchers have been developing a forecast model that will help predict in real time whether worst-case scenario conditions might occur in communities that are within multiple flood risk zones.

It’s known as compound flooding, when at least two flood hazards, including storm surge, high tides, rainfall and high river flow, occur in a single weather event such as a hurricane.

Dr. Shintaro Bunya, a research scientist with the university’s Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City, and Dr. Rick Luettich, director of the institute and principal investigator of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-funded Coastal Resilience Center, are creating an efficient prediction model that will include rivers, tributaries, canals, creeks, streams and other water features, into something called the ADCIRC.

The ADCIRC Prediction System is a network of computer programs that model concurrent information on storm surge impacts in coastal communities.

Bunya in a telephone interview earlier this month explained that the flooding models are currently limited in predicting compound flooding events because they do not include smaller rivers and tributaries.

Those areas are “very important because people are living on the smaller tributaries and they are interested in the local flooding,” he said.

As a hurricane approaches, state and local emergency management officials rely on forecasts to determine if and when they should issue evacuations and deploy resources to communities.

“We have to be able to compute a model that really details very efficiently because what we are going to do is predictions, or forecasts, so we have to provide valuable information for decision makers. Efficiencies really matter for timely decision making,” Bunya said. “Even if the information is valuable, if it’s too late, it’s too late so the time really matters in the forecast.”

Dr. Brian Blanton, oceanographer and director of the university’s Renaissance Computing Institute’s earth data sciences, explained that there are a variety of approaches that look at how to deal with compound flooding.

So, it’s not a novel concept, he said.

But Bunya and Luettich’s idea to bring two prediction models together — models for river flow and models for storm surge — and get them to communicate as fast as possible and implement them into the ADCIRC is, Blanton said.

“That was the path that we took in terms of extending the capabilities of our very useful, very well documented coastal model for storm surge and enabling it to treat rivers in a more natural way,” he said.

“That’s the advantage there because now what we can do is we can, in many situations, with one model, simulate a lot of the mechanisms that are going on in this so-called compound flooding problem,” Blanton continued. “This is actually really important for things like evacuation decisions because if you had a really conservative estimate of storm surge that covered the entire southern part of the North Carolina coast would you really want to evacuate everything from Hatteras down to the South Carolina border? That’s notoriously expensive.”

There are places along the North Carolina coast where rivers come together with very complex tidal inlets.

While these intricate, small rivers that flow into these areas do not, overall, contribute much to the total amount of water along the coast, locally they can have a huge impact, Blanton said.

Take, for example, the New River. Some “very complicated” upstream rivers flow into the New River, one that has a rather narrow outlet to the ocean, Blanton said.

Looking at a more traditional model, one that is missing information, is not a sufficient way to predict compound flooding in that area.

“So, a way to address that was to improve the model itself and to handle the situation where rivers have a pretty strong influence on what’s going on,” Blanton said.

Bunya said they will begin testing the model this year during the upcoming hurricane season.

Sinking land areas in major coastal cities could intensify climate change-related flooding and inundation in the next 25 years, concludes a new study.

For the analysis, “Disappearing cities on US coasts” published earlier this month in Nature, the team of scientists combined data on the rising or lowering of land with sea level rise projections to calculate the potential inundated areas in 32 coastal cities, including Wilmington.

“As sea level rises and land subsides, the hazards associated with climate extremes (for example, hurricanes and storm surges), shoreline erosion and inundation of low-lying coastal areas grow,” which is a “factor that is often underrepresented in coastal-management policies and long-term urban planning,” the study states.

Sea levels are expected to rise about a foot by 2050. Researchers used 2020 data as a baseline to predict how much land this will cover within the next 25 years. Then, to see how much more land is projected to be exposed to flooding and inundation because of subsidence, or sinking land, high-resolution vertical land motion and elevation data was added to the sea level rise predictions.

Leonard Ohenhen, lead author of the study, told Coastal Review in an email that they found that most communities on U.S. coasts are sinking and at different rates.

“This sinking in combination with climate change-induced sea level rise poses a significant flood hazard to major communities on the US coasts, including NC. In total, a maximum additional population of 273,000 people will be exposed to flooding by 2050,” Ohenhen said. He is a graduate student in the Department of Geosciences at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.

For North Carolina, the coastwide average rate of sinking is 1.4 millimeters, or about 0.06 inches per year, with a maximum sinking rate of 4 millimeters, or 0.16 inches, per year, Ohenhen continued. For the inundation risk, the only city researchers focused on in North Carolina was Wilmington, “and the analysis shows that an additional 2,000 to 3,000 persons, will be exposed to flooding by 2050” because of subsidence.

Other cities on the Atlantic Coast studied were Boston, New York City, Jersey City, Atlantic City, Virginia Beach, Wilmington, Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Savannah, Miami and Jacksonville, Florida. The study also looked at projected numbers for 11 cities on the Gulf Coast and 10 on the Pacific Coast.

Ohenhen said that on the East Coast, a total of about 300 to 370 square miles will be exposed to flooding by 2050, along with 59,000 to 262,000 people and 32,000 to 163,000 properties.

He said that natural and human processes help drive land subsidence.

“Why the land is sinking differs from location to location, and in some cases, it may be a result of multiple interlinked processes,” he continued. “For the US East Coast, sinking is driven by glacial isostatic adjustment, natural sediment compaction, and groundwater extraction.” Glacial isostatic adjustment is the ongoing movement of land reacting to being covered by glaciers during the ice age, according to the National Ocean Service.

The primary motivation for the research, Ohenhen said, stems from a growing concern over the increasing vulnerability of the country’s coastal cities to flooding risks.
“While sea-level rise (SLR) due to climate change has been a focal point of scientific studies, the exacerbating role of coastal subsidence — both natural and anthropogenic — has been underrepresented in coastal management policies and discussions,” he explained in an email.

“Recognizing this gap, our study aimed to create the first high-resolution (50 m), policy-relevant land subsidence dataset for the US coastlines and integrate this dataset with SLR projections to provide a more accurate assessment of future inundation risks.”

The reason previous flood estimates omitted land subsidence can largely be attributed to its gradual nature, “which often escapes immediate notice, leading to a lack of prioritization in flood risk models,” Ohenhen said. “While some existing projections do account for land subsidence, they typically rely on singular measurements obtained from tide gauges, which fail to capture the spatial variability inherent in subsidence rates across different regions. Our study provides the first semi-continuous spatially variable land subsidence dataset for the US coast.”

Ohenhen said there are ways to either mitigate or adapt to coastal subsidence.

“Here, identifying the drivers is important for preparedness,” he said. If subsidence is a result of glacial isostatic adjustment, “there is no way to mitigate against it, so we must adapt to the consequences,” by finding ways to elevate the land or replenish groundwater through managed aquifer recharge, which will help to reverse elevation loss.

“However, in cases where the land elevation loss is driven by the extraction of groundwater, then reducing groundwater pumping can be effective in slowing down or completely halting coastal land subsidence,” he said.

Ohenhen added that a number of defense structures were identified in the research that could be put in place, including nature-based protection using marshes and mangroves, subsidence control in cities subject to anthropogenic-caused land sinking, land use planning, and a combination of these will be effective in adapting to the identified consequences.

Marine Geologist Dr. Stan Riggs, distinguished research professor and Harriot College Distinguished Professor of geology at East Carolina University, when asked for his thoughts on the study, told Coastal Review that he and the other scientists he’s worked with over the last 60 years have known that there’s been a subsidence component, “but we were never able to sort it out. And I think I’ve just finally solved that problem,” which he added will be detailed in his book being published later this year.

“The Atlantic Coast here is intermediate. In the case of North Carolina, Wilmington is the most stable part of our whole coastal plain,” Riggs said, and “you would expect to get a minimum amount of compaction down there. For example, if you drill a hole in Wilmington, you go down 1,000 feet, you get granite, up here in this part of the state you go down 10,000 feet to hit granite. There’s a lot more sediment up here and so the compaction is going to be higher,” he said about the area of his residence in northeastern North Carolina.

In the Coastal Resources Commission’s 2015 sea level report written by its advisory science panel, the coastal plain was broken down into four quadrants, with Wilmington having the lowest rate of sea level rise and “the highest by quite a bit being the Albemarle embayment, everything from Croatan National Forest north into the northern part of North Carolina,” Riggs said.

At the time, the science panel couldn’t separate out how much of that was subsidence versus regular sea level rise, “so we focused on regular sea level rise, because we didn’t know how to measure the vertical subsidence,” Riggs said. “I’ve now got data and some capabilities of measuring elevation changes down to a half an inch over time.”

In the northeastern part of the state, where there are thick areas of peat, there’s been as much as two to three feet of subsidence in the last 200 years which is pretty significant,” and regarding increasing ghost forests, “that’s partly because everything’s sinking in addition to the sea level rise, and it’s happening really fast now because we’ve ditched the living hell out of this area. For 250 years now we’ve been ditching and there’s probably more than hundred or several hundred thousand miles of ditches and it’s all starts out as peat land and peat is organic matter and organic matter oxidizes if it dries out.”

What he said is important about the study is that it demonstrates that subsidence is real and highly variable depending on “where you are and what the conditions are, what the history is now and what the geology ecology is. All of that has to go together to try to understand and manage the coastal system.”

Being variable is one of the most important points, Riggs said adding, that in some places, subsidence is equal to the rate of rising sea levels, “which doubles the whammy of sea level rise.”

Dare County has received more than $5 million to elevate 31 flood-prone homes through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Dare County Grants and Waterways office announced Monday that the county has received the FEMA hazard mitigation assistance grant awarded in December 2023 because of the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Dorian, which was declared a federal disaster in 2019. 

The 31 homes that will be elevated this year were selected from applications submitted in 2019 by homeowners in Kitty Hawk, Manteo, Wanchese, Stumpy Point, Manns Harbor, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras. 

Elevations will begin once the project has been bid out by the state and a contractor has been selected. The project is expected to begin in late this year and take a year to complete. The elevation of each home is expected to take between 60 and 90 days to complete.

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides funding to local and state governments so they can develop hazard mitigation plans and rebuild in a manner that reduces future disaster losses within their communities. This funding, which only becomes available after a presidentially declared disaster occurs, allows structures to be elevated above the known flood level, preventing or reducing the risk of future flood losses.  

Over the past 25 years, Dare County has completed the elevation of nearly 100 homes with FEMA assistance, including 27 residences that were elevated in 2023 with funding from a hazard mitigation assistance grant of $6 million awarded in August 2021 as a result of damage caused by Hurricane Florence, declared a federal disaster in 2018.   

“In addition to reducing flood insurance claims and keeping insurance rates down, elevating homes located in areas prone to flooding also enhances the resilience of these residences, protecting the homeowners and their belongings from potential future losses,” officials said.  

Although the homes that will be elevated in 2024 using this particular FEMA hazard mitigation assistance grant have already been selected from applications that were submitted following Hurricane Dorian in 2019, homeowners whose properties are located in flood-prone areas are encouraged to watch for grant opportunities that may become available following any future federally declared disasters.

For more information, please contact Dare County Grants and Waterways Administrator Barton Grover at 252-475-5628 or Barton.Grover@DareNC.gov.

Watch a short video released in May 2023 about elevating homes in Dare County through FEMA’s hazard mitigation assistance grant funding.

Guest commentary

To stimulate discussion and debate, Coastal Review welcomes differing viewpoints on topical coastal issues. 

Over the past five years, North Carolina communities have endured storm after storm. From the estimated $16 billion of damage caused by the powerful forces of Hurricane Florence to excessive rainfall that engulfed mountain towns during Tropical Storm Fred to the lasting impacts from various unnamed storms, we’ve seen firsthand how flooding disasters are changing North Carolina and its communities.

Now, more than ever, new approaches are required to address the increasing rate and severity of extreme rain events in North Carolina to safeguard communities, ecosystems and local economies. One way to reduce these risks is to build flood resilience across the state, an effort that has proven to save $6 for every $1 spent pre-disaster.  

North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is developing the state’s first-ever Flood Resiliency Blueprint in collaboration with numerous stakeholders, including Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), conservation partners, agricultural organizations, business representatives and local governments. And we are thrilled to celebrate the release of DEQ’s draft plan, which was presented to the General Assembly on Jan. 23.  

At the Joint Legislative Commission on Government Operations Hurricane Response and Recovery subcommittee, DEQ Secretary Elizabeth Biser envisioned that “five years from now, other states will be looking to North Carolina because our process lets communities get back to day to day living quicker after storm events.” The Blueprint is a big step forward, resulting in a massive statewide effort dedicated to building resilient communities equipped to reduce and manage flood risk and vulnerabilities. 

What is the Flood Resiliency Blueprint?  

In 2021, the North Carolina legislature provided funding and a directive for DEQ to develop North Carolina’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint in response to increasing flood risk. Since then, community leaders, government partners, technical experts and academics have worked together to advance this initiative, ultimately designed to help all North Carolinians make informed flood resilience planning decisions.  

The Blueprint will compile all relevant resources and knowledge into one place, and once completed, will function as an online-decision support tool for state and local leaders. This dynamic tool will help establish a single standardized methodology for North Carolina’s flood planning and includes strategies specific to each of the state’s major river basins, including aspects of stormwater maintenance and holistic watershed management. 

DEQ plans to also include components such as multi-scale modeling, scenario exploration systems, guidance documents and planning tools. Additionally, DEQ will continue to update and refine the Blueprint draft by referencing advisory group feedback and community engagement, in addition to other resources. 

How will the blueprint support NC communities? 

One goal of the Blueprint is to help state and local leaders determine where to invest in flood resilience. The Blueprint will give leaders a better understanding of which communities are most vulnerable to flood risk and who needs financial support and technical assistance. 

To achieve this, DEQ will work with communities across five river basins in 2024. They will host information exchanges in each basin to allow communities the opportunity to co-design an action strategy to reduce flood risk within their river basin.  

Ahead of these exchanges, communities will have access to online tutorials and technical assistance to learn more about the Blueprint and how to use the platform. Additionally, the state legislature has pre-allocated nearly $100 million to DEQ to begin implementing projects upon completion of the Blueprint. 

How to continue advancing the Flood Resiliency Blueprint 

It is essential to get the Blueprint right. All levels of government need to work together on this – and we need to trust in science and look to our community leaders for guidance.  

To support downstream communities, the Blueprint must be able to evaluate flooding at a watershed scale to understand how much water is coming down the river and where that water flows out of the river during a flood. When communities seek solutions to reduce their vulnerability to flooding, they should consider what the area’s watershed looks like and how solutions could impact different areas. It’s recommended to look in-town and upstream to ensure the most cost-effective solutions are grounded in science and achieve the resilience results a community needs. Meanwhile, we must also avoid selecting solutions that increase flooding impacts on a neighbor’s property or in towns downstream. The Blueprint could make all this possible, leading to wiser investments of public funds and better outcomes for residents. 

Additionally, EDF encourages DEQ to continue prioritizing North Carolina’s communities in flood planning to align state resilience goals with local community needs. Community members need to understand the purpose of the Blueprint and have access to it so that they can help improve it. Ultimately, a fully built online decision support tool can help a community understand the trade-offs between various flood solutions.  

EDF looks forward to working with DEQ to continue advancing this important initiative and build resilience for the beautiful state of North Carolina.  

Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of Coastal Review or our publisher, the North Carolina Coastal Federation. See our guidelines for submitting guest columns.

Nature-based infrastructure and new understanding of flooding and sea level rise must be considered in designs for all new state construction projects, according to a set of standards the North Carolina Department of Administration released Tuesday.

This includes higher elevation requirements for state construction in coastal areas and other provisions to make state government and university buildings more resilient.

Officials said the new Uniform Floodplain Management Policy updates design and construction requirements for flood-prone areas for the first time in more than 30 years. The policy will increase climate resiliency for public buildings and structures, save taxpayer money, protect public investments and promote nature-based design solutions, officials said.

Nature-based designs are those that incorporate into construction features that mimic processes or effects seen in nature, such as natural hydrology. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says such designs use sustainable planning, design, environmental management and engineering practices that weave natural features or processes into the built environment.

State construction officials said the policy promotes sustainable flood risk-management measures such as green roofs, constructed wetlands, rain gardens, permeable pavement, and vegetated swales. These design features are to help minimize or negate the effects that state-owned buildings have on drainage in surrounding areas.

“This policy makes North Carolina a national leader in protecting state government assets from the threats of climate change,” Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement. “Constructing new state-buildings out of harm’s way from sea-level rise and flooding is the smart thing to do and will save taxpayer money for decades to come.”

It was Cooper’s Executive Order No. 266 issued in July 2022 that directed the department’s State Construction Office to update the floodplain policy with stakeholder input. The state departments of Environmental Quality, Transportation, and Emergency Management and the Office of Recovery and Resiliency were consultants and numerous design professionals, academic researchers and nature-based design proponents provided input and expertise.

The new rules apply only to the development of new state government-owned buildings.

Department of Administration officials said the goal was not only to protect state-owned assets and increase flood resiliency, but also to create a policy that could serve as a model for state, local and regional governments.

The new policy features provisions that officials described as “proactive and innovative” and that in some cases exceed National Flood Insurance Program-based regulations.

In addition to increasing elevation requirements for construction in coastal areas to account for increasing storm severity, frequency and anticipated sea level rise, the policy calls for preventing, with narrow exceptions, state-owned construction in what is known as the “100-year” and “500-year” floodplains. The state floodplain management policy had not been updated since 1990 during Gov. James Martin’s administration.

“In the three plus decades since North Carolina’s floodplain policy went into effect, research and real-life events have improved our understanding of floods, flooding, sea level rise, and hydrological best practices,” said Administration Secretary Pamela Cashwell. “In fact, four of North Carolina’s costliest and deadliest storms – Hurricanes Florence, Matthew, Floyd and Fran – have occurred since our flood policy was last updated. It’s imperative that North Carolina establish best practice guidance for smart development that also helps to preserve our environment and resources.”

Groups supporting the move have included the Southern Environmental Law Center, which submitted comments during the public process.

“While we understand that requiring all state construction to integrate nature-based
standards will require some state agencies to build technical expertise and capacity, now is the time for North Carolina to embrace the potential of nature-based solutions for unavoidable construction in floodplains,” the organization said in its comments.

After more than a year, a statewide flood-planning tool remains in development, but North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality officials said this week that their “goal is to begin helping some of the most impacted communities as soon as possible,” and they plan to use the nearly $100 million released to the agency in the last month to get there.

NCDEQ Secretary Elizabeth Biser outlined Tuesday for the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, Subcommittee on Hurricane Response and Recovery, the progress made on the North Carolina Flood Resiliency Blueprint, which the agency was tasked with creating in 2021. She and department Blueprint Manager Todd Kennedy also detailed how the department is spending state dollars.

Held in the legislative building auditorium with a handful of people in attendance and about 130 online, DEQ officials were joined for the hearing by AECOM Senior Program Manager Dave Canaan and John Dorman, who oversees strategic funding and disaster management. AECOM is the consulting firm contracted for the blueprint project.

The resiliency blueprint is a historic endeavor, Biser said, adding that the approach is the first of its kind in the country.

“I want to be clear that the end goal of this project is making North Carolina and our residents more resilient to storm events. The blueprint is the tool that will get us there,” she said.

With the state experiencing more frequent and more intense storm events, and hurricanes and tropical storms such as Fred, Florence, Michael, and Matthew causing billions of dollars of damage and loss of life, “we know it’s a matter of when, not if, we see another storm of that magnitude. At the same time we’re continuing to see flooding in communities without a major hurricane,” Biser explained.

And North Carolina’s economy is booming. “With that growth comes more people, more buildings, more roads and more infrastructure that we need to protect, more impervious surface that we need to account for because it does increase our flood risks, and it puts more of our residents at risk,” she said. adding, “Making our state and our residents more resilient to future storm events is what the blueprint will accomplish.”

House Majority Leader Rep. John Bell, R-Wayne, reminded the committee before Biser spoke that NCDEQ had been appropriated $20 million to develop the blueprint, to study river basins prone to flooding, and create a decision-making tool for flood mitigation, investments and strategies from local watersheds to the entire river basin. The “committee wants to know where we are in that process,” Bell said.

Of the $20 million from the 2021 allocation, close to $6 million has been obligated, Biser said.

Roughly $1.9 million was spent on contracting for the simultaneous development of the draft blueprint and draft Neuse River Basin Action Strategy, which is referred to as the blueprint’s Phase 1.

Both plans should be available to the public in the next few months, officials said.

For Phase 2, another $4.08 million is going to develop the online decision-support tool, which will allow decision-makers and the public to access and benefit from the data modeling and analysis that’s being done, expected later this year.

“The remainder — around $14 million — and I will note that we have been trying to be very good stewards of this $20 million because we know that it’s going to take a lot to get to this next stage — will support the development of river basin action strategies for the next five prioritized basins: the Cape Fear, the Tar-Pamlico, the White Oak, the Lumber and the French Broad,” or Phase III.  

They chose the Neuse River basin for the model strategy because it likely has the most data related to flooding compared to other basins in the state, a past report states.

As part of the allocation, the North Carolina General Assembly directed DEQ’s Division of Mitigation Services to contract with an organization to develop the blueprint, which is how AECOM, a global consulting firm that provides technical and consulting services with an office in Raleigh, was selected. The firm was given a statutory deadline of Dec. 31 for delivering the draft document.

An executive summary for the draft, was released Friday ahead of the meeting on the blueprint website, where other actions and reports can be found.

Once the agency had the draft, $96 million was released to implement flood resiliency projects.

NCDEQ Deputy Secretary for Public Affairs Sharon Martin told Coastal Review Wednesday that the agency is working to begin implementing the projects using the $96 million and what is learned from those projects will be incorporated into the blueprint and action strategies.

Biser, during the hearing Tuesday, explained that officials were in the process of looking at how to develop a phased approach to spending the $96 million.

“In the Neuse Basin, we’ve already identified a list of potential projects and are actively prioritizing them for quick implementation,” adding the agency will expand that to the other five basins over the next year,” Biser said. There’s about a thousand different mitigation strategies in the Neuse River action strategy and now the key is “prioritizing those projects because we don’t have an infinite amount of funding available. So, we’re having a look at what’s going to be most impactful to spend money on.”

Kennedy, DEQ blueprint manager, said the process to prioritize those projects had begun and that they’re in “high gear” to begin the implementation process.

“I anticipate the first wave of projects coming here over the next six months or so. Things that we can again, implement more quickly, and then expect a second wave coming after that, both within the Neuse and those other five basins where we’ll look to get projects on the ground.

Biser said that the data from the initial projects would be incorporated into the blueprint as strategies continue to be developed, and there are plans to provide a list of available funding.

Biser responded during the questioning that there are different levels of capacity in various local governments. “You’ve got some local governments who are going to have engineering staff on hand or at the call, and they’re able to really have their own staff to work through it. Other small, smaller, rural municipalities may have a harder time with capacity.” She in turn asked legislators, “how much technical assistance and engaging with a tool do you want to see?”

Biser was asked about the draft blueprint document, which she reiterated was still in draft form. “I will put emphasis on the word ‘draft’ at the moment,” she said.

Currently, the 150 technical experts from state agencies, academia, nonprofits and other organizations that have been working with NCDEQ to build the blueprint over the last year “are in the process of reviewing the work AECOM gave to us,” Biser said, adding that the Dec. 31 deadline was met.

Kennedy noted during the meeting that there is an executive summary on the website and the larger draft document would be refined over the next few months and then made public.

Sen. Steve Jarvis, R-Davidson, clarified that they expect it to take months to refine the draft, adding “I understand the executive summaries there. But as soon as possible. I think we need to see the draft. We would like to make that public.”

Biser said they want to make sure that they’re not creating any confusion.

“I think that’s the biggest part of this is making sure that we’ve got everything refined to the point where it’s going to be most useful. But we hear you in terms of the timeframe and we’re we are working as quickly as possible to get that public and to get it ready and in your hands.”

Bell, when it was his opportunity to ask questions, began by saying, “first, will be a probably a little snarky comment, but it needs to be said $2 million on a very, very rough draft. Probably not the best use of taxpayer money. You know, we should have a better draft than very, very rough draft.”

Guest commentary

To stimulate discussion and debate, Coastal Review welcomes differing viewpoints on topical coastal issues. Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of Coastal Review or our publisher, the North Carolina Coastal Federation.

MANNS HARBOR – Here, on the front lines of the battle against climate change, the war looks lost.

Point Peter Road leads straight into the Croatan Sound where rising seas, higher tides, and monstrous storms batter the fragile coastline. The saltwater poisons and erodes the peaty soil before what’s left disappears under the relentless waves. A man-made canal carries the seawater inland where it kills cypresses and pines and turns the forest into shrubby marsh. Freshwater, blocked from running into the bay by the rising sound, pools under trees and kills them.

This corner of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge stands no higher than one foot.

“This particular stretch of the coastline, due to the hydrology, experiences extremely high rates of erosion,” says Sarah Toner, the visitor services manager for the Coastal North Carolina National Wildlife Refuges Complex. “This is ground zero.”

All, however, may not be lost. A healthy infusion of climate-fighting cash — $27.5 million — from the Inflation Reduction Act will likely help Alligator River and a handful of other nearby refuges and state lands keep the ravages of climate change at bay. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners will deploy “nature-based solutions,” including oyster reefs, marsh sills, dredge spoils, and re-wetted peatlands, to protect the coast from a steadily warming world.

“The threat is that more of these communities out here will become really challenging places to live with more flooding, more soil erosion, and more frequent wildfires,” says Chris Baillie, the climate adaptation coordinator for the North Carolina Coastal Federation. “There is a need to be really judicious in how climate funding is spent because there simply isn’t enough money out there to address all the climate vulnerabilities faced by people and nature.”

‘We’re trying to hang on’

The Alligator River refuge — “mile after uninhabited mile on both Highways 64 and 264,” reads a 1990 Service brochure – is an otherworldly expanse of dredged peat fields, fresh and brackish marshes, pocket forests, and lakes. Established in 1984, the refuge is surrounded by water and serves as the second line of defense, behind the Outer Banks, against a marauding Mother Nature. The 152,000-acre refuge is one of nine, low-lying refuges in eastern North Carolina, all facing varying degrees of climate-induced threats.

Its purpose: protect the pocosin wetlands, which provide ample habitat for the wintering waterfowl that fill the skies, the black bears in numbers found nowhere else on the East Coast, and the elusive, and federally endangered, Red Wolves. Another goal: to save the eastern black rail, “the most secretive of the secretive marsh birds and one of the least understood bird species in North America,” according to the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture, a federal-state bird conservation partnership.

The birds, federally listed as threatened, once flitted across salt marshes from Connecticut to Florida, including those alongside Point Peter Road. But habitat destruction, due to drained marshes and rising seas, has decimated the population by 90 percent. Maybe 350 breeding pairs remain, according to the Joint Venture, “a catastrophic decline over the past 30 years.”

Seas, worldwide, rose on average 1.2 millimeters a year for most of the 20th century. Since 1993, though, the rate has more than doubled to 3.2 millimeters, according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Yet reports show the seas have been rising three to four times as much as the global rate between North Carolina and Massachusetts which leads to more frequent inundations and salt marsh loss.

“We’re losing a lot of land,” says Fred Wurster, a Service geomorphologist who’s leading the climate-fighting project. “Not only is the shoreline retreating rapidly, but the habitat we manage is transitioning very rapidly to salt marsh or open water. It creates a situation where we’re trying to hang on to what’s here long enough to give species a chance to move further inland.”

Much of Alligator River, like much of the coastal plain, was logged of cypress and Atlantic white cedar and drained for farmland which dried out the peaty soils. When the mega-farms proved unprofitable, the scarred and desiccated fields became refuges and wildlife management areas. Yet the salty water from surrounding estuaries creeps relentlessly inland poisoning the soil and further drying the spongy peat bogs. Without rain, the carbon-rich pocosins become tinderboxes for wildfires that can last months and cause significant damage to the ecosystem, and global health.

In 1955, a fire on the other side of the Alligator River burned 203,000 acres. Thirty years later, the Allen Road fire burned 95,000 acres. The 2008 Evans Road fire, though, sticks most in locals’ craws. It burned — above and below ground in the deep peat — for seven months before it was extinguished. Air quality as far north as Norfolk, Virginia, suffered. More than 40,000 acres, mostly in the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, burned. The Service estimated that the fire released six million tons of climate-warming carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Peatlands cover only three percent of the world’s land mass, yet they store twice as much carbon as all the planet’s forests. They are enormous carbon “sinks.” Duke University calculated in 2022 that rewetting and restoring 250,000 acres of abandoned peat bogs across the Southeast could prevent 4.3 million tons of carbon dioxide from escaping into the atmosphere each year.

“Southern pocosin peatlands punch far above their weight in terms of their capacity for carbon storage,” says Curtis Richardson, founding director of the Duke University Wetland Center. “Acre for acre, they can store significantly more carbon than forests or grasslands.”

Largest climate-fighting act

Arch Bracher stood at the end of a long pier casting mullet into Rose Bay where the freshwater Pamlico River turns brackish at the Pamlico Sound. It was an unseasonably warm, Carolina-blue morning and the red drum weren’t biting. And neither was Bracher when talk turned to climate change.

“They talk about sea level rise, blah, blah, blah,” says Bracher, a charter boat captain who runs the Pelican out of Oregon Inlet. “But the ocean’s not getting higher. It’s just eating away stuff. They’re talking about the water rising one inch over the next 100 years. I think that’s just propaganda.”

A forest of dead, ghostly pines stood in the adjoining Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge. Rising seas have eaten away the banks on both sides of the Bell Island Pier. A study a decade ago showed that an average of three feet of peaty soil disappeared each year due to ever-higher water. In 2012, The Nature Conservancy and the Service built a limestone sill 30 feet offshore. The reef reduces the power of the waves that pound the shoreline. Erosion slows. Sand and silt accumulate between the shore and the sill creating new beach for plants to take hold and marsh to reform. Oysters and mussels attach to the marl further strengthening, and renourishing, the reef.

“We’re building good oyster habitat, and getting recruitment, which helps with water quality as well,” says Aaron McCall, a regional land steward for The Nature Conservancy. “We don’t want to reach a tipping point where the system gets destroyed and it doesn’t provide any service to the environment or the local community.”

The Conservancy surveyed 10 sites — six protected by the reef, four unprotected — near the pier to determine whether erosion continues apace. Erosion stopped or slowed at all protected sites; it continued at the unprotected sites.

Limestone sills and oyster reefs are major components of so-called living shorelines and hallmarks of nature-based solutions to climate change. And they are precisely the types of projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act that will be built across eastern North Carolina.

The IRA, at $369 billion, is the largest climate-fighting package in U.S. history. Its goal is to move the country fully towards renewable energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change. Billions of dollars are dedicated to agricultural conservation, forest protection, and wildfire risk reduction.

“There is often an assumption that tackling the climate crisis requires only technological solutions,” the White House said in November 2022 describing the IRA’s nature-based offerings. “Too often, the power of nature is overlooked and undervalued as a core element of a more just, livable world today and for future generations.”

The Service received $250 million; nearly half will help restore federal wildlife refuges and state wildlife management areas “that have been affected by adverse weather events.” No other project received as much money — $27.5 million — as the Albemarle-Pamlico region. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will likely get $5 million of that amount for climate-fighting work at wildlife management areas across the coastal plain.

There’s really nothing new or radical about enlisting nature to solve nature’s problems. The Roosevelt administration, during the Dust Bowl, paid farmers to plant 220 million trees from Texas to North Dakota to reduce erosion, protect livestock, and create wildlife habitat. Oyster reefs have long been deployed off Florida. Sand is pumped on barrier islands across the Mississippi River Delta. The Service and partners also spent $38 million pumping sand, restoring marsh, and replumbing the hydrology at Delaware’s Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge which was decimated by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Nature-based engineering contrasts the coastal hardening tactics — sea walls, jetties, bulkheads, rip-rap — of centuries past. Sea walls, for example, only protect shorelines for so long against rising seas. More vicious storms and hurricanes easily top them. And the walls may protect one section of coast while causing erosion along another section.

“Nature-based solutions are definitely the way to go because you’re designing something that takes into account the natural hydrology and actual landscape in the first place,” Wurster says. “The things you’re building will be more stable in the long run. You’re not fighting against nature. Plus, these strategies tend to be more resilient and less expensive in the long run.”

Buying time

Climate change’s past, present, and alarming future unspools along Mashoes Road on the Alligator River refuge’s north end. A somewhat healthy marsh on the right gives way to shrub, pine, and oak on the left. In the distance, the skeletal remains of once-prominent trees hug East Lake. Eventually, inexorably, the salt water will reach the forest and destroy it too.

“We see, year after year, the forest retreating and turn into this ghost forest,” says the refuge’s Toner, a biologist by training. “We’re trying to keep what we have here for as long as we can.”

Help’s on the way. Much of the $27.5 million will be spent restoring fragile coastal ecosystems via shoreline protection and peatland restoration. IRA money could plug drainage ditches and add dikes, tidal gates, or wooden risers to keep saltwater at bay while restoring the natural flow of water over the land. Culverts may be dug to let water flow beneath roads. Restoration, or preservation, of trees, shrubs, and wetlands could provide habitat for Red Wolves, black rails, and other migratory birds. Communities near and far will likely benefit from a reduction in wildfires and a sequestration of carbon.

Oyster reefs, for example, could be built, or expanded, at Cedar Island and Pea Island refuges. A canal might be dredged, and a pump station added, at Lake Mattamuskeet. A logging road could be removed at Roanoke River refuge to let water flow naturally again. The marsh sill at the Bell Island Pier could be expanded.

Work is set to begin in 2024. Baillie, with the nonprofit Coastal Federation, says there’s no time to waste.

“It would be really disingenuous to say, ‘Hey, these funds are going to take care of all of our problems and let people live the way they currently do forever,’” he says. “There are tough decisions to be made. But these funds can have a big impact helping people and natural communities adapt while buying some time to figure out what’s the best way forward.”

See our guidelines for submitting guest columns. 

The Down East Resilience Network is hosting a property insurance community roundtable this month for owners to learn more about their current insurance coverage to help better prepare for the future.

The open house is from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17, at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center on Harkers Island.

The Down East Resilience Network is a group of researchers, agencies, educators, students and others invested in the adaptation and resiliency that was formed three years ago to raise awareness of the environmental changes taking place in the region, which includes 13 communities in eastern Carteret County. To help with planning, register online.

During the open house there will be representatives from the state’s departments of Insurance and Public Safety, North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, the National Flood Insurance Program, Federal Emergency Management Agency and other specialists.

Roundtable discussions with insurance specialists are scheduled for 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Registration is not required to attend.

“This is not an insurance sales pitch, but rather an opportunity to learn more about coastal insurance changes/challenges,” organizers said.

This event is intended to give community members the opportunity to ask the following questions and address other concerns:

• Are you ready for the next storm, the next high tide or the next nor’easter?
• Is your home or business in a flood zone? What does that mean? Do you have questions regarding flood maps?
• Do you need flood insurance? Can you afford flood insurance? Can you afford not to have it?
• What resources does FEMA provide for pre-storm mitigation, post-storm recovery, long-term resilience?
• What companies are still covering coastal NC? What is the long-term projection for these companies?

The insurance roundtable is a recommendation from the Down East Resilience Network meetings held in Sept 2023.

Food will be available throughout the day for lunch, supper, and snacks. Organizers thanked Chalk & Gibbs Insurance of Morehead City for supporting the discussion.

Email museum@coresound.com with any questions.

RALEIGH — While the need to manage water in the Albemarle-Pamlico peninsula is a centuries-old endeavor, rising sea levels and increasing impacts from climate change have been overwhelming prior flood-mitigation methods in the sprawling lowlands within the nation’s second-largest estuarine system.

“The Scuppernong River Basin in the heart of the Albemarle-Pamlico region in eastern North Carolina faces significant water management challenges due to factors such as changing precipitation patterns, manipulated land-use, and increasing water demand,” the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership, or APNEP, explained in a recent newsletter.

Piecemeal efforts to address the challenges are now starting to be stitched together in a regional approach, spurred by a $50,000 grant for community engagement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management Digital Coast and the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association, followed by a $200,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Quality and a $200,000 in-kind matching grant for the recently launched Scuppernong Water Management Study.

“The goal was to have that community engagement and local input shape the study and inform, so it’s not just a desktop exercise, an engineering exercise,” Stacey Feken, APNEP project manager, recently told Coastal Review.

Origins of the study go back to plans to update a water-management plan for Lake Phelps, which had not been updated since the early 1980s. Pettigrew State Park was trying to figure out how to do the update, Feken recalled and, in the process, park officials decided that since water knew no boundaries, it would make sense to look at its management on a regional basis.

“We wanted to do this in collaboration with partners in the area, other land-conservation managers and the landowners and the communities,” she said, recounting what Pettigrew officials had conveyed.

Pettigrew had approached APNEP about five years ago for help, Feken said, and the partnership has since taken the helm in developing the study. 

“They brought us in to serve as a neutral, science-based partner,” she said. “So, we’re serving as a convener, doing everything from technical assistance and grant writing to the community engagement associated with the study.”

Grant applications for state parks were able to be broadened beyond park boundaries, and a funding request was made for the planning and engineering feasibility study through DEQ’s Water Resources Division.

Although the focus was initially on Washington County, where most of the 5,830-acre Pettigrew State Park and Lake Phelps are located, it was soon discovered that nearby local governments in Tyrrell County and organizations representing the counties and communities had been long asking for state assistance to cope with flooding issues.

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the planning. Once the crisis passed, APNEP contacted the Albemarle Commission, a regional government council, to help in the effort. Other partners that have joined are Buckridge Coastal Reserve, Washington County, Tyrrell County, Washington County Soil and Water, Tyrrell County Soil and Water, Pettigrew State Park, Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, and the North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.  

A steering committee comprised of local stakeholders was created to serve as a liaison to the communities, ensure effectiveness and to advise the engagement team, which, in addition to APNEP, includes representatives from the North Carolina Coastal Reserve, North Carolina Sea Grant and The Nature Conservancy.

Cary-based contractor Kris Bass Engineering, through models, mapping and other tools, is to identify flood-prone areas, enhance understanding of water movement throughout the region and identify potential solutions to flooding.

“The study will help inform development of a comprehensive plan to address water management issues on both private and public lands inter-connected by an extensive drainage network on the northern portion of the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula,” the APNEP newsletter said.

As part of the comprehensive study, organizers are asking the public to share observations of how flooding impacts these communities by Jan. 15 through an online survey.

Results from the study could be used to inform other more localized studies, such as the Pettigrew State Park water management plan update, Feken said.

“My understanding with the engineers, they’re developing the modeling for the study so that it can be easily replicated in other areas of the region,” she said.

Feken said that she expects that another study would be done in the near future for the southern portion of the Albemarle-Pamlico region, which includes Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge in Hyde County and the Pungo River area.

Located within some of the most rural and economically distressed counties in the state, communities in the Albemarle-Pamlico region have often felt forgotten as surrounding beach communities and urban areas with fat tax bases were thriving. 

But the uniqueness and ecological importance of the region have lately brought remarkable amounts of attention from conservation groups, nonprofits and government agencies, as reflected in efforts of groups including the North Carolina’s Natural and Working Lands initiative, North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, Coastal Resilience Community of Practice and the Audubon Society’s community-driven projects, among others.

The ecosystem is extraordinarily rich, and situated just feet above sea level, vulnerable, with pocosin peatlands, forests, sounds, bays and lakes that provide habitat for wildlife that includes endangered red wolves, black bears and numerous other mammals, plus thousands of waterfowl and other birds, as well as countless amphibians, fish and reptiles.

“It’s just such an amazing landscape in different ways,” Feken said.

Featured Image

The Earl C. Davis Memorial Bridge, right, is still in use Wednesday as the only route for motorists on and off of Harkers Island, while construction continues on its replacement, in this photo by Dylan Ray.

The state is replacing both the Earl C. Davis Bridge and Bridge No. 96, each of which is more than a half-century old and together link Harkers Island to the mainland with a short island causeway in between. The $68 million project began construction in 2021 and is expected to be complete in early 2025.

The old drawbridge was named in December 1988 in honor of the county native who was instrumental, according to county records, in getting built the bridge and the one it had replaced. He also played leading roles in providing phone, water and electric services to Harkers Island and the creation of an outpatient clinic here.

A workshop set for later this month is to give residents an opportunity to voice how water-related issues on the northern Albemarle-Pamlico peninsula are impacting them and their community.

The family-friendly workshop is a kickoff event for the Scuppernong Water Study project. The event is set for 5:30-7:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Eastern 4-H Center in Columbia. Dinner will be provided at no charge.

The study, at the request of local governments and conservation land managers to resolve water-related issues on the northern Albemarle-Pamlico peninsula, aims to develop a comprehensive plan to address water management issues on private and public lands, according to the website.

During the meeting, residents will be encouraged to share their experiences with where flooding happens, conditions that lead to flooding, things that make flooding worse, and other water-related concerns, as well as what they value about the region and important places to protect.

Families are encouraged to bring their children, ages 4-13, to participate in activities and eat free pizza.

The Gator Line will provide free transportation to and from the meeting. To schedule a ride, call 252-926-1637 by noon Oct. 22.

Area partners on the steering committee for the comprehensive study include the Albemarle Commission, Buckridge Coastal Reserve, Washington County, Tyrrell County, Washington County Soil and Water, Tyrrell County Soil and Water, Pettigrew State Park, Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, and North Carolina Cooperative Extension.

The committee advises the engagement team made up of N.C. Coastal Reserve, N.C. Sea Grant, The Nature Conservancy, and Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership, ensures effective communication with surrounding communities, and ensures useful results and products are produced.

Featured Image

The Jarrett Bay Boatworks campus is turned into a peninsula Monday as the waters of Eastman Creek rise over Tuttle Grove Road north of Beaufort. Sept. 25-Oct. 4 has been a period of king tides, the highest high and lowest low tides of the year — when the sun is aligned with the Earth and the moon is at its closest point to the Earth. Photo: Dylan Ray

Featured Image

A Duke Energy truck is seen passing through floodwater along Community Road in Davis in Down East Carteret County Thursday as the effects of Tropical Storm Idalia on the North Carolina coast became clear in the morning light.

The utility said that high winds and flooding left about 20,000 Duke Energy customers without power Thursday morning, but more than 60,000 customers have had power restored since Wednesday.

The company said it plans to restore power to all affected customers possible by Thursday night.

“Duke Energy has more than 4,000 personnel in place to continue power restoration today,” said Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy’s Carolinas storm director. “We are committed to working as quickly and safely as possible to get the lights back on for our customers and we thank them for their patience.”

Photo: Dylan Ray

Guest commentary

If you bought a home in North Carolina, you likely were never told whether it had previously flooded or whether you are legally required to purchase flood insurance, let alone the cost of that insurance.

That’s because in North Carolina the seller of a property does not have to disclose any of this information. 

A study produced by Milliman, an international insurance actuary, estimated that 13,237 homes were purchased in 2021 in North Carolina that had previously been damaged in floods. None of the sellers of those homes were required to tell the buyers about the history of flood damages. And a home that has flooded once is likely to flood again.

Milliman estimated that North Carolina home buyers who purchased a previously flooded home will pay, on average, $18,164 in unanticipated damages over a 15-year mortgage and $36,328 over a 30-year mortgage. As flood disasters become more frequent and severe and sea levels rise, those damages will climb considerably.

For most of us, if we were to choose between living in a home that’s never flooded and a home that’s flooded repeatedly, we’d choose the one that’s never flooded. Why? Because fleeing rising floodwaters, losing your possessions, and having to spend months cleaning up and rebuilding drains your bank account and it’s incredibly stressful. However, if we do not have the right to know a home’s flood history and risk, then we can be unknowingly forced into this exact situation.

The North Carolina Real Estate Commission is now poised to remedy this problem and grant home buyers the right to know a home’s flood history and other flood risk information. On Aug. 1, the commission closed a public comment period on changes to the state’s mandatory disclosure form. The commission will likely add a series of important questions about flooding that sellers will have to answer and provide to a home buyer – for the first time ever. 

The overwhelming majority of North Carolina residents agree with the commission that this is the right decision. In a poll conducted by the Global Strategy Group, 83% of North Carolinians supported a requirement that sellers tell renters or home buyers the truth about past flooding. Republicans and Democrats, people in the mountains and along the coasts, people of all races and walks of life all agreed that it was wrong to hide such information.

The Real Estate Commission is to be congratulated for putting this policy out for public comment and making sure home buyers are fully informed. It’s unfair that someone selling a house knows about flooding problems and can hide that from the buyer – who is left to find out for themselves after the next flood.

Given the state’s ongoing recovery from hurricanes Matthew in 2016, Florence in 2018, and other flooding events that have occurred throughout the state, this decision is long overdue.

As we enter the most active part of 2023 hurricane season, the commission is taking the right step at the right time.

To stimulate discussion and debate, Coastal Review welcomes differing viewpoints on topical coastal issues. See our guidelines for submitting guest columns. Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of Coastal Review or our publisher, the North Carolina Coastal Federation.

Wetlands Watch, a coastal-Virginia-based environmental nonprofit organization, is expanding its king tides monitoring project to North Carolina, and organizers hope to coordinate its first data collection with volunteers later this month.

With funding from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Program Office, Wetlands Watch has teamed up with the existing North Carolina King Tides program, which asks volunteers submit photos of tidal-related events and other examples of flooding.

Both organizations use apps to document king tides. N.C. King Tides uses the Coastal Observer app to collect photo observations of flooding and ruler gauges that measure water levels. For Wetlands Watch, volunteers map the horizontal extent of street-level flooding that occurs during king tide events using the Sea Level Rise app.

Focused on community flood resilience and climate adaptation, Wetlands Watch heads up the annual Catch the King. This year’s tide mapping event that recruits volunteers to collect flooding data during the Perigean tides, the highest tides of the year, is scheduled for Oct. 27-29.

King tides are the most extreme tides of the year and typically happen August to November. These tides can cause several days of high water and flooding in coastal communities. “As normal flood events grow more severe and more frequent due to climate change, we need your help to document kin tides of today to help us visualize high water levels of the future,” organizers said.

Remaining king tides for this year are expected to be Aug. 23 to Sept. 4, Sept. 25 to Oct. 4, Oct. 27 to Nov. 1, and Nov. 26-28. Previous king tides were in June and July.

Organizers hope to coordinate its first data collection effort during the week of Aug. 28, with particular interest in the super full moon in perigee on Aug. 30.

A virtual information session on the project is set for 6 p.m. Aug. 23. Register online.

To become involved, email Wetlands Watch Community Engagement Project Manager Gabi Kinney at gabi.kinney@wetlandswatch.org with how you’d like to get involved in collecting data.

Swimmers and surfers are on notice, potentially polluted rainwater from Oak Island streets and neighborhoods is being pumped to the ocean.

State recreational water quality officials announced the advisory late Friday, noting that beachgoers should be aware and surfers and swimmers should avoid the outfall site.

Officials with the N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program said the stormwater was being pumped to minimize flood damage and to ensure roads are accessible by emergency vehicles. The town said the floodwater was being pumped to an ocean outfall near Crowell Street.

Pollutants can include waste from wildlife and pets, oil and gasoline from parking lots and waste from septic systems or sewers, officials said.

But officials also noted that the notice is no guarantee disease-causing organisms are in the water. They said the advisory is to caution beachgoers of an increased risk of contamination that can cause adverse health effects.

Town officials are to place signs at the discharge site and remove the signs 24 hours after the pumping stops. State officials said they would notify the public after the signs are removed.

Officials with the state Recreational Water Quality Program sample 215 sites throughout the coastal region, most of them on a weekly basis, from April to October. Testing continues on a reduced schedule during the rest of the year, when the waters are colder.

For more information on the N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program or to a view a map of testing sites, visit the program’s website, and follow the program’s Twitter feed.

There will be three opportunities in June to share with North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality staff how flooding, flood mitigation and resiliency impacts North Carolina communities. 

This public input will help the department develop the North Carolina Flood Resiliency Blueprint, which also is supported by 100 representatives from federal, state, county, municipal and tribal governments, nongovernmental organizations and universities.

Sessions will be held at the following times and locations:

• New Bern: 4-7 p.m. June 1 at 203 S. Front St.
• Lumberton: 4-7 p.m. June 8, 1702 W. 5^th St.
• Wilmington: 4-7 p.m. June 9, 230 Government Center Drive.

Spanish interpretation services will be available at all meetings.

The Flood Resiliency Blueprint is a statewide initiative to develop an online decision-support tool and associated planning assistance to address flooding for communities in North Carolina’s river basins. 

The blueprint is expected to accomplish key goals, to include the following:

• Develop community and basin-specific risk management processes to identify and address flooding for North Carolina communities.
• Develop an online decision support tool to help identify and select flood mitigation strategies.
• Establish a repeatable, statewide methodology for prioritizing and selecting flood mitigation strategies.

More information about the blueprint is available online.

The regional concerns and global implications of wind energy, flooding and inundation, and toxins and pollutants will be examined during the May 17-19 Global Marine Science Summit at University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Hosted by UNCW’s Center for Marine Science at 5600 Marvin K. Moss Lane, the three-day summit will bring together international, national and local representatives from various business, community and academic stakeholders, including guest scientists from Germany, Chile, Hong Kong, UK, Colorado, Florida and Grand Bahama Island.

This year’s plenary speakers are Stuart McLelland with University of Hull’s Energy and Environment Institute in the United Kingdom, Rainer Lohmann in the graduate school of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, and Elisa Berdalet with the Institut de Ciències del Mar in Barcelona, Spain.

Key topics include the following:

• Wind energy is emerging as a leading solution to global energy demand, and the development of several wind farms along the North Carolina coast is underway. Wind farms have environmental challenges too, but they will help mitigate carbon that impacts climate change and sea-level rise.
• With sea level rise and flooding from rivers, water encroachment is actively impacting communities and causing health hazards, particularly marginal and underserved communities.
• Sea level rise and flood waters serve as transport of chemicals, such as PFAS, and phenomena of harmful algal blooms are further amplified by flooding and water quality.

These topic areas present significant opportunities for growing the blue economy, which is the “sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems,” according to the World Bank.

For registration and accommodations, visit the 2023 Global Marine Science Summit website. Cost for all events over the three-day summit is $300, or $100 for students, and $75 per person, or $25 for students, for one day only of the summit.

Beaufort’s historic Front Street is a bustling hub for local businesses, and strolling around the area is a must-do for tourists. But all this activity is disrupted when the town experiences flooding.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this has been happening more frequently over the past 20 years and will become increasingly common as sea levels continue to rise.

Thoroughly understanding flood dynamics is important for protecting people and property along the North Carolina coast.

A new study from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University researchers, led by former UNC Institute for the Environment researcher Adam Gold, has illuminated a hidden aspect of flooding not captured by NOAA’s flood observations. Gold currently is with the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund.

The researchers, who work together on the Sunny Day Flooding Project, used Beaufort’s Front Street as a case study to test a new, real-time sensor framework for detecting and measuring coastal flooding.

NOAA flood observations are based on data from tide gauges, which measure changes in water levels due to the tides, storm surge and river flow. But, the researchers found, they don’t capture flooding caused by rainfall, which accounted for 25% of the 24 flood events they observed in Beaufort during the five-month study period from June to November 2021.

These new measurements of rainfall-induced flooding begin to fill an important gap in flood records.

“It’s kind of an insidious problem,” Gold said. Because downtown Beaufort is so developed, rain can’t soak into the ground, and it runs into the underground drainage system instead.

“Ideally that would flow out to the sound or to Taylors Creek,” Gold explained. “But what we’re seeing is with these higher water levels in the tidal creek, that water is creeping up into the stormwater network.”

The drainage system eventually fills and water spills out onto streets and sidewalks.

“That’s the exact kind of flooding that future projections of coastal flooding don’t take into account,” Gold said.

This type of flooding, caused by the combined effect of sea level rise and rainfall, is called compound flooding. Colloquially, it is known as rainy-day flooding. Its counterpart, sunny-day flooding, occurs during exceptionally high tides in the absence of precipitation. Sunny-day flooding accounted for the remaining 75% of floods during the study period.

“Compound flooding is important to measure because flooding frequency is increasing with local sea level rise combined with heavy precipitation events,” said Molly Bost, an estuarine research scientist on contract with NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Science Coastal Resilience, Restoration, and Assessment Branch in Beaufort and who was not involved with the research.

In addition to increasing scientific understanding of compound flooding in Beaufort, another benefit of the sensor framework the Sunny Day Flooding Project researchers developed is that it is linked to a publicly accessible web app. This means anyone with an internet connection can access the camera to see water levels on Front Street in real time. Headed to New Bern, Down East Carteret County, or Carolina Beach? Additional cameras extend the app’s reach to thoroughfares there, as well.

Bost said having real-time data and flood cameras can help mitigate risk. “Compound floods make roads impassable, hindering day-to-day operations across many industries at the coast,” she explained while pointing out that chronic flooding also degrades infrastructure.

The root cause of all this flooding — whether it occurs on sunny or rainy days — is sea level rise. Even on sunny days, during high tide, water can spill out onto roadways through stormwater drainage systems. The problem is magnified on rainy days. And it will only get worse: a 2022 report led by NOAA predicts sea levels along U.S. coasts will rise, on average, by 10-12 inches over the next 30 years.

Both Gold and Bost said quantifying the frequency and severity of compound flooding will help communities better adapt to sea level rise. Flooding can be hyperlocal depending on an area’s vegetation cover, distance to water bodies, topography, and even winds.

The sensor framework the Sunny Day Flooding Project team describes in their study published March 27, which is relatively inexpensive at just $650 for a pressure logger, subaerial camera and communications equipment, could be deployed elsewhere around Beaufort and other communities to see which locations are most susceptible to compound flooding.

This information could then inform adaptation planning. For example, on a street vulnerable to rainy day flooding, one-way valves in the stormwater drainage system are likely a better solution than higher sand dunes or waterfront bulkheads.

As towns up and down the North Carolina coast grapple with how they will adapt to flooding, one thing individuals can do is sign up for flood alerts through the Sunny Day Flooding Project’s web app. The system is still preliminary, but anyone can sign up to get an email when the sensor network detects likely flooding. 

North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality staff are in the beginning stages of getting the state’s first Flood Resiliency Blueprint on paper.

NCDEQ’s Division of Mitigation Services and AECOM Technical Services of North Carolina Inc., the Raleigh-based consulting firm contracted to lead blueprint development, held a technical advisory group kickoff meeting March 15 at the Maxwell Center in Goldsboro. The technical advisory group is one arm of the stakeholder engagement process AECOM has designed to guide blueprint creation.

Flood resiliency “is not something that we take lightly across the state,” Sushma Masemore, DEQ assistant secretary for environment, explained when she welcomed the roughly 100 attendees from local and county governments, state agencies, nonprofit organizations and others invested in flood mitigation.

NCDEQ was allocated $20 million by the North Carolina General Assembly to create a draft blueprint document and accompanying online decision-making tool that will allow agencies, lawmakers, and regional and local government planners to prioritize and direct resources to implement effective flood resilience for North Carolina’s 17 river basins.

This statewide initiative to address flooding is the first of its kind, Masemore said.

The project is broken up into three phases. The first two phases include drafting both the blueprint and an action plan for the Neuse River basin as well as developing the online tool. These phases are taking place simultaneously and expected to be complete by December of this year. The last phase to have the online support tool be applied to river basins statewide is expected to occur next year. 

The Neuse River was chosen for the pilot study because of the abundance of already existing data, which is currently being analyzed. Once the strategy is developed, it will serve as a template for other basins.

When complete, the tool is expected to recommend projects and funding strategies that reduce flooding, mitigate the impacts of flooding when it does occur, and expedite recovery afterward, according to the website. 

“This is an ambitious statewide endeavor. No state has this goal,” Masemore said, adding it will require partnership and participation to ensure success. “Combining current state science, modeling capabilities and sound planning techniques, we believe that North Carolina can create a successful framework that helps identify and justify expanding investments and flood mitigation measures.”

Elizabeth Christenson, project lead for the blueprint and DEQ policy adviser, told attendees that the blueprint process is focused on resiliency, “which is long-term planning to reduce the impact” of devastating floods.

“The blueprint is designed to be a standardized flood resiliency approach, an actionable online decision support tool for each major river basin in North Carolina,” she said. End users should be able to visualize flood risks, prioritize select location alternatives, and be able to understand the impacts and vulnerability of these choices to their community. 

“This kind of approach means that we can transparently implement flood resiliency strategies, prioritize additional data modeling, understand the impacts of potential changes to policy rules and law, and further local stormwater maintenance programs,” Christenson said. 

The ideal tool would show the impacts from different flood mitigation strategies, from nature-based solutions to structural and nonstructural approaches and beyond. To do this, Christenson said the two strategies for developing the blueprint are statewide and basin-specific. 

“Since this is a statewide process document and tool, we know that it needs to apply to each basin. It needs to be flexible to incorporate the needs of each basin,” she said. But because each basin is different, the plan is to develop basin-specific action strategies and include stakeholders and government agencies to identify priority data and best mitigation strategies for each of the state’s basins.

The legislature directed the division to contract with an organization to develop the blueprint for major watersheds impacted by flooding. The division signed a contract with AECOM Dec. 28, 2022.

AECOM and NCDEQ held the first public meeting on the blueprint during the February Secretary’s Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board meeting, when they asked the board to help equitably guide the blueprint. The environmental justice board formed a subcommittee to be part of the process. 

Related: Environmental Justice Board to assist on flood resiliency

Project Manager Andy Hadsell in AECOM’s Risk Solutions Group said that the consulting firm has subcontracted with engineering and planning firms, disaster consultants and other flood modeling and forecasting specialists to build the blueprint. 

Since signing on to the project, Hadsell said the AECOM has been focused on establishing engagement by bringing in partners and finding gaps in the existing “wealth of information” on flood hazard identification, flood risk assessment and flood resilience planning. 

The existing literature, data, models and engagement components are being compiled into a central system with an eye for any gaps in information. This will help the team better understand going forward how to build recommendations and a framework for the online decision support tool. 

During the daylong meeting, the attendees, who were invited because of their past work with flood resilience in the past, met with their assigned technical advisory group.  

There are seven technical advisory groups with about 10 members each that are to report to the core advisory group made up of NCDEQ decision-makers and staff. This core advisory group presents information and recommendations to the principal advisory group and DEQ executive leadership for approval. The core advisory group also reports to the legislature, goes out into the community for feedback and holds informal workshops. Plans are to have public input meetings in late spring, as well.

The technical advisory groups are governance; partnership and funding; hazard identification; vulnerability, risk and impact; resilience, mitigation and reduction tool development; acceptance; and the Neuse River Basin Regional Advisory Group. These groups are to meet a handful of times by June.

Nathan Slaughter, a certified planner and certified floodplain manager with ESP Associates, a subconsultant to AECOM, facilitated the Neuse River Basin Regional Advisory Group that afternoon.

The Neuse River advisory group has been tasked with providing input on basin-specific needs and how to engage and use that information at a river-basin level. This group is to serve as a pilot that will help define how future basins are incorporated in the blueprint process, he said.

Slaughter said that the consultant team had nearly completed its “Catalogue of Government and Organization Watershed Planning Efforts,” which contains existing statewide and Neuse River Basin and studies, plans and strategies. They also looked at planning efforts by other states.

He reminded the group that everyone on the development side of the blueprint knows that there’s tons of information already available, so, “we’re not starting from scratch. We’re going to build off of all that good data and planning that is out there to help inform and build the blueprint.”

Joseph Pitchford, public information officer with the Division of Mitigation Services, explained in a follow-up interview Monday that the principal advisory group met March 22 to hear an overview of the blueprint and discuss the early progress of the technical advisory group. The about 22 attendees representing federal, state and local governments as well as nongovernmental organizations heard from each of the technical advisory group leaders. No changes were made or actions taken.

Article has been updated

State Department of Environmental Quality staff in charge of developing an online tool to help decision-makers address flooding in their communities took steps to include historically underrepresented and underserved voices in the planning processes, and a state advisory board is joining the effort to include more of those voices.

DEQ’s Division of Mitigation Services held during the Secretary’s Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board quarterly meeting Feb. 9 in Raleigh and online the first public meeting about the Flood Resiliency Blueprint, which is “a statewide initiative to develop an online-decision support tool and associated planning to address flooding for communities in North Carolina’s river basins.”

Project lead Elizabeth Christenson asked for direction on how to create the blueprint through an “environmental justice lens.” After hearing the full presentation, board members decided to appoint a four-member subcommittee that will be involved in an advisory capacity moving ahead.

The North Carolina General Assembly allotted the division that works to restore and protect wetlands and waterways $20 million in 2021 to develop the blueprint, which officials say is the first for the state and represents the largest statewide flood mitigation investment in North Carolina’s history.

Christenson emphasized to the board that division staff understand how critical it is to incorporate historically marginalized groups and to use an environmental justice lens throughout a process, “not just at the beginning, and not just at the end.”

The Environmental Protection Agency defines environmental justice as the “fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.”

Christenson said the blueprint is going to include strategies specific to the state’s 17 river basins that end users can consult to help prioritize resiliency strategies and track progress over time. The Neuse River basin is the first that will be studied. It was chosen because of the amount of already existing data and a study taking place.

“We want this tool to visualize flood risk,” she said, and help understand the impacts different mitigation strategies can have in each basin, including nature-based and structural solutions.

Christenson, who also is a policy adviser for DEQ, requested the board suggest representatives or groups to help guide the blueprint, because the division is “trying to get a diversity of thought.” Staff also asked for ideas on public engagement such as where to hold workshops and public meetings, and provide any additional feedback to ensure staff understand how to prioritize historically marginalized communities throughout the entire blueprint development process.

Hope Morgan, global information systems specialist and project manager with AECOM Technical Services of North Carolina Inc. based in Raleigh, the consulting firm the division brought on in December, reiterated the request that board members join in the stakeholder process to make sure there’s “a say from an environmental justice perspective” on every angle of the project.

Environmental Justice board members suggested the division engage with other environmental justice groups, contact short-term and long-term disaster recovery groups, volunteer organizations, riverkeepers, stakeholders in other similar engagement processes, community elders and local leaders in unincorporated areas, before Chair Dr. Jim Johnson suggested a subcommittee.

Johnson said the subcommittee would be available to assist the division in an advisory capacity. “This is such a rich and important issue we’re not going to solve it all today,” he said, adding they should put the “smartest minds around the table.”

Heading up the committee will be La’Meshia Whittington, who will be joined by Veronica Carter, who is a board member with the North Carolina Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review, Naeema Muhammad and William Barber III.

Joseph Pitchford, Division of Mitigation Services and State Energy Office public information officer, explained in a follow-up email last week that the subcommittee will help advise DEQ staff in moving forward.

“We look forward to continued advice and input from the Board members over the course of the project,” he said. Adding, “Looking ahead, AECOM is in the process of finalizing its stakeholder engagement plan for DEQ approval. The plan will include various opportunities for stakeholder input, including public meetings.”

About the Blueprint

Pitchford said that the two major components of the project are an online decision-support tool and the blueprint process document.

“The online decision-support tool is intended to help users visualize flood risk for different conditions and choose from a suite of flood mitigations strategies. The process document is meant to detail methods of conducting resiliency planning at multiple scales, which can be applied anywhere in the state. This approach takes into account that North Carolina basins have different flood exposure, data and modeling needs,” he said.

Blueprint development is broken up into three phases.

The first phase began Dec. 28, when the division signed a contract with AECOM to design the stakeholder engagement process, create a draft blueprint, a mockup of the online decision-support tool, and the Neuse River Action Strategy, so they can test the tool using the pilot basin. Phase one is expected to be complete by Dec 1, 2023, he said.

Phase two, which will run parallel to phase one, is to see the online decision support tool be completed. Phase two is also expected to wrap up by December.

Phase three will see the online support tool be used for river basins statewide. This will include action strategies for certain targeted basins, which will also be used to test and validate the online support tool. This phase is expected to begin and end in 2024.

Why the Neuse River basin?

Two board members expressed their concern during the meeting about the Neuse River basin being selected as the pilot, because what may work in the Goldsboro area may not be applicable when developing other basin strategies, such as the one for the Cape Fear River basin.

Staff explained to the board that the Neuse River basin was selected because of the amount of already existing, accessible data, and there is currently a pilot natural infrastructure flood mitigation project. While each strategy will be basin specific, the process used to develop the Neuse River basin will help guide other river basin strategy development.

Pitchford expounded in the email that the focus on the Neuse River basin is because it is likely the most data-rich basin in the state and will likely serve as a best-case scenario for current decision support tool functionality. 

“While we are beginning in one basin, DEQ plans to learn from the Neuse Basin and validate the decision support tool in all the other basins in North Carolina in 2024, incorporating the unique needs of each basin along the way,” he said. “The Neuse River Basin serves as a pilot river basin to test assumptions, approaches, watershed models, scenario exploration tools, and other elements as the Flood Resiliency Blueprint is developed. The implementation of the draft Blueprint will result in the Neuse River Action Strategy in 2023 with state-wide basin-specific action strategies in 2024.”

AECOM’s role

The division signed a contract with AECOM in late December to begin work on the first of the three-phases of the blueprint, which includes creating a stakeholder engagement process and a mockup of the online flooding risk tool.

Pitchford said that AECOM, which was selected through the Department of Administration’s purchasing and contract process, is the principal vendor for the first phase of the blueprint project. The firm is expected to create the draft blueprint, the draft Neuse River Basin Action Strategy, and requirements needed to develop the online decision-support tool.

AECOM’s Morgan expressed to the board during the meeting that they are focusing on bringing to the conversation marginalized groups, experts and others and coordinating with federal, state and local governments, environmental groups, nonprofits and other organizations that have done work on flooding.

 “We want to talk to people that have been flooded and that understand what that flooding has done to their area and their ability to recover,” she said. They want to look at the historically marginalized communities that may not have been talked to in the past and include volunteer organizations that have spent time on the ground responding to these events. “We want to focus on the impacts from specific projects.”

Pitchford said the environmental justice board meeting provided “a great opportunity for input on the development of the stakeholder process.”

AECOM’s team for phase one includes ESP Associates, Inc. consulting firm with an office in Morrisville, Wildlands Engineering, Inc. water resources engineering firm based in Raleigh, Elite Disaster Consulting emergency management planners in Mint Hill, Geomatics Workshops continuing education provider based in Charlotte, Wilmington-based Insight Planning and Development LLC Inc. planning and grant management consultant services, Singhofen and Associates Inc. engineering firm in Florida, and Dr. Barbara Doll, a water protection and restoration specialist with North Carolina Sea Grant.

Early stakeholder input

The North Carolina Inclusive Disaster Recovery Network wrapped up the presentation to the environmental justice board by sharing ideas they hope DEQ would consider as well as explore opportunities to partner on the blueprint planning process, and advocate for more equitable community engagement as a best practice across government, Kathryn Gaasch, program director, told the board.

The network is a group of public, private, nonprofit and faith-based organizations “seeking avenues for community voice and equitable access to resources” in the disaster recovery system.

Carol Caldwell, founder of the Columbus County DREAM Center community organization and member of the network, explained to the board that they have been working on developing a framework and needs they want to be addressed.

“We know that disasters do discriminate,” she began, “Flooding does not impact all people equally because of public policies that affect lives of especially Black, Indigenous and Latino communities. One of the questions we will be asking is what practices will ensure that the people and communities most impacted by flooding have the power and resources to adapt to increasing climate and uncertainty?”

She continued that the second point is that racial and economic disparities are as obvious in outcome as they are in engagement and planning processes. The question is, “What support do government officials and community advocates each need to collaborate on this shared vision of more resilient communities?”

Time didn’t allow for the network to go over selected recommendations for state government, which was detailed in the slideshow. These recommendations are to build upon any related planning or work being done to address issues of flooding, engage stakeholders that reflect the diversity of the community, and exercise patience and find consensus on a shared vision for the project with planning participants.

“The NC Inclusive Disaster Recovery Network is one of the many stakeholders that DEQ continues to engage as part of the Flood Resiliency Blueprint,” Pitchford said. DEQ strives to be inclusive of interested stakeholders in the blueprint development process including federal, state, county, municipal, and tribal governments, nongovernmental organizations, commercial partners, as well as interested public parties across the state.

The North Carolina Real Estate Commission is moving forward on a petition from the Southern Environmental Law Center to add flood-related questions to the disclosure form sellers must provide to potential buyers.

The nonprofit law center filed the petition in December on behalf of the Natural Resources Defense Council, or NRDC, the North Carolina Justice Center, equity-advocacy group MDC Inc., the North Carolina Disaster Recovery and Resiliency School, the Robeson County Church and Community Center, and NC Field, an advocacy group for more inclusive communities.

Janet B. Thoren, legal counsel with the commission, explained Monday that the petition was granted during the commission’s meeting Feb. 15 in Raleigh and that the commission was working to change the required disclosure form to include additional questions about flood-prone properties on the coast and elsewhere in the state.

NRDC Senior Attorney Joel Scata said in a statement that buyers in the state had been kept in the dark about flood risks when choosing where their family will call home.

“The Real Estate Commission’s decision to grant the petition rectifies the fundamental unfairness of not requiring home buyers be told about a property’s flood history,” Scata said. “This is an important decision that puts North Carolina in the vanguard with states like Louisiana and Texas that ensure that home buyers are given clear and necessary information about a home’s flood history before purchase.”

A recent study found that North Carolina homebuyers could incur tens of thousands of dollars in unanticipated damages over the lifetime of their mortgage due to the state’s weak disclosure requirements, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center. An NRDC analysis found that the state has some of the nation’s weaker disclosure policies when it comes to flooding, and a 2022 FEMA analysis found North Carolina’s disclosure requirements to be severely lacking.

“Lower income households bear a disproportionate burden of the risk and costs of flooding,” said Andrew Loeb Shoenig, program director for Durham-based MDC Inc.

Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney Brooks Rainey-Pearson said that the commission’s decision would help ensure that homebuyers in the state know the flood history and flood risks that come with a house.

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The waters of Styron Creek in Sea Level are pushed by high winds Monday onto Cedar Creek Road, blocking access to a fish house in Down East Carteret County. Photo: Dylan Ray

Usually right after a hurricane, dollar estimates of the damage are calculated and reported in the media and in academic and government papers, but the human toll exacted when floodwaters enter or destroy homes cannot be expressed in strictly monetary terms and may not be fully understood.

A collaboration of social and environmental scientists and engineers has been working to better grasp how flooding disasters disrupt people’s day-to-day lives in coastal North Carolina and how these communities respond and rebuild.

In addition to the economics, the effort, called Dynamics of Extreme Events, People and Places, or DEEPP, is working to gauge the environmental, social and psychological damage that hurricanes and flooding inflict. The goal is to help people in flood-prone areas better prepare and recover.

To accomplish this, DEEPP is piecing together information derived from surveys of families and individuals in affected communities along with satellite photos and flood and storm surge mapping. 

The project has focused on select areas within four counties, with communities chosen to represent diverse ecosystems and ecological environments that were also different economically and demographically. Interviewers have been working in the Hatteras area of Dare County, mainland Hyde County and Ocracoke, Beaufort and Down East in Carteret County, including Merrimon and North River, and most recently in New Bern in Craven County.

“Those areas span pretty different places, different kinds of livelihoods, and different degrees of damage from both Florence and Dorian,” said University of North Carolina researcher Dr. Elizabeth Frankenberg, director of the Carolina Population Center and a primary investigator with the DEEPP project. Among her areas of study is how people who survive disasters are changed, including their physical and psychosocial health. 

As guest speakers for a recent “Parlor Talk” hosted by the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center at its Morehead City museum store, Frankenberg and Dr. Nathan Dollar, a social demographer at the Carolina Population Center and project director with the DEEPP household survey, and members of the household survey team discussed their experiences and findings – so far. They said the work is the beginning of a long commitment to these counties and could lead to improved disaster response.

“Typically, we’re talking about the effect of an extreme weather event in terms of property damage,” Dollar said. “We know less scientifically about how people in communities are affected, how to prepare and how to recover and the complexities and the duration of that recovery.”

Frankenberg said that an early observation, although not a particularly surprising one, is that these coastal areas include a relatively higher number of residents with multigenerational ties to the community, as compared to more urban areas. 

“And that has generated, I think, a very deep attachment to place,” she said, adding that the feeling is complicated by residents’ anxiety about the future, with worries such as, “Is this going to be a viable place for my children or my grandchildren to make a living economically?”

“Looking backwards, it’s also clear that these major hurricanes had left scars on people’s economic outlooks and on their health or psychosocial health. Their recovery process is long, and it’s slow, and it’s complicated, and it’s hard to know in what order to do things and where to turn for potential assistance and whether you’re trying to move fast or whether to try to take your time and figure out what might be the best long-term solution for your home or your property,” she said.

Frankenberg said she had a deep connection to the coast, in particular Carteret County, where her father worked at the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences in the 1970s, and that she had long wanted to better understand the area.

“That’s partially because I spent a long time studying the Indian Ocean tsunami in Indonesia, of all places, and got very interested in how water changes landscapes and then ultimately peoples’ lives lived in those landscapes,” she said.

She said the DEEPP project is to learn more about how families go about putting their lives back together after a flood.

“If you read the papers around hurricanes, a lot of effort goes into calculating property damage after big events and how many counties have disaster declarations, but then it quickly kind of drops off the papers. And I know from Indonesia that the process of trying to recover, trying to get your life back together and trying to rebuild what you want to rebuild, and also just thinking about your future, it’s really a months- and yearslong proposition after a really major storm,” Frankenberg said.

Random samples of tax parcel data provide the names and addresses, and DEEPP survey teams then go out to find those addresses and interview the residents. Sometimes, the addresses are long-term nursing care centers, sometimes the residents are homeowners, other times they’re renters. Some are full-time residents, sometimes the addresses are second homes.

“Sometimes, we’ll find that people have moved out. And ideally, we try to find them and understand their decision to move away from a particular place,” Frankenberg said.

Talking to every member of a family is how the researchers are trying to gain a deeper perspective of recovery. The surveys include modules for the entire household but also questions for each member of the household 15 and older. 

“So, we get the high schooler’s perspective on missing school and the mom’s perspective on not having daycare or babysitting or disruptions to work, and the dad’s perspective on trying to do the pieces that he’s taking responsibility for,” Frankenberg said. “Ideally, we talk to everybody in the household to collect this information.”

Some who are contacted are willing to talk to the interviewers, others not as much. Dollar said one of the biggest impediments to the success of the project is that people don’t like surveys. “And I don’t blame them. And our survey is not your typical 10-question survey. It takes a while,” he said.

There are also trust and privacy concerns for some, such as mistrust of outsiders coming in asking questions or worry about neighbors knowing their business.

Members of the survey team who were also present at the discussion said many were just happy that someone was willing to listen, that their voices were being heard.

Frankenberg said that the team’s approach was important in breaking down any barriers.

“It’s not so much that people don’t want to talk about the topics that we’re talking about, but it’s how to kind of ease into the interview, as opposed to just a normal conversation. And the more we can make it like a conversation, I feel like the better it goes,” Frankenberg said.

The information collected could have significant implications in terms of preparing for and responding to flooding disasters, the researchers said.

Dollar said that because of the Census Bureau’s undercount in mainly rural areas, the census doesn’t provide reliable information on not only population but also the age breakdown in that area.

“There are some serious significant issues related to aging on the coasts,” Dollar said. “All of these coastal counties are getting older and age is the factor that shapes people’s ability to prepare for and recover from storms. And I’ll say one of the strengths of kind of the household-based, tax parcel, methodological sampling approach is that we have really rich, representative data. We’re going to have a really good picture of what the population looks like in these counties.”

He said a better picture of the demographic composition of coastal counties could be important for planning and emergency preparedness.

“We really hope that data could be useful to the communities themselves,” Dollar said.

He said the researchers had been discussing their findings with officials at the Department of Emergency Management. “They’re very excited about the data that we’re collecting,” he said, adding that state officials were especially interested in “more people-centered emergency management approaches.”

One of Surf City’s most traveled roads on Topsail Island is also one of the most flood-plagued after a good rain.

Heavy showers leave pools of water on a stretch of South Shore Drive, also N.C. 50, blocking motorists driving along the main thoroughfare from Surf City to Topsail Beach from safely passing through.

The town was recently awarded two grants totaling nearly $800,000 to move forward with a multiphase, nature-based project to divert floodwaters off the road and into the ground.

Efforts to get the project underway go back about two years, when Surf City and the North Carolina Department of Transportation, or DOT, began working together to figure out how to address the flooding.

The town hired Charlotte-based engineer consulting firm W.K Dickson & Co. Inc. to study how to divert water from seven critical flooding areas along South Shore Drive to potential infiltration areas or existing stormwater management ponds.

The company released a final feasibility study a year ago identifying nine flooding hot spots and options for drainage and infiltration of those sites between the 1500 and 2800 blocks of South Shore Drive.

“All of these nine sites contribute to each other,” said David Price, Surf City public utilities director. “As the rain starts to fall and it starts to flood you get a lot of little puddles.”

Those puddles expand as it continues to rain, eventually overlapping and covering the road – the main corridor that runs from Topsail Beach to the bridge to the mainland – with several inches of water, rendering the stretch of road unsafe for vehicles.

This has resulted over the years in calls to emergency services from drivers whose vehicles have stalled in the road after trying to pass through too-deep floodwaters.

“We’ve had water coming in dashboards of vehicles in certain isolated, more extreme incidents,” said James Horne, Surf City’s emergency management director.

Driving a half-million-dollar firetruck through several inches of floodwater is not ideal, he said.

“To this point we’ve never had to forgo answering an emergency call for service (because of flooding), but it is certainly a real possibility,” Horne said. “It’s always a thought that sits in the back of your mind.”

As the island’s population has grown, so too have the concerns about access being restricted from the southern end of the island to the bridge because of floodwaters.

With each phase of the project that gets complete, Horne said that’s “a couple of pounds of weight off our shoulders.”

The initial phase of the project focuses on two areas, 1815 South Shore Drive and 2201 South Shore Drive.

The town has received a $250,000 Golden LEAF Foundation grant and a $520,100 N.C. Emergency Management grant, which will cover the cost of installing catch basins at each site.

Stormwater will flow off the road, into the catch basin and routed to underground infiltration chamber systems designed to hold the water, which will then percolate into the ground.

Surf City Town Manager Kyle Breuer said town and DOT officials are meeting in the coming weeks to discuss the state taking over the project since the road is maintained by the state.

This initial phase of the project is expected to be completed no later than two years.

Breuer said the town would like to set up a monitoring program so officials can gauge the effectiveness of the project. What works for one area may not work at them all, he said.

“Different areas have unique challenges, which will require unique solutions,” he said.

The project is just one piece of resiliency strategies the town is looking into.

Last December, Surf City, Topsail Beach and North Topsail Beach officials held the first public meeting about an island-wide resiliency project.

The three beach towns are among 26 coastal communities, including eight counties and 18 municipalities, in the state that received grants last year on behalf of the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management’s N.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Program, or NC-RCCP.

NC-RCCP is a product of the state’s 2020 Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan, which was the result of Executive Order 80 signed by Gov. Roy Cooper in October 2018.

The program aims to boost resilience efforts in the state’s 20 coastal counties and encourages those who live and work along the coast to participate in finding solutions and prioritizing projects designed to help their communities bounce back from flooding and storms.

“During any sort of rainfall event we want to be able to not skip a beat,” Breuer said. “Being about to move this water into infiltration chambers and putting it back into the ground allows us as an island to not be impacted by certain events.”

A workshop set for Friday offers instruction on how to better manage stormwater and prevent flooding to protect wetlands.

Set for 8:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., the New Hanover Soil & Water Conservation District, the Coastal Reserve & National Estuarine Research Reserve, Alliance for Cape Fear Trees, Wilmington Tree Commission, and North Carolina Cooperative Extension are hosting the workshop.

“Stormwater Management & Flooding Prevention on Wetland Landscapes” is being held at the New Hanover County Arboretum and North Carolina Cooperative Extension Auditorium, 6206 Oleander Drive, Wilmington.

Those interested in participating should register online. The fee is $10 and includes lunch. Participants also receive a thumb drive with all presentations from the day. Professional credits are available.

The workshop is designed to address drainage, stormwater management and flooding prevention for residential and commercial development on landscapes with large areas of jurisdictional wetlands, officials said.

While the workshop will focus on northern New Hanover County, which includes more than 20 square miles of predominantly poorly drained soils and very poorly drained hydric soils, the principles, practices, and regulations to be discussed in this workshop are applicable to drainage, stormwater management and flooding prevention for wetland conversion to development in any large wetland ecosystem.

Topics covered will include wetland definitions and characteristics, wetland regulatory programs, water management systems to facilitate wetland conversions to development uses and the economic and legal aspects of water management districts.

The state is funding the development over the next three years of five community floodprint reports to guide initiatives in areas of eastern North Carolina hit hard by hurricanes Matthew and Florence.

The North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, or NCORR, has committed funding to the N.C. State University Coastal Dynamics Design Lab to create the floodprint, “a valuable tool for building future community resilience,” the state announced Friday.

The floodprint is a landscape planning approach developed by Coastal Dynamics Design Lab, or CDDL, to address land and water relationships. The planning process will incorporate issues such as flooding, recovery and equity. 

Coastal Dynamics Design Lab will work with five focus communities to develop a community master plan/floodprint and design proposals that can then be used to apply for grant funding.

Communities interested in participating can reach out to buyout@rebuild.nc.gov.

“Our partnership with CDDL will result in community-based plans that address resiliency and development challenges,” NCORR Director Laura Hogshead said in a statement. “We have already seen positive outcomes from the development of floodprints and refer to them when determining local needs for disaster recovery and community resilience.”

NCORR launched the collaboration in January using U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation funds.

Potential candidate communities for the floodprint process must be within the Most Impacted and Distressed, or MID, areas, as identified by HUD or the state. Other considerations include community interest and flood-vulnerable properties.

“Community floodprints are co-created with local input through public meetings and discussions, so the recommended strategies fit the needs of the people who live there,” said Andy Fox, co-director of Coastal Dynamics Design Lab.

“The new collaboration with NCORR is critical to scaling up our work to better serve people and places across eastern North Carolina,” Fox added. “The partnership builds on past successes working with NCORR staff and represents a significant opportunity to provide communities with the technical assistance required to expedite ongoing recovery efforts and attract the resources needed for long-term resiliency and full community health.”

The first of the five new floodprints will focus on Whiteville in Columbus County. Town leaders were contacted and offered the floodprint opportunity as a good fit for their community.

Floodprints have been useful for NCORR’s ReBuild NC Strategic Buyout Program, which buys eligible properties in areas at high risk of future flooding. The properties are purchased from owners who voluntarily decide to sell their property and relocate to a safer place.

To date, CDDL has designed four floodprint reports for North Carolina communities, including Lumberton phases one and two, Princeville and Pollocksville.

The completed floodprints have established the groundwork for actionable plans and have resulted in millions of dollars of additional grant-funded investments to implement the activities outlined in the reports, officials said.

“The partnership with CDDL will provide valuable tools as the Strategic Buyout Program expands in eastern North Carolina,” said Maggie Battaglin, NCORR’s buyout program manager. “The floodprint report for Pollocksville has already been useful as we begin to offer buyout options for flood-damaged properties in that community.” 

More information about the floodprint initiative is on the CDDL website. Learn more about NCORR and the Strategic Buyout Program at ReBuild.NC.Gov.

State officials are in the early stages of developing what is being called the North Carolina Flood Resiliency Blueprint, a planning tool for major watersheds affected by flooding, including the Cape Fear River and the Neuse River basins.

The Division of Mitigation Services, under the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, is heading up the statewide effort to develop the blueprint, which is intended to establish a framework and tools to help communities in decision-making related to reducing flood risk and increasing resilience, according to the division. The blueprint is to be the first of its kind for the state, officials said.

All interested parties may submit input and help identify problems, address barriers and prioritize solutions using the online survey or request for information on the Mitigation Services webpage.

The state budget signed in November included $20 million for Mitigation Services to develop the statewide blueprint. Now the division is accepting bids from organizations to develop the plan. The invitation to bid is on the Mitigation Services webpage. Bids are to be opened Feb. 24. The initial draft is to be delivered no later than Dec. 31, 2023.

“The watershed blueprint shall form the backbone of a State flood planning process that increases community resiliency to flooding, shall be a resource for riverine and stream management to reduce flooding, and should support the establishment and furtherance of local government stormwater maintenance programs,” according to the invitation document.

Division officials said the blueprint should do the following:

• Identify sources and types of flooding, causes, frequencies, scale of damage and statewide geographic distribution of risk.
• Identify major watersheds affected by flooding.
• Account for existing resilience programs, stakeholders and funding sources, as well as programs and funding established in the current budget.
• Inventory for existing data and data gaps.
• Identify the appropriate scale and roles for potential future state funding to address gaps.
• Develop appropriate visualization and decision-making tools for various stakeholders to quantify and map flood risk within a watershed, match appropriate resilience tools and tactics to areas of risk, match available funding sources to specific actions and prioritize specific actions.
• Make recommendations for statewide implementation, including governance and decision-making structures, future blueprint iteration management, watershed-scale stakeholder engagement, and stewardship of projects that receive state funding.

Hyde County officials are asking Ocracoke residents, property owners and other stakeholders to complete a short questionnaire on ways for the community to be better prepared to withstand, respond to, and recover from weather or other disruptions.

A public meeting about the Resilient Coastal Communities Program is set for 6 p.m. Jan. 27 in the Ocracoke Community Center or attend virtually via zoom.

The questionnaire can be completed online or participants can download and print the form and return it.

The county, on behalf of the unincorporated Ocracoke Village, is one of the 25 local governments selected for the Resilient Coastal Communities Program administered by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management. The grants are for technical assistance in risk assessment and resilience planning work.

The program helps local governments on the coast set resilience goals, look at the community’s needs, and identify projects to boost community resilience to coastal hazards. The four phases of the program include: Phase 1, community engagement and risk & vulnerability assessment; Phase 2, planning, project selection and prioritization; Phase 3: engineering and design; and Phase 4: implementation.

This first award through the program was announced in March 2021. The 25 local governments can receive up to $675,000 total complete the first two phases.

Beaufort is in the process of developing a resiliency strategy using funding through the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management’s Resilient Coastal Communities Program.

Town staff will hold a Zoom meeting 5:30 p.m. Jan. 27 to update residents on the town’s progress on the long-term effort being called Resilient Beaufort.

The program was created to serve as a framework for local governments in the 20 Coastal Area Management Act, or CAMA, counties to develop strategies for dealing with coastal and climate hazards. The program is broken up into four phases: Phase 1 is community engagement and risk and vulnerability assessment; Phase 2 is planning, project identification and prioritization; Phase 3 is engineering and design; and Phase 4 is implementation.

The state announced in March 2021 the 25 communities selected for funding for phases 1 and 2. Beaufort has been awarded funding to complete phases 1 and 2. Once those are complete, the town will be eligible to apply for grant funding to complete Phases 3 and 4.

During the virtual meeting, staff are expected to share details on the risk and vulnerability assessment and collect feedback. The risk and vulnerability assessment explores the impacts of sea level rise, flooding, storm surge and erosion to the town’s critical assets, vulnerable populations and natural infrastructure.

The Resilient Coastal Communities Program was created through the North Carolina Climate Risk Assessment & Resilience Plan and developed by the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resilience, the Nature Conservancy and North Carolina Sea Grant.

To learn more about the Resilient Beaufort initiative, visit the webpage or email Town Planner Sam Burdick at s.burdick@beaufortnc.org.

North Carolina is bracing for a winter storm that could bring heavy rain, strong winds and flooding across eastern North Carolina late this weekend.

Precipitation is expected to begin early Sunday morning, with a wintry mix of sleet, freezing rain and some snow, before transitioning to periods of heavy rain by late Sunday morning into the afternoon, the National Weather Service’s Morehead City office staff predicts.

Weather service officials said that there could be some minor impacts oceanside on the Outer Banks Saturday, with more significant impacts possible Sunday into Monday for inland rivers, sounds and oceanside.

Overwash is expected on the Outer Banks north of Cape Lookout Saturday as large swell develops. Minor to locally moderate water level rises are possible for areas adjacent to the coast, Pamlico Sound, and the Neuse, Bay, Pamlico and Pungo rivers, officials said.

High surf could result in minor ocean overwash and beach erosion from Duck to Surf City. Wind gusts 40 to 50 mph along the coast are expected, including gale force winds likely late Sunday into Monday with dangerous seas in excess of 10 feet.

The National Weather Service’s Wilmington office forecasters said that ice will accumulate throughout the morning hours Sunday. Small accumulations of freezing rain, less than one-quarter inch, will create hazardous travel conditions. Bridges and other elevated surfaces will be most susceptible to dangerous icing.

Conditions are expected to be much worse across parts of the western Carolinas where this will become a major winter storm, officials said.

Gov. Roy Cooper signed a state of emergency Thursday in advance of the storm’s arrival, activating state resources to respond to the storm and to allow for the possibility of Federal reimbursement if the event qualifies, his office announced Friday.

“This storm will bring significant impacts from snow, sleet and freezing rain in different parts of the state, with likely power outages and travel disruptions,” Cooper said in a statement. “North Carolinians should pay close attention to their local weather forecast over the next few days, and make sure they are personally prepared before Saturday afternoon.”

North Carolina Department of Transportation crews and contractor resources are set to clear roads but response times will be delayed compared to previous storms because of labor shortages affecting crews statewide.

Because heavy rain and coastal flooding are possible across eastern North Carolina, it is important to never drive through flooded roadways. 

Transportation officials recommend staying off the roads once travel conditions deteriorate.

“Our crews and contractors are doing all we can to get ready for this storm and we ask North Carolinians to prepare as well,” said state Transportation Secretary J. Eric Boyette, in a statement. “Please make sure to plan ahead because this storm could impact travel around the state.”

State Highway Patrol officials remind motorists to reduce speed, leave plenty of room between you and other vehicles and clear all ice or snow from your vehicle before traveling. If you become stranded, pull off the highway, remain in your vehicle and call for help. Do not set out on foot unless you can see a building close by where you can take shelter.

To prepare for winter weather, North Carolina Emergency Management officials recommend the following tips:

• Always keep at least a three-day supply of nonperishable food and a supply of medication in your home.
• Keep cell phones and mobile devices charged in case of power outages.
• Keep fresh batteries on hand for weather radios and flashlights.
• Dress warmly. Wear multiple layers of thin clothing instead of a single layer of thick clothing.
• Properly vent kerosene heaters and ensure generators are operated outside and away from open windows or doors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Never burn charcoal indoors or use a gas grill indoors.
• Use a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radio or a weather alert app on your phone to receive emergency weather alerts.
• Store an emergency kit in your vehicle. Include scraper, jumper cables, tow chain, sand/salt, blankets, flashlight, first-aid kit and road map.
• Make an emergency supplies kit for your pet and include medical records, leash and feeding supplies, enough food and for several days and pet travel carrier.
• Do not leave pets outside for long periods of time during freezing weather.

Visit ReadyNC.gov for additional information on winter weather preparation, as well as information on power outages. Visit DriveNC.gov for current travel conditions from NCDOT.

There are a lot of firsts and significant investments in the newly minted state budget, and among the biggest of those that check both boxes is a broad array of new efforts to increase resiliency and decrease flooding — along with the kind of money that could make it happen.

Remarkable as that might be, it comes as no surprise.

Although there was ample skepticism that a full, two-year budget plan could be worked out, given the contentious relationship between the legislative and executive branches, there was little doubt that the resiliency and flooding plans and the kind of funding necessary for them would come out of this year’s session.

All three budget plans proposed by the state House, Senate and Gov. Roy Cooper included a major push to bolster resiliency and address flooding.

Among the initiatives are $20 million to develop a statewide Flood Resiliency Blueprint to guide strategy at the local and state level; $15 million for a new transportation infrastructure resiliency fund and $15 million for a new disaster relief fund for transportation-related flood mitigation; $8.5 million for an innovative flood mitigation pilot project in the Stoney Creek watershed near Goldsboro; $5 million for Southport waterfront stabilization; $1.15 million in local coastal planning and management grants; and $300,000 to hire coastal resiliency planners.

Also in the package is about $70 million for local flood mitigation projects and disaster recovery, and another $40 million for coastal storm damage, with up to $20 million earmarked for the Brunswick County town of Oak Island shoreline stabilization and $2 million allocated to the North Carolina Coastal Federation for living shorelines, oyster reefs and marsh-restoration grants.

In all, the budget appropriates roughly half of $800 million in the state’s disaster and resilience reserve toward local and statewide flood mitigation and resiliency, as well as new personnel to assist local governments in planning and developing shovel-ready projects.

Although there’s a focus on areas of the coastal plain repeatedly hit by both hurricanes and the more frequent heavy downpours that have marked this era of climate change, any question about whether flooding was mostly an eastern concern was answered again this year in August when deadly floods from Tropical Storm Fred underlined the vulnerability of the state’s mountain and foothill communities. The budget allocates about $124.4 million to them for disaster relief.

In statements released Friday, shortly after Cooper signed the budget, Rep. John Bell, R-Wayne, and Sen. Jim Perry, R-Lenoir, who led the flooding and resiliency efforts in the House and Senate, respectively, said early on in the session that the intent was to break away from dealing with disasters one at a time and move toward a more forward-thinking approach.

“North Carolina has now been hit by two 1,000-year floods within the past five years,” Bell said last week. “This budget provides an historic and unprecedented investment to help these local communities recover and prepare for future disasters. This is the largest proactive, statewide package that North Carolina has ever made to address flooding. It will help put an end to the costly cycle of spending after disasters.”

Perry said the changes would make a long-term difference in flood-prone areas.

“We can’t stop flooding, but we should work to reduce its severity,” he said. “This budget takes a huge step forward to reduce flooding and prepare us for the next big storm.”

Rep. Charlie Miller, R-Brunswick, said the legislation would assist coastal areas that are struggling to deal with repeated flooding.

“As a Southport native, I’ve seen countless storms decimate the area and can recognize the importance of having a proactive plan in place, not waiting until we’re faced with the recovery process to identify that we needed to be more prepared,” Miller said.

Follow-through required

Will McDow, director of the Climate Resilient Coasts and Watersheds project for Environmental Defense Fund, said the state is taking a critically important step that will require substantial coordination across multiple state and federal agencies. 

“This really needs to be an all-of-government approach to make sure that things are coordinated and being done in a way that is additive to the state and not creating confusion or duplicating efforts,” McDow said Monday in an interview with Coastal Review. “Because this can’t be a one-time investment. This is going to take multiple years of investing. Eastern North Carolina has been the current focus, but Hurricane Fred shows us that western North Carolina is also in the bull’s-eye of these climate-induced floods.”

McDow, who was part of a budget negotiating team representing environmental groups, said the budget sets up an interagency group to coordinate and monitor the effectiveness of the programs.

Much of the responsibility for implementing the programs falls to the North Carolina Office of Resiliency and Recovery, which was set up in 2018 under the Department of Public Safety mainly to manage federal disaster relief following Hurricane Florence.

NCORR, now also administering numerous programs including disaster relief from other recent hurricanes and tropical storms, became a permanent state agency under the new budget and picked up three new positions dedicated to resilience planning and implementation.

The Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Mitigation Services is charged with development of the Flood Resiliency Blueprint, which according to the budget “shall form the backbone of a State flood planning process that increases community resiliency to flooding, shall be a resource for riverine and stream management to reduce flooding, and should support the establishment and furtherance of local government stormwater maintenance programs.”

McDow translates that to mean the development of a “decision-support tool” that will allow local governments to weigh their options in building resiliency.

“To me, it’s just a central piece. It’s not the largest funding piece, but it’s possibly the most important connector to all of this work,” he said.

McDow said the blueprint will build on extensive mapping and modeling that the state has already done to give communities a better understanding of what’s needed to reduce flooding and the most effective ways to go about them. “It’s going to help communities really know at a tangible level, what they need to do.”

Some of the projects funded in the budget will study whether natural solutions upstream, such as engineering agricultural fields to flood, rebuilding wetlands and reforesting are more effective and less costly than building up levees or raising roads downstream.

Other aspects are also aimed at assisting local decision making with funding for local planning and additional staff and support for the Division of Coastal Management’s Resilient Coastal Communities Program, which seeks to help communities to assess their risk and vulnerability, engage the public and identify and prioritize projects.

Relatively small, short-lived flooding events – just enough to be a nuisance – are occurring more often along the coast.

These “sunny day” floods are becoming the new norm, disrupting day-to-day life in coastal areas, affecting everyone from residents and business owners to first responders.

“We’ve already started seeing how coastal communities are experiencing flooding more often than they were before and especially on sunny days, outside of storm events when tides are particularly high,” said Miyuki Hino, assistant professor with the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

“We know that this type of flooding is going to become more and more common as sea levels rise in to the future. We decided to start this work because we felt like these types of impacts from these small but very frequent floods were really, for the most part, being overlooked,” Hino added. “It’s hard to understand how often they’re occurring and what types of impacts they have, but we think they have really important consequences for coastal communities and their residents.”

Hino, who works in the university’s Department of City and Regional Planning, is heading research to learn more about “sunny day” flooding, its causes and ways to better forecast when and pinpoint where floods may overtake streets in coastal towns.

To do this, sensors are placed in storm drains located in flooding “hot spots” to track when waters are rising in a drain and when floodwater begins to spill onto a street.

The sensors were developed by Tony Whipple, a research technician, and Ryan Neve, IT and engineering technician at UNC’s Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City, and in collaboration with Katherine Anarde, assistant professor at North Carolina State University’s Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering.

“We can measure the depths of water and how deep the water is on the road,” Hino said.

The first sensor was placed in a storm drain in Beaufort. At the moment, that sensor is tracking water levels in a drain on Front Street.

The sensor is paired with a street camera pointed at the storm drain. It’s a system that helps researchers verify that flooding is, in fact, occurring and gives them a picture of how much water is on the road and whether the water is covering one or both lanes of the street.

From mid-June through mid-September, the sensor documented eight flooding events on Front Street. Three of those floods were associated with king tide events, when the tide was especially high, Hino said.

King tides, the nonscientific term used to describe the predicted highest high-tide and lowest low-tide events in a year, have been tracked on an international scale going back to 2009.

King Tides Project International, a nonprofit aimed to help coastal residents worldwide understand how sea level rise will impact their communities, has been recruiting locally shot photographs to document extreme high tide events.

The images help coastal residents “visualize how ‘normal’ high tides could look in the future due to sea-level rise,” and are used to create a record of how shorelines look today and track shoreline changes, according to King Tides Project International’s website.

In the U.S., coastal states, including North Carolina, have their own king tide projects.

Hino’s research delves a bit further into the causes of “sunny day” flooding by looking at complications beyond the tide.

In Beaufort, for example, five of the eight flooding events recorded by the sensor in the storm drain on Front Street occurred when the tides were normal.

“But there was rain that then flooded the road because the drainage system was full of ocean water and there was no room for the rain to drain,” Hino said. “That’s been really interesting because these types of short combination rain/tide events really are very difficult to capture and so we had really no sense of how often those would happen. It’s been really interesting to us to see that in just three months we’ve captured five of those and that’s more frequent than tidal flooding.”

Her research will soon expand to Carolina Beach, where the plan is to place sensors in several storm drains along Canal Drive and at the intersection of Florida Avenue and Canal Drive, and in New Bern.

“Both of those are hopefully going to be ramping up in the next couple of months here,” Hino said. “We’ve had a series of conversations with local officials in both places to understand where their priorities are in terms of the spots that they suspect are the worst flooding areas or the spots where they would most benefit from more data in understanding what’s going on. We hope that by collecting data and mapping it back onto those different contributions to flooding that we can actually help them respond in a more efficient way.”

In Carolina Beach, there are two sources of “sunny day” flooding.

“One is through our storm drains and one is through inadequate bulkheads or no bulkheads at all,” said Carolina Beach Planning Director Jeremy Hardison.

Town officials are working with property owners to identify those areas, which include town-owned property at some dead-end streets that stop at the water.

Hardison said sensors will ultimately help the town better respond to flood events. Ultimately, he’d like to be able to pass real-time information collected from sensors to town residents through the town’s website.

The town created a Canal Drive Flooding Advisory Committee in early 2018 to study flooding issues along the road.

Canal Drive and Florida Avenue, which run parallel to the sound, are most impacted by king tides, Hardison said.

About 250 properties line those streets.

“If you live on Canal Drive it’s kind of become a way of life,” Hardison said. “It’s definitely happening more frequently and when it does happen, it’s lingering more often.”

The next step in Hino’s research includes visiting and interviewing residents and business owners in towns where sensors are located to find out how their daily routines are impacted by flooding. Hino said she hopes to start conducting interviews next spring.

She said the intent is to leave the sensors in place for as long as possible, one of the goals being able to demonstrate how much more flooding is occurring because of rising sea levels.

“From our perspective this type of flooding is a really powerful way of experiencing climate change. It’s visible. It’s tangible. It’s disruptive and it’s linked to sea level rise, which we know is a consequence of climate change and we know what direction it’s going in the future,” she said. “We’re always keeping our ear out for communities that feel like this is a problem where they live. It is really hard to track this type of flooding because it’s relatively short-lived and that means that, as researchers, we can’t just point to a place on a map and say this is where it’s worst. We’re really always on the lookout for which places are struggling with this where some of our research can help kind of get a better handle on what’s going on and inform their plans on how they’re going to invest in preparing for a changing climate.”

Updated Friday afternoon to include new information from NCDOT

Ocean overwash could render sections of N.C. 12 impassible through early next week, especially around morning high tides, as a coastal low slowly moves along the coast.

The 7 a.m. Friday briefing from the National Weather Service’s Morehead City office warns motorists that significant overwash is expected Saturday through Tuesday on Hatteras Island while minor to moderate overwash is expected south of Cape Hatteras, including Ocracoke Island and Core Banks.

The forecast also calls for minor to major coastal flooding, strong winds and dangerous seas.

“The threat of minor to locally moderate coastal flooding, ocean overwash, beach erosion, and rough surf increases late Saturday into Monday morning as we enter a higher tide cycle coupled with strong winds and increased wave heights as a strong low pressure system moves NE off the coast,” according to the weather service‘s hazardous weather outlook Friday morning.

The higher tide cycle taking place this weekend is often called a king tide event, a nonscientific term used to describe the predicted highest high-tide and lowest low-tide events of the year.

The areas of N.C. 12 that could be most affected by overwash include the vulnerable sections from Buxton to Oregon Inlet around morning high tides Sunday and Monday, and possibly Saturday and Tuesday, according to the briefing.

North Carolina Department of Transportation officials announced Friday afternoon that crews used heavy equipment to push sand onto dunes from Pea Island to Ocracoke and then staged graders, excavators and other equipment along potential trouble spots to respond in case conditions worsen through the weekend.

Digital message boards along N.C. 12 were updated Friday to alert travelers of possible dangerous driving conditions.

Forecasters expect rainfall totals between 3 and 6 inches, which could cause localized flash flooding to areas along and east of U.S. 17, mainly along the coast late Saturday through Sunday morning.

Moderate to major coastal flooding — 2 to 4 feet above ground level — is also predicted for the southern shores of the lower Neuse River, Down East Carteret County, and the southern Outer Banks, south of Cape Hatteras. Standing water will likely be in low-lying roadways and parking lots as well as very low-lying properties later Saturday through at least Sunday night.

The northern shores of the lower Neuse River could experience minor to moderate flooding. Very low-lying areas next to the southern Pamlico Sound and along the coast south of Cape Lookout and from the Bay River to the lower Pamlico River could have minor flooding 1 to 2 feet above ground level.

The predicted wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph or higher along the coast could bring scattered power outages and downed limbs with the strongest winds expected to be along the Outer Banks all day Sunday into Sunday night.

Dangerous seas and strong, gale force winds are anticipated though storm force winds possible, on most coastal waters, sounds, and rivers late Saturday through Monday. Waves in the surf zone could reach 15 to 20 feet. Expect dangerous surf and beach erosion.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials expect the seashore will be impacted by the storm this weekend. Because the coastal storm is forecast to bring strong wind gusts, heavy rainfall, beach erosion and powerful surf, off-road vehicle routes will likely be impassable for the next several days. All Seashore users should stay out of the Atlantic Ocean until conditions subside.

“Visitors should take this storm seriously as it could be one of the strongest storms of the season,” David Hallac, superintendent, National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, said in a statement. “If possible, visitors should avoid travel to Seashore destinations until after the storm leaves the area.”

Dare County officials advised Friday that residents, visitors and property owners — especially those in oceanfront areas and places prone to soundside flooding — to take precautions now to protect property. Outdoor furnishings, trash cans and any loose items should be properly secured. 

Kill Devil Hills announced Friday that the beach driving will be closed starting Saturday due to the hazardous conditions anticipated. Beach driving will remain closed until further notice.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials are calling for feedback on the National Flood Insurance Program.

The National Flood Insurance Program provides flood insurance to property owners, renters and businesses as well as works with communities required to adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations that help mitigate flooding effects, according to FEMA.

FEMA is hosting two, 90-minute virtual meetings when the public can comment. The first meeting is 2:30-4 p.m. Thursday. Participants must register in advance on the webpage. The second meeting is from 3:30-5 p.m. Nov. 15. Register in advance online to attend or speak.

The meetings will look at the program’s floodplain management standards for land management and use and an assess the program’s impact on threatened and endangered species and their habitats, FEMA officials said. Floodplain management is a community-based effort to prevent or reduce the risk of flooding.

Published Oct. 12 in the Federal Register, the notice says FEMA officials want to hear from the public what updates are needed for the program’s minimum floodplain management standards to help communities become safer, stronger and more resilient, according to the agency. The agency also seeks input on minimum floodplain management standards to promote conservation of threatened and endangered species and their habitats, as consistent with the Endangered Species Act.

In addition to providing verbal comments at the meetings, written comments can be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal using Docket ID: FEMA-2021-2024. Click on the “Comment” button and complete the form. The comment period closes Dec. 13. 

FEMA officials said that the type of feedback that is most useful to the agency:

• Identifies opportunities for the agency to improve the minimum floodplain management standards for land management and use.
• Identifies specific program components that promote conservation of threatened and endangered species and their habitats.
• Refers to specific barriers to community participation.
• Aligns the program with the improved understanding of flood risk and flood risk reduction approaches.
• Identifies better incentives for communities and policyholders, particularly for Endangered Species Act-listed species and critical habitats.
• Offers actionable data.
• Specifies viable alternatives to existing approaches that meet statutory obligations.

Eight residences in New Bern flooded during 2018’s Hurricane Florence will be demolished.

The state and Federal Emergency Management Agency approved $964,806 to help the city of New Bern acquire, demolish and remove the residential structures. FEMA’s share of the cost for this project is $723,605 and the state’s share is $241,201.

“The City of New Bern has been on a long road to recovery since Hurricane Florence,” said Amanda Ohlensehlen, Community & Economic Development manager in a statement. “The announcement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) will provide these homeowners the assistance they need to move out of the floodplain to reduce their risk in the future. The program supports the city’s resilience initiatives to improve community preparedness and mitigation against the effects of future disasters.”

Once the structures located within a Special Flood Hazard Area are removed, the parcels will be converted to an open space in the natural floodplain. Purchase of the properties will also help the homeowners to relocate to an area where they won’t face an ongoing flood risk.

“We appreciate the continued partnership in assisting all homeowners across the State, especially those impacted so hard by Hurricane Florence. It is always good to provide residents with an opportunity to move out of harm’s way and save lives and money over the long-term through this process,” said Steve McGugan, state hazard mitigation officer in a statement.

FEMA covers 75% of eligible costs and the remaining 25% is paid for by the state. The federal share is reimbursed to the state which disburses the funds to local governments.

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds projects that reduce risks from repetitive hazards. This mitigation planning breaks the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction and repeated damage.

Zena Underwood and her husband Mark bought in October 2011 what they thought was the perfect house for their young family on Holly Lane in Swansboro.

Not long after the first-time homeowners moved into the four-bedroom, single-story house at the bottom of a hill next to a creek, they learned from their neighbors that there was a history of repeat flooding.

“After the first time it flooded with us there, we had neighbors show us photos of cars parked in the street in front of our house with water up to the windows,” Underwood, a 36-year-old business owner and mother of two, recently told Coastal Review. “I was so upset. We were stuck, too — young, doing OK, but certainly not in a position to buy another house, or to keep fixing the one we were in over and over. Flood insurance was just too expensive. Also, (we) found out the neighbor had so many claims that their flood insurance provider dropped them.”

Now in a different home on higher ground, the Underwoods got relief through a state-funded program managed by the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management’s disaster recovery section, although that help didn’t come until more than a year after Hurricane Florence in 2018 had severely damaged their home and destroyed belongings and after yet another flood in 2019.

As a result of Florence, everything in the house below 2 feet high had to be ripped out and tossed — drywall, flooring, furniture, cabinets, personal belongings. Demolition revealed a cracked foundation. Sinkholes formed in the yard.

Marcia Evans, communications specialist with the Office of State Budget and Management, told Coastal Review that the Underwoods qualified for the state assistance because, in addition to the damage sustained during Hurricane Florence, the property was subject to recurring flooding and Onslow County had recommended the family for assistance.

The State Acquisition and Relocation Fund, or SARF, provides relocation assistance up to $50,000 for homeowners whose primary residence has been approved for buyout under the state 2018 Disaster Recovery Act. To qualify, buyout homes must be in a flood-prone area where elevation is not feasible or where acquisition of the structure would minimize flood risks or support stormwater mitigation. The State Emergency Management Act part 6 addresses emergency assistance funds and the governor’s authority to set up programs to distribute them.

Underwood told Coastal Review that she and her husband heard about the program after reaching out to town officials in Swansboro, local media and officials at the state level, “trying to get someone to help. Someone to look, see that the drainage was not working, or something was not right. There was just nowhere for runoff water to go and more and more neighborhoods kept going in. It was only going to get worse over time.”

The couple attended a meeting with other Onslow County residents, including their next-door neighbor, whose home had also flooded repeatedly. Families were presented with the options of assistance for relocation, elevating the house or repairs for homes that could be fixed and had no record of flooding before Hurricane Florence. The Underwoods selected relocation assistance.

Before being awarded the SARF funds, Underwood had penned a letter to the Office of State Budget and Management pleading for help. She explained that what attracted them to their house was the neighborhood, which was close to the schools and had lots of children around. She had a son who was just beginning to walk when they bought the home. A few years later, they welcomed a baby girl.

“We could see our little family here. Again, we were young, excited and inexperienced. We didn’t research the address, talk to neighbors about the history, etc. We made them an offer and they accepted. We are NOT in a flood zone. This is an important note. We did not have flood insurance,” she wrote.

First signs of a problem

After moving into the house and experiencing a few thunderstorms, the Underwoods began to see signs of a problem. Often, they would have to park up the street and wade through deep water to get home.

“Once I got a call from my husband at work telling me I should park at the top of the hill when I got home, and there would probably be water in the living room. He was right. That was the first time we had to replace the floors. Again, not in a flood zone. No flood insurance,” Underwood wrote.

There were two other rainstorms that brought water to their front door, and “then we had Hurricane Florence. We flooded again, with no flood insurance. And no huge nest egg of savings, so we were faced with two options. Walk away from the house, take the hit as a foreclosure and walk away, lose everything we had worked for. Or just fix it, again,” she said, adding that the damage was worse than ever. The walls, cabinets, furniture, beds, toys, clothes, appliances – all ruined.

With two kids, five pets and a business based in their home – Underwood owns her own event consulting and florals business — they didn’t have a choice but to fix it.  

Then during summer 2019, they experienced flooding again, this time during a thunderstorm. Floodwater reached the front door in under an hour.

Underwood wrote that when a came letter later that year asking her family to attend a meeting, they jumped at the opportunity. 

“We need this. This home needs to be demolished. As sad as that makes me to say, the millions of memories we have made here, I still believe that no house should be here. It will continue to flood. This drainage issue can’t be fixed adequately until they can dig under where we are. They recently came out to check the drain and discovered a very large sinkhole. Right beside my driveway, where my kids have played for years. The ground is literally washing away around our home,” she wrote.

The family was notified by the Office of State Budget and Management in December 2019 that they were preapproved for SARF housing support for up to $50,000, because the residence was to be purchased by the county or state for hazard mitigation related to the recovery efforts from Hurricane Florence.

In a vote taken Feb. 17, 2020, Onslow County commissioners signed off on the purchases of Underwood’s home and her neighbor’s. The county received funding from North Carolina Emergency Management in 2019 through the Disaster Recovery Act of 2018. The funding was made available to property owners not eligible for federal recovery programs that also met certain income and residency requirements, according to the meeting minutes.

Jessica Rhue, director of planning and development for Onslow County, told the board at the time that county staff had been working with the Office of State Budget and Management for six months on coordinating the buyouts. With county commissioners’ approval, the Underwoods’ home became town property and cannot be redeveloped.

Evans told Coastal Review that the Office of State Budget and Management works closely with Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management, or NCEM.

The state, through the Office of State Budget and Management Disaster Recovery Section, put out the invitation for bid in late December 2019 to demolish the Underwood home and two others on behalf of Onslow County, pursuant to a disaster recovery grant NCEM awarded the county for housing recovery.

The land has since been cleared.

Within six months of the commissioners’ meeting, a few people had come to take photos and perform an appraisal, an offer was presented and accepted, and the family had moved out.

“It was a nice and easy process and the representative that was assigned to help us has been so patient and helpful,” Underwood said. “We drove by recently and noticed the two sinkholes have grown since we left. One was right under our son’s room, the other — the large one — was next to the driveway.”

Underwood said that her family wasn’t ready to buy a new house so quickly and options were few, so the state extended the buyout assistance payout portion for them until the end of 2020.

“Then there were no homes available in Onslow County that met the criteria — we can’t be in a floodplain. Then COVID, so it was extended again. We are hoping to finish it all up at the end of this year,” she said. 

Phillip Smith, senior project manager with the disaster recovery division, explained in an interview last week that the program that helped the Underwoods was for those who suffered flooding damage from hurricanes. 

“When we buy out a property, they of course have to find a new place to live, and we also require that new place to be outside of a flood zone,” so they don’t get flooded again, he said. Land that is flood-free is usually more expensive than property that floods frequently. So, the program provides up to $50,000 to make the difference in land values.

“When we buy a property, we have it appraised – what we call a retrospective appraisal — and we’ll go back and figure out the value of the property prior to the hurricane before any flood damage. So they’re getting the value of their property before the hurricane and then we offer the $50,000 on top of that funding,” he said.

For example, if the buyout property is appraised at $150,000, the homeowner would get that $150,000 and SARF will provide up to $50,000 to cover the difference for their next home.

Smith explained that the flood maps have been revised since hurricanes Matthew and Florence because those were such unusually devastating storms that the flood maps weren’t accurate.

“Zena was getting flooded — she lived at the bottom of the hill next to a creek — after every rainstorm,” Smith said, adding the water from the neighborhood above her was funneling to her house and a sinkhole was developing between her and her neighbor’s house.

Smith said that since the SARF program deals mostly with primary residences, much of the work has been from riverine flooding in interior counties, rather than vacation homes on the immediate coast.

Although there are similarities between the state program that helped the Underwoods and others like ReBuild NC, there are differences. State Acquisition and Relocation Fund monies are dispersed through the Office of State Budget and Management while ReBuild NC, which as its name indicates is a rebuilding program, falls under the Department of Public Safety. ReBuild NC also has access to SARF but the funds are used differently.

Also, ReBuild NC primarily uses federal funds. Generally, state funds have less red tape, so Smith’s office can respond to families that don’t fit into federal programs. “To work with our group, you can’t qualify for federal,” he said.

Smith added that at the time, the Underwoods’ home was not designated as part of the 100-year floodplain, “that’s one of the big distinctions between where we can help. Federal can only help within the 100-year floodplain.”

Smith added that the program through the Office of State Budget and Management has helped 50 families relocate and has helped more than 400 families with repairs, elevation and reconstruction.

“I think it does so much good. We encounter a lot of situations where people have had their homes destroyed or have been enduring regular flooding, and it just don’t make sense to keep repairing them over and over,” he said, adding there’s not too many places where you can get a grant like this to be somewhere safe and free from flooding.

Underwood encourages anyone who finds themselves in a situation like hers to reach out to their town’s planning and zoning officials.

“Be the squeaky wheel. Sometimes plans need to change and be modified over the years to accommodate growth and development within communities. Go to the meetings, get the contact, send emails. Take pictures, post online. Keep pushing for someone to listen and take notice of a problem,” she said.

Currituck County has been approved for a $1 million grant to elevate seven homes with a history of flooding caused by hurricanes and other storms.

The state and Federal Emergency Management Agency approved the hazard mitigation project grant of $1,040,864 to improve disaster resilience in the coastal county, FEMA announced Thursday.

The seven homes are in Corolla, Barco, Moyock, Grandy and Currituck. Funding through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program became available as the result of a federal disaster declaration following Hurricane Florence in 2018.  

“Currituck County is pleased to accept Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds on behalf of these deserving families,” said Donald I. McRee Jr., interim county manager, in a statement. “The mitigation of repetitive loss properties is a priority of both the Outer Banks Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan and State of NC Hazard Mitigation Plan, and we are grateful for the opportunity to enhance our community resilience to coastal hazards.”

By elevating the homes in a Special Flood Hazard Area to the base flood elevation and local freeboard requirements, the costly repetitive cycle of flood damage and repairs will be interrupted. The elevated structures will be placed on a range of possible foundations, specified by a licensed professional engineer during a feasibility study and may include piles, columns, curtain walls with footings or concrete masonry units.

“The State appreciates continued partnership in assisting all homeowners across the State, especially those impacted so hard by Hurricane Florence. Supporting the elevation of these homes allows us to assist both the homeowners and the county simultaneously,” said Steve McGugan, state hazard mitigation officer. “The next step is for the state and local governments to procure a contractor, which may take several months. Once a contractor is selected, the property owners will be advised of the project timeline.”

FEMA’s cost share for this project is $780,648, or 75%, and the state share is $260,216, or 25%. The federal share is reimbursed to the state which disburses the funds to local governments. 

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds go to projects intended to create long-term solutions to reduce risks from repetitive hazards. A recent study by the National Institute of Building Sciences found that for every dollar spent on federal mitigation taxpayers save $6, according to the state.

For more information on North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Florence, visit NC DPS: Hurricane Florence 2018 and FEMA.gov/Disaster/4393.

This is the second in a multipart special reporting series on coastal water quality. Read more.

Human and swine feces polluted eastern North Carolina waters sampled after Hurricane Florence’s historic flooding of the Coastal Plain.

In all, 48 sites in the Neuse, Cape Fear, Lumber and Waccamaw River watersheds were sampled as part of a study investigating microbial contamination in surface waters following the storm, which dumped up to 25-35 inches of rain in some areas of the eastern part of the state after making landfall in mid-September 2018.

In addition to human and swine feces contamination, the recently published study conducted by researchers at North Carolina State University also found a high prevalence of a little-known foodborne pathogen known as arcobacter, which has been classified as a serious threat to human health, in some of the water types sampled, including flood plains, channels and isolated waters.

“What was somewhat striking to us was that we did see both human and swine markers, but that there was an association that if a human marker was detected you were more likely to detect a swine marker as well than if you didn’t detect a human marker,” said Angela Harris, an assistant professor at N.C. State who led the study. “That just kind of highlighted to us that some of these sites were experiencing this double burden of contamination.”

The results of the study arguably underscore wastewater infrastructure issues in storm-prone areas that are anticipated to grow more vulnerable in a changing climate, one in which is expected to bring more frequent, large rainfall-producing storms.

The study notes that while the total discharges from swine lagoons during the hurricane are unknown, 29.1 million gallons was discharged from municipal wastewater facilities and more than 6,000 gallons from industrial facilities.

There are many ways in which human feces can get into the environment, Harris said.

“Things like leaky septic systems, leaky sewer pipes, these can all potentially introduce human fecal matter into the environment and when we think about flooding, a lot of our infrastructure, it’s really not designed to necessarily handle the type of flooding that we’re now experiencing. So, there is effort to think about how can we make our infrastructure more resilient to these types of events that will likely be more frequent due to our changing climate,” she said.

Wastewater infrastructure is a focus of one of the proposed revisions to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Coastal Habitat Protection Plan, or CHPP, pronounced “chip.”

The plan, which is designed to protect and restore waters associated with coastal fish habitat, is reviewed every five years.

State environmental officials have included a proposed revision that calls attention to the fact that small, rural communities in eastern North Carolina generally do not have the funding to cover the high costs of retrofits and repairs to wastewater infrastructure systems.

The $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill recently passed by the Senate and now awaiting approval from the House includes funding for climate resilience initiatives.

The bill is a step in the right direction, Harris said, but she thinks there are things that can be done better now in how we manage waste from humans and hogs.

It’s something she encourages her students to think about.

“We want students to realize that there is a lot of room for innovation in this space for infrastructure,” Harris said.

There’s also a need for more routine monitoring to help researchers understand how wastewater systems are impacted by different rainfall events and how various sources of contamination respond to rain events, she said.

For this study, researchers collected samples one to two weeks after Hurricane Florence and then one month after that.

The first round of samples showed similar contamination levels at some of the different types of waters included in the study.

“We did start to see some differences (in October) where the channel sites were more contaminated on average than the flood plain sites,” Harris said. “We don’t know for sure, but there are some hypotheses on why that might be the case. There might be some new fecal inputs during that time into the channels. Maybe because of the flooding some of the lagoons might have been quite full and so they might have been able to release some of that.”

Contamination levels could have been down in the flood plains, where water does not move at the pace it does in a channel, which may have allowed microbial contaminants to decay in sunlight.

Contamination levels remained the same in the channels between the first and second round of sampling.

Researchers went back out a year after the initial samples were collected to gather more samples, which are currently being analyzed.

Harris is working in several other sites in the eastern part of the state, including the Newport River near Beaufort, in an effort to get better measurements before another hurricane hits the area.

“Sometimes whenever you find contamination, I don’t want to just describe all the risks, I also want to be forward thinking and think about the solutions,” she said. “There’s room for innovation on how systems are managing waste, but there are a lot of designs and techniques that we do know of even now that can address some of these issues.”

Mahmoud Sharara, an N.C. State assistant professor, was part of the study. His expertise includes animal agriculture operations.

He said a lot of animal farm operators in eastern North Carolina recognize extreme weather events are becoming the norm. Those include operators who employ either wet-waste systems, such as hog lagoons, or dry-waste systems used by poultry farmers.

“Those get equally affected in different ways, but extreme weather events affect them both,” Sharara said.

Many large hog farm operations located in flood plains in eastern North Carolina have been bought out through various programs, he said, which has helped curtail the risks of hog lagoon spills during major rain events.

To avoid similar issues with the growing poultry industry, agriculture officials are working with poultry producers to ensure poultry houses are not being built in flood-prone areas and that chicken waste is not stored in places where it is likely to wash away.

“In this case having nutrients that are, say, poultry litter after cleaning a poultry house stacked outside without having a covering for even a week can release a significant amount of nutrients in runoff,” Sharara said. “Being aware that weather and planning around weather is very critical when we talk about these nutrients.”

To help with the economic challenges farmers face with costs associated with wastewater treatment, researchers have created a concept that takes a cluster of farms in an area and processes waste from those farms at a centrally located composting facility or solar drying complex. This would generate enough composted product to sell, ultimately helping to offset the costs to the farm operators.

Work is underway to implement other runoff mitigation control measures on farms, both animal and crop, including no-till systems to reduce soil erosion, adding buffers at the ends of fields, creating tidal drainage and treating drain waters, and covering hog lagoons to reduce nitrogen emissions.

Sharara said there is no one silver bullet in reducing the agriculture-generated nutrients that make into stormwater runoff.

“We’re trying to look for all the different mechanisms we can put together to capture the nutrients and export them en masse in a valued product,” he said. “Agriculture is one of the industries where the nutrients can move at large scale. Unlike point sources where there’s a discharge pipe where you know the nutrients are leaving a factory or facility, on a farm the boundary of the field can potentially be a source, the ground underneath can potentially be a source or an avenue for nutrients to migrate from. We know that nonpoint source is going to increase with increases in rainfall and with extreme weather events. Our challenge is getting greater now to make sure that there’s less likelihood of nutrients leaving ag systems to estuaries or water systems.”

Dare County is set to receive more than $4.2 million to elevate 31 homes that have a history of flooding during hurricanes and other storms.

The funding announced Thursday by North Carolina Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is available because of the federal disaster declaration after Hurricane Florence in 2018. 

North Carolina Emergency Management works with FEMA to help state, local, tribal and territorial governments to prepare for impacts or recover from damage caused by natural disasters.

The Dare County homes to be elevated using the $4.2 million are in Avon, Buxton, Frisco, Hatteras, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Manns Harbor, Manteo, Nags Head, Rodanthe, Stumpy Point and Wanchese. All are within the special flood hazard area. Elevating the homes to the base flood elevation plus local freeboard requirements will interrupt the costly repetitive cycle of flood damage and repairs, according to information from the state.

“Dare County is excited to receive funding to elevate 31 homes because mitigating flood hazards is a priority for us,” said Bob Woodard, chairman of the Dare County Board of Commissioners, in a statement. “Previously, Dare County has elevated almost 100 homes with FEMA assistance and elevating additional homes will decrease the flood risks for property owners. We look forward to the announcement regarding the additional applications that are under consideration for funding.”

FEMA reimburses 75% of eligible project costs and 25% is covered by the state. FEMA’s cost share for the Dare County project is about $3.2 million with the state covering about $1.07 million.

“The State appreciates continued partnership in assisting all homeowners across the State, especially those impacted so hard by Hurricane Florence. Supporting the elevation of these homes allows us to assist both the homeowners and the county simultaneously,” State Hazard Mitigation Officer Steve McGugan said in a statement. “The next step is for the state and local governments to procure a contractor, which may take several months. Once a contractor is selected, the property owners will be advised of the project timeline.”

So far this year, the state and FEMA have approved millions through the grant program that assists homeowners move out of dangerous flood zones, have their homes elevated or have their homes torn down and rebuilt to code with an elevated foundation.

In addition to the funding for Dare County, a hazard mitigation project grant of $691,610 was awarded to Craven County Aug. 13 to elevate four residential structures in Havelock and New Bern.

In June, $976,710 was approved to remove five residences in Harnett and Pender counties that flooded after Tropical Storm Michael in 2018 and more than $1.6 million for Beaufort County acquire, demolish and remove 19 homes flooded after Hurricane Florence. More than $6.5 million was approved to purchase 31 homes in Pender County in May to be demolished. After the structure is removed from a property, it’s turned into open space in order to conserve natural floodplain functions.

Hazard mitigation includes long-term solutions that help reduce or eliminate rebuilding costs from future disasters. This mitigation planning breaks the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction and repeated damage, according to the state. Also, according to a 2019 report from National Institute of Building Sciences found that federal grants save $6 per $1 cost. “Public-sector investment in mitigation since 1995 by FEMA, EDA, and HUD cost the country $27 billion but will ultimately save $160 billion, meaning $6 saved per $1 invested.”

Brian R. Haines, public information officer for the state Department of Public Safety, under the Division of Emergency Management, told Coastal Review that hazard mitigation assistance is broken down into disaster grants and nondisaster grants.

“After federally declared disasters, FEMA provides funding through a disaster grant,” he said. “Using the funds set aside into the disaster grant, North Carolina Emergency Management and FEMA work with communities to nominate, review and award projects focused at reducing or eliminating future impacts to people and property from natural hazards.” 

Nondisaster grants are recurring annual competitive grants. Haines said that North Carolina Emergency Management, or NCEM, works with local governments to identify projects that reduce risks and vulnerabilities associated with natural disasters.

Like with disaster grants, NCEM and local governments work together to nominate these projects to compete at the FEMA national level for funding.

Examples of hazard mitigation projects include buying homes in the special flood hazard area, or SFHA, or 100-year floodplain, and removing them or elevating those homes in the SFHA so that the first floor is a minimum of 2 feet above the 100-year flood level. Properties are determined to be in the special flood hazard area based on both historical data as well as modeling of floodwaters, considering changing drainage patterns and upstream growth. 

Through the state’s efforts over the last 30 years, more than 4,000 homes have been acquired and turned into green space.

“The ownership of all properties acquired under the hazard mitigation program remains with the local counties or municipality that purchased the home,” he said.

The properties, in accordance with federal law, purchased under the program must remain as green space to ensure the natural flow of water in the floodplain and prevent any future development that would again have to be covered by the National Flood Insurance Program.

Other examples of hazard mitigation projects include providing wind retrofits to buildings to protect against wind damage, demolishing and reconstructing badly damage homes at the proper elevated level, and providing stormwater gauges and early warning systems to allow people to evacuate before becoming trapped by floodwaters.

“In North Carolina, you can visit flood.nc.gov, North Carolina’s Flood Information Center, to learn what your flood risk is and determine if you live within the SFHA or floodway. Additionally, the state’s Flood Inundation Mapping and Alert Network (FIMAN) allows the public to see real-time data on stream elevation, rainfall and weather parameters from over 550 gauges across North Carolina,” he said.

Haines emphasized that it’s important for people to understand that nearly everyone has some risk of flooding and the best way to recover is to have flood insurance, as homeowners’ insurance does not cover flood losses.

“Flood insurance policies are available for residential buildings and commercial buildings as long as the community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program. There is also separate contents coverage, so renters can get flood insurance too,” he said.

“Because of North Carolina’s mitigation planning effort, the state is considered an Enhanced State by FEMA and qualifies for 5% greater federal funding per declared disaster than a nonenhanced state,” he said. “Currently there are only 14 enhanced states in the US.”

The 14 states that have earned FEMA approval for their enhanced state mitigation plan are now eligible to receive more funds under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program following a disaster declaration. To receive approval of an enhanced plan, a state must show that it has developed a comprehensive mitigation program and is capable of managing increased funding for its mitigation goals, according to FEMA.

The hazard mitigation program is a product of the 1988 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, commonly known as the Stafford Act, and later refined by the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000.

In addition to the Hazard Mitigation Grant program, Emergency Management oversees the Flood Mitigation Assistance program, Pre-Disaster Mitigation program, Repetitive Flood Claims program and Severe Repetitive Loss pilot program.

Hurricane season ceased to be theoretical in eastern North Carolina coast early last week, with rip tide warnings issued for northern beaches as Tropical Storm Bill formed far offshore and then veered away to the northwest.

That storm had a minor impact, but as Tropical Storm Claudette bears down on the region from the west, there’s no let up of worry. For a coastal economy already flagging from a year of shuttered restaurants and canceled bookings, any storm-related downtime would be doubly harsh.

There is a similar and powerful worry inland, away from the beach houses and rough surf where the television crews set up. Recent major storms showed that it is in the low-lying lands along the networks of coastal plain creeks and rivers where water does the most damage.

The river towns, especially along the Neuse, Lumber and Tar-Pamlico systems, are still reeling from the last decade’s cascade of catastrophes.

The named storms are just part of the flooding threat in these towns. As the state’s warmer, wetter climate drives more frequent heavy rains, deluges are doing repetitive damage in vulnerable areas across the state, including places like Kinston, where this past winter’s rains inundated areas also submerged during Hurricane Matthew. 

With broad agreement between the legislature and the governor’s office to address the problem and a potential surge in federal funding to scale up the response, scientists, planners and policymakers are trying to create a blueprint for flooding mitigation and resilience that they can take statewide. To do that, they first have to figure out what works.

Understanding Stoney Creek

There are no silver linings to hurricanes, but there are a lot of lessons to learn. In the hardest of ways, North Carolina has gotten especially good at predicting where floodwaters will rise by tracking in real time innovative flooding models during storms and relaying that information to emergency responders.

As powerful a tool as those predictive maps have been during emergencies, they are also emerging as an important source between storms, driving long-term policy to build more resilient communities.

Among an array of projects and studies funded in recently introduced legislation to develop a statewide plan on flooding is a large-scale trial of strategies developed to mitigate a persistent critical threat when Stoney Creek in Goldsboro jumps its banks.

It would be difficult to find a threat from flooding easier to grasp than when roads to a hospital become impassable. That’s what happens when the waters of Stoney Creek start to rise alongside Goldsboro’s cluster of health care facilities between N.C. 13 and the U.S. 70 bypass. They include Wayne UNC Health Care, the county’s main hospital.

The creek, which is part of a roughly 30-square-mile watershed, starts in northern Wayne County farmlands near Eureka and wends through the heart of Goldsboro, passing near the medical centers and then through a light industrial and commercial zone before flowing into the Neuse River near Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. 

Barbara Doll, a North Carolina State University engineering professor and one of the state’s leading researchers in resilience strategies, said the Stoney Creek project is an attempt to understand the actual impact of resilience strategies like restoring wetlands, reforesting farmland and improving road crossings. Her team built detailed models of soils, land use and other data points throughout the entire watershed and each sub-basin within it. 

“We did a lot of ground-truthing and refining,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot of work where people just come and they overlay soils and land use and some other layers and they say, ‘here’s where you want to restore a wetland,’ and they have no numbers for how much flow reduction there is to that,” Doll said in an interview with Coastal Review earlier this year. “So, we said, ‘let’s look where actually it really would work to do these things and how would you have to design them and what would this water storage on farms look like.’”

They picked farmland sites in the upper watershed where there was actual potential for conversion, lands that were less productive or already out of use due to flooding. Then they mapped how much water could be held back under different types of storms and strategies and what those combinations meant downstream.

The revelations of what Doll calls “getting into the nuts and bolts” of resilience and mitigation were both promising and sobering.

For the larger storms, the 500-year storms like Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence, the capacity of the water storage system is overwhelmed. But for the large deluges and even the 100-year storms, the plan would shave between 1 and 2 feet off the height of the floodwaters, with the biggest impact near crossings closest to the hospitals. Throughout the watershed dozens of structures, homes and businesses, would remain above the waterline.  

There are three basic solutions to dealing with the floods damaging home and businesses and washing out roads in places like Goldsboro, Doll said. You can engineer your way out of by raising roads and improving culverts, you hold back the water, or you can move people and structures out of the way.

Many places in eastern North Carolina are faced with a losing battle, she said, where the only reasonable long-term solution is to get people and structures out of harm’s way.

One goal of the Stoney Creek project is to give communities a more realistic set of tools to understand the costs and benefits of mitigation and resilience.

Both the state House and Senate are looking at major flood legislation this year, including roughly $30 million for a handful of projects in priority watersheds. Stoney Creek is among those and is considered the pilot project for the state’s natural and working lands effort. House Bill 500 earmarks about $5 million for land acquisition to kickstart the Stoney Creek plan.

Will McDow, Resilient Landscapes director for the Environmental Defense Fund, said the Stoney Creek studies are important in developing an accurate tool for planning.

“I think this study provides a kind of a clear example of how the state can use and build upon its existing science and data and models to help communities understand what are their options to reduce the flood impacts that they’re feeling,” he said. “Before this study, the community clearly knew that when it rained a 100-year event, their hospital was getting cut off, but they didn’t know how much water needed to be held back. Once you know how much water needs to be held back, then you can really begin to have the different conversations about how you might do that.”

Resilient Routes, Water Farming

One part of Doll’s resiliency work has been to assess the effectiveness of rebuilding roads and overpasses.

It makes sense, Doll said, for the state to put the funds into raising a road like I-95, but in many cases “engineering the way out” of the problem is fiscally unlikely. “It gets expensive, and it takes time,” she said.

What the Stoney Creek project showed, she said, was that in some cases a natural and working lands solution can be cheaper and more effective.

By holding back water upstream through a combination of reforestation of farmland and allowing some specified fields to flood, Doll’s team determined that three of the seven key creek crossings around Goldsboro’s hospital area would be prevented from washing out in a major storm.

That work has helped sharpen the focus around so-called “resilient routes,” critical roads for evacuations, supplies and emergency response.

“We can’t do every road. We can’t size them all to the 100-year storm and so we create these resilient routes and really work to protect them,” she said.

Doll said using natural and working lands solutions will mean different things in different places. The Stoney Creek project benefits from a sizable amount of farmland upstream of Goldsboro where the slope of fields is only 1% or less. With a little engineering, including constructing a berm, the 1% fields can hold a considerable amount of water, she said. “These low-lying lands provide a lot of opportunity.”

Since they’re often the same fields that tend to flood or that farmers can’t get to because of high water, Doll said that working out a way for farmers to be compensated for allowing their fields to hold back water makes sense.

“Why not store some water on these lands and have that farmer compensated so they know they’re going to get their investment back,” she said. “We call it water farming. They’re being paid to farm water for certain events. I think that could be a great assurance to them.”

North Carolina Farm Bureau Natural Resources Director Keith Larick, who has been working with Doll and others to develop the plan, said farmers he’s talked to are open to the ideas, especially considering the amount of damage they seen both from major storms and more frequent flash flooding.

“People don’t really know what the program is going to look like yet,” he said. “There are a lot of ideas out there as far as how are you going to fund something, who decides what gets built, is it a state program or more of a local program.”

The idea of water farming might be new, but farmers are used to incentive programs like those for conservation practices. Whatever is developed has to be flexible, he said.

“Some of these practices that we’re talking about may not take land out of production permanently,” he said.

You could have a case where a field only needs to be used occasionally to hold floodwaters, Larick said. In that case the farmer would get the payment for water farming, but during other years could keep working the land.

“We’re trying to be creative and flexible when we talk about these kinds of things to come up with something that works for landowners but also accomplishes the goal of helping with flood issues.”

RALEIGH — A broad array of provisions aimed at flood prevention and resilience continues to move forward in this year’s session of the North Carolina General Assembly.

Last week, a House committee approved the latest version of a long-term effort to address the growing risk of widespread flooding. Although driven by catastrophes like Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence, the scope of the legislation recognizes vulnerabilities to flooding throughout the state.

“This bipartisan measure reflects input from leaders across the entire state of North Carolina that have taken the brunt of a number of these storms,” House Majority Leader John Bell, R-Wayne, said Wednesday while introducing the latest iteration of the House efforts, House Bill 500, the Disaster Mitigation and Relief Act of 2021, to the House Environment Committee. “It’s my opinion that it’s time to address these challenges and be proactive in a comprehensive way. That’s why we’re focused on real solutions that we can protect homes livelihoods, communities and infrastructure.”

It’s evident, he said, that the state needs a comprehensive strategy to address flooding and resiliency.

The House legislation follows a set of provisions introduced in the Senate earlier in the session and a set of strategies proposed by Gov. Roy Cooper in his budget proposal in March.

At the heart of all three plans is an attempt to use what’s been learned through recent disasters along with advances in science and technology to get ahead of future disasters. 

Bell said the more than $290 million in new spending in the bill represents one of the largest investments to deal with flooding in the state’s history, but it’s intended to break a cycle of flooding and recovery that’s cost more than $3.5 billion spent in recent years.

Committee chair Rep. Pat McElraft, R-Carteret, said that when the House first started looking at resiliency there wasn’t enough money to do what was needed. She said that now the state has enough in its rainy day funds to move forward.

“We finally have some money to put into resiliency, and to prevent these kinds of things from happening, instead of looking at fixing homes after it’s flooded,” McElraft said.

Bell co-chaired the House Select Committee on Disaster Relief, which was established in 2017 to track the recovery from Hurricane Matthew, then the costliest natural disaster in state history.

The select committee reviewed the long history of proposals for how to deal with riverine flooding, particularly along choke points in the Neuse River basin. Their work was interrupted and dramatically altered by Hurricane Florence in 2018, which dwarfed Matthew in rainfall, reexposed the extensive flooding vulnerabilities in eastern North Carolina and revealed new infrastructure and transportation faults.

As much as the major disasters in eastern North Carolina were an impetus for a flood mitigation and resilience strategy, the growing frequency of intense rain events and flooding in other parts of the state have given the effort an extra boost in the legislature.

Will McDow, who helped lead negotiations on the bill for the Environmental Defense Fund, said the bill, and ultimately, the flooding legislation that is likely to come out of the session and be signed by the governor, is a strong recognition across government that there’s a need and an opportunity to rev up resiliency efforts.

“This is something that both chambers and the governor recognize is a critical issue,” he said. “And so, you know when you get that level of consistency in recognition, it creates opportunities.”

Environmental Defense Fund and other environmental groups have supported both House and Senate bills partly because they both lean into the idea of leveraging natural lands.

“We appreciate the sponsors’ commitment to natural solutions as one tool in the toolbox to prepare our state for to make our state more prepared for floods,” Will Robinson, director of government relations for the Nature Conservancy in North Carolina, told House members last week.

‘Works in progress’

The bills in the works now are evolving and to become law will require a lot of negotiation and perhaps some luck, especially given the recent breakdown in budget discussions in Raleigh.

Bell called House Bill 500 “a working document” that will change as it moves through the process. Some or all of it could be folded into the budget or, if the legislature adopts another “mini-budget” system in lieu of an actual budget, be rolled into one or more standalone bills.

Here’s a breakdown of main provisions of the bill:

• Permanently establishes the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency and adds up to 19 new positions with responsibilities for statewide flood mitigation and resiliency.
• Allocates $20 million for a statewide flood resilience blueprint.
• Allocates $32 million for Neuse River buyouts, levee and railroad projects.
• Allocates $36.5 million for Lumber River buyouts, dam repairs, levee and railroad projects.
• Earmarks $5 million for Southport waterfront stabilization and $14 million for Boiling Springs Lake dam repairs.
• Establishes the state Disaster Relief and Mitigation Fund and Transportation Infrastructure Resiliency Fund with an initial $40 million appropriation for grants.
• Adds $30 million to the Coastal Storm Damage Mitigation Fund for living shorelines, oyster reefs and marsh restoration.
• Funds planning grants and four new positions at the Division of Coastal Management for the Resilient Coastal Communities program.
• Adds $20 million to the state’s Land and Water Fund for restoration of floodplains and wetlands to increase their capacity to store water and reduce flooding.
• Allocates $30 million to the Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Mitigation Services to create a pilot program to address chronic flooding along Stoney Creek in Wayne County and other flood mitigation projects.

House Bill 500 is expected to be taken up next by the House Appropriations Committee, but so far no hearings have been scheduled.

Beaufort County has been approved for more than $1.6 million to acquire, demolish and remove 19 residential structures in Washington that were flooded after Hurricane Florence in 2018. 

North Carolina and Federal Emergency Management Agency approved the $1,603,745 to purchase the structures within a Special Flood Hazard Area in Washington.  

Once the structures are removed, the property will be converted to an open space in the natural floodplain. Purchase of the properties will also help the homeowners relocate to an area where they won’t face an ongoing flood risk, according to FEMA.

“The completion of FEMA’s review and approval of the program is good news for these property owners and the communities where they live,” said Steve McGugan, state hazard mitigation officer. “The next step is for the state and local governments to move through the procurement of a contractor, which will take a couple of months to complete. Once there is a contractor in place, they will need to mobilize and set up their final project management timeline so property owners can be advised on the approximate date work will be completed on their property.”

FEMA’s share of the cost for this project is $1,202,809 and the state’s share is $400,936. FEMA covers 75% of eligible costs and the remaining quarter is paid for by the state. The federal share is reimbursed to the state which disburses the funds to local governments. 

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds projects that reduce risks from repetitive hazards. Hazard mitigation includes long-term solutions that help reduce or eliminate rebuilding costs from future disasters. This mitigation planning breaks the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction and repeated damage. 

For more information on North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Florence, visit ncdps.gov/Florence and FEMA.gov/Disaster/4393. Follow on Twitter @NCEmergency and @FEMARegion4.
 

RALEIGH — House budget committees are due to start up Wednesday after an abrupt shift in plans were announced late last week ahead of the legislature’s Memorial Day break.  

North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, told members last week that with the Senate running late on its budget plan, the House would move forward on its own version.

House and Senate negotiators so far have failed to settled on an overall spending target. Senate leaders began a rollout of tax breaks last week as part of their proposal, but have yet to release details of a spending plan.

Under the North Carolina General Assembly’s rules, the Senate was charged with producing its plan first. Gov. Roy Cooper issued his budget proposal in early April.

The impasse raises the prospect that the legislature could resort to the strategy it adopted in 2019 when it failed to reach an agreement with Cooper on a final plan.

Much of the government was funded either through a series of so-called minibudgets or continued at the previous year’s levels via an automatic stopgap provision in state law that kicks in if a new budget isn’t in place by the beginning of the new fiscal year on July 1.

Flood resilience, mitigation

In addition to budget committee hearings, the House is due to review major flood resilience and mitigation legislation in a hearing scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday by the House Environment Committee. Video and audio for the hearing is available on the website.

House Bill 500, the Disaster Relief and Mitigation Act of 2021, includes $219 million in additional state funds for disaster relief and flood resilience and mitigation. The proposal includes $98 million to develop a statewide flood resilience blueprint and flood mitigation on the Neuse and Lumber rivers; $30 million for the state’s Coastal Storm Damage Mitigation Fund for living shorelines, oyster reefs and marsh restoration; and funding for floodplain and wetland restoration, and coastal planning grants.

The bill also makes the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, created in the wake of Hurricane Florence in 2018, a permanent part of state government under the Department of Public Safety.

The state and Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, will use $6.5 million to acquire more than 30 flood-prone properties in Pender County, officials announced Wednesday.

Located in Currie, Rocky Point, Hampstead and Burgaw, the 31 properties are susceptible to flooding from Moores, Beckys and Holly Shelter creeks, the Cape Fear and Northeast Cape Fear rivers and the Atlantic Ocean.

The state will use funds from FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, made available after 2018’s Hurricane Florence, to acquire the properties. These properties will be converted to open space in order to conserve natural floodplain functions.

“The completion of FEMA’s review and approval of the program is good news for these property owners and the communities where they live,” said Steve McGugan, state hazard mitigation officer, in a statement. “The next step is for the state and local governments to move through the procurement of a contractor, which will take a couple of months to complete. Once there is a contractor in place, they will need to mobilize and set up their final project management timeline so property owners can be advised on the approximate date work will be completed on their property.”

FEMA’s share to acquire the properties is $4,913,358 and the state’s share is $1,637,786. FEMA reimburses 75% of eligible project costs and the remaining 25% is covered by the state. The federal share is paid directly to the state to disburse to local governments.

Funding from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is used by states to mitigate future hazards, which can include projects to help communities eliminate or reduce disaster-related damage.

For more information on North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Florence, visit ncdps.gov/Florence and FEMA.gov/Disaster/4393.

The Dare County Board of Commissioners is set to hold a public hearing on establishing county service districts to help pay for a proposed more than $12 million beach nourishment project in Avon. 

The hearing on the proposed county service districts for beach erosion control and flood and hurricane protection works is at 9 a.m. Monday, June 7, in the Dare County Administration Building.

Public comments may be presented to the board in person during the meeting. Maps and related documents are on the Dare County website. The meeting is to be on the county’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/darecounty.

In recent years, N.C. 12 in Avon has often been closed, sometimes for extended periods, because of ocean overwash. Officials said these repeated closures have had, and will continue to have, significant negative effects. The county board had a study performed that determined it is feasible for a beach restoration project to protect N.C. 12 and other infrastructure in Avon.

The proposed project would place sand on about 13,200 feet, or 2.5 miles, of Avon beach. The project will initially widen the beach by around 100 feet, officials said. Up to 1 million cubic yards of sand will be placed on the beach with a maximum average fill density of about 75 cubic yards per foot. The sand is to come from a 200-acre borrow site 1.5 to 2 miles offshore.

The project cost is an estimated at $12.68 million, or about $12.68 per cubic yard of sand. The proposed project is to be paid for with the Dare County Beach Nourishment Fund and revenues generated by the two county service districts.

Service District A will include all properties in Avon east of N.C. 12 and south of Due East Road. Service District B will be all properties in Avon.

For legal reasons, the service district alignment is slightly different than what was discussed during the previous public hearing and in a previous letter, but will result in the same revenue generation and the same net cost to the taxpayer, according to the county.

The project plan calls for bids to be let in the fall or early winter 2021, with construction beginning in late spring or early summer 2022, if bids are within budget and contractor’s proposed construction period is viable.

Dare County Planning Department is hosting a free webinar at 5:30 p.m. Thursday for homeowners with questions about flood insurance coverage.

During the webinar, new laws that affect flood insurance policies and mitigation steps that can be taken to reduce the cost of premiums will be addressed, real homeowner examples will be shared, and there will be a Q&A session at the end of the webinar, according to the county.

Register online to attend the free flood insurance webinar. One-on-one sessions can be scheduled to review individual cases for those unable to attend the webinar.

Dare County and the towns of Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and Manteo are hosting the webinar that will be conducted by staff members from SmartVent.

Organizers recommend that participants have their flood insurance policy and elevation certificate on hand during the webinar. Hosts will review elevation certificates and educate property owners on how to read these documents properly. Request a copy of your elevation certificate by emailing  obx@yourfloodrisk.com.

Dare County is one of more than 1,500 communities nationwide that participate in the Community Rating System, or CRS, a voluntary incentive program that encourages community floodplain management practices that exceed the minimum requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program, according to the county. Participating communities are recognized with discounts on flood insurance policies for implementing activities within the community that promote flood hazard awareness and mitigate flood losses. Dare County has participated in the CRS program since it was created in 1992.

Plans for legislation to deal with riverine flooding and improve flooding resiliency are moving forward in the North Carolina General Assembly this month, with a major review of policy and funding needs planned for next week.

Last week, Sens. Danny Britt, R-Robeson, and Jim Perry, R-Lenoir, co-chairs of a new committee set up to tackle the issue, announced that they are working on a new flood mitigation and resiliency bill to develop a comprehensive, statewide approach.

In an interview Monday with Coastal Review, Perry said the committee will work during the next month gathering information and looking at strategies, but ultimately, he and Britt want to see a focused effort on flooding with a single agency assigned to put mitigation plans into action. He said there are now “too many chefs” with multiple agencies and administrators involved and no comprehensive plan.

“Somebody’s got to take this master plan and execute it,” he said. “Right now, we’ve got a lot of information, a lot of good ideas, but we’re sort of scattered in our approach. Somebody’s got to be in charge to drive the execution or we’re going to end up with a patchwork.”

The Senate Select Committee on Storm Related River Debris and Damage in North Carolina is scheduled to hear a series of presentations at 10 a.m. April 13 in the auditorium of the Legislative Building.

The event will be live-streamed. Information on the committee and the livestream link is at https://www.ncleg.gov/Committees/CommitteeInfo/Senate/1163#.

The agenda includes an update from the leadership of the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory on an ongoing study of flood resiliency; a report on nature-based flood mitigation from North Carolina Coastal Federation Executive Director Todd Miller; a review of the Resilient Coastal Communities Program from Division of Coastal Management Director Braxton Davis; reports on flood-mitigation projects from North Carolina Land and Water Fund Executive Director Walter Clark and Division of Mitigation Services Director Tim Baumgartner; and stream debris removal updates from Division of Soil and Water Conservation Director Vernon Cox.

Although some strategies and proposals differ, there is broad consensus among legislative leadership and Gov. Roy Cooper on the need for the state to step up its mitigation and resiliency efforts.

Last month Cooper proposed $56 million for additional flood resiliency efforts along with a hefty increase in funding for the Land and Water Fund to increase grants for flooding-related projects in local communities.

Fisheries bills cast

After running into opposition in the House last year, Sen. Norm Sanderson, R-Pamlico, is trying again to land his marine fisheries management reform bill.

Sanderson’s bill cleared the Senate last year with virtually no opposition, but hit a snag in the House, which had its own version of the legislation. Neither became law, but Sanderson said the new bill should fare better.

Sanderson said most of Senate Bill 317, which adopts a new set of procedures for developing fishery management plans and expands inspection authority, was requested by the Division of Marine Fisheries.

The bill passed the Senate Thursday 45-3, with Perry and Sens. Vickie Sawyer, R- Iredell, and Tom McInnis, R- Richmond, opposed.

Another fisheries-related bill clearing the Senate last week was Senate Bill 296, which directs the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory to study the overall status of all fisheries regulated by the state.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Michael Lee, R-New Hanover, and approved 48-0, seeks to look at the health and extent of habitats for bay scallop, blue crab, eastern oyster, estuarine striped bass, hard clam, kingfishes, red drum, river herring, sheepshead, shrimp, southern flounder, spotted seatrout and striped mullet.

Boating enforcement

Sanderson also added New Bern, Bridgeton, Oriental and Trent Woods to the growing list of municipalities being granted authority over navigable waters within their municipal limits and extraterritorial jurisdictions.

Sanderson told a Senate committee last week that the towns needed the expanded authority to deal with problems caused by boaters not following the rules.

Sanderson said the state doesn’t have enough officers with the Wildlife Resources Commission and Division of Marine Fisheries to handle all enforcement needs.

“There’s just not enough of them to go around to cover all the coast,” Sanderson said. “We have bad actors that come into these towns and usually these are in marinas that are adjacent to the town or even sometimes in the waterfronts. They don’t follow the rules and they create an unsafe environment for other people who are there to enjoy the coast. This will allow a local police officer to write someone a citation if they come in and they are operating in an unsafe manner.”

Flurry of PFAS bills

A group of House and Senate Democrats are calling for a comprehensive study of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in the Cape Fear River and elsewhere, requirements for polluters to pay for cleanup and mitigation, and new drinking water standards for PFAS and several other contaminants.

The proposals are outlined in three bills introduced last week. Senate Bill 460 would create a PFAS task force for the lower Cape Fear River to look at sources and health impacts. Senate Bill 443 would require the Commission for Public Health to establish maximum contaminant levels for PFAS and compounds known as perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, or PFOS, hexavalent chromium and 1,-4-dioxane.

House Bill 444 would require those found to be responsible for discharge of PFAS, including Chemours Co.’s product GenX, to a public water system to pay for the cost to “remove, correct, or abate any adverse effects” of the contamination.

The U.S. Geological Survey has unveiled a new mobile tool that provides real-time information on water levels, weather and flood forecasts across the country, including North Carolina.

The USGS National Water Dashboard, or NWD, can be used by forecasters and local emergency managers as they issue flood and evacuation warnings, verify safe evacuation routes and coordinate emergency response efforts.

“Our vision is the National Water Dashboard will be a one-stop resource for all available USGS water data used by the public to make decisions that can preserve life and property,” said Jim Reilly, Ph.D., director of the USGS. “The USGS will continue to build out this tool incorporating future advances in water information so the public will have the latest and best information on hazards and resources.”

The dashboard presents real-time stream, lake and reservoir, precipitation and groundwater data from more than 13,500 USGS observation stations across the country. This information is shown along with NOAA weather data such as radar, watches and warnings, past precipitation totals, precipitation forecasts and drought conditions from other open water-data sources.

“The National Water Dashboard is an exceptional tool for staying up to date on real-time USGS water information coupled with forecasts and warnings from NOAA’s National Weather Service,” said retired Navy Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D., assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator. “Giving individuals access to water information whether it be a flood or drought, on their mobile device, will help protect lives and property.”

The tool will help inform forecasting, response and recovery efforts for agencies such as the National Weather Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other federal, state and local agencies.

“The National Water Dashboard is a much-needed advancement that will help keep communities across the country safe during extreme weather conditions,” said Tim Petty, Ph.D., Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, from an agricultural round table with the Water Subcabinet in Janesville, Wisconsin, in a statement. “The development of a comprehensive tool that can provide real-time, critical information on mobile devices is great news for areas in our country that are prone to flooding or drought. In addition to giving the public key information on what’s happening in their communities, it will also help improve the response of federal, state and local agencies during storms, floods and drought conditions.”

The dashboard links to the USGS WaterAlert system, which sends out instant, customized updates about water conditions.

“The National Water Dashboard builds on the USGS Texas Water Dashboard that was created in 2016,” said Don Cline, Ph.D, USGS Associate Director for Water Resources, said in a statement. “Expanding this tool nationwide will increase the ease and ability for the public to have access to USGS real-time water data at all times to help make informed decisions regarding the safety of their families and homes.”

The dashboard can assist the Corps with managing water supplies in river basins and operate flood-control reservoirs. During a drought, the tool can help state resource managers identify areas where water supplies are at risk.

“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers values the continued partnership and active engagement within our Federal family,” said Chandra S Pathak, Policy Advisor and Senior Engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering and Construction Division. “The new USGS National Water Dashboard is well suited to support the ever-evolving needs for increased hazard risk awareness and mitigation actions toward preparedness and response.

A virtual workshop is set for 1:45 p.m. Oct. 14 to examine opportunities and challenges that communities face as they find new uses for previously flooded parcels.

North Carolina Sea Grant and NOAA Office for Coastal Management are hosting the workshop that provides an opportunity to learn critical lessons from others that can be applied to restoration projects that support community’s new, existing or emerging planning goals.

Attendees will hear from speakers with expertise and experience in floodplain restoration projects and community planning techniques, including identifying barriers, tools, funding and partners.

The workshop is free. Register online by Wednesday.

Panelists include Brandon Love with the city of Lumberton and Gavin Smith with North Carolina State University. There will also be small group discussions.

For more information, contact Katie Mosher with North Carolina Sea Grant at kmosher@ncsu.edu

Update, Sept. 22:

At 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, the North Carolina Department of Transportation announced that N.C. 12 will not reopen Tuesday. The high tide coming in Tuesday morning severely hampering efforts to reopen N.C. 12 on Hatteras and Ocracoke. Crews continue working to clear sand and water off the road. NCDOT expects to reopen N.C. 12 around 2 p.m. Wednesday.

11:30 a.m. update: Unfortunately, the high tide coming in now is severely hampering efforts to reopen Highway 12 on Hatteras and Ocracoke today. Crews continue working to clear sand and water off the road, but we have to push the reopening time back to 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/8amZ28rWsB

— NCDOT NC12 (@NCDOT_NC12) September 22, 2020

Original post follows:

Hurricane Teddy swirling out in the Atlantic has already brought ocean overwash and left deep sand covering several sections of N.C. 12, interrupting travel between Ocracoke and Hatteras this past weekend, effects that continued Monday.

Strong, long-period swell from the distant hurricane arrived over the weekend and will continue along the North Carolina coast through midweek, with the potential for significant beach erosion and dune overwash, according to the Monday morning update from the National Weather Service’s Morehead City/Newport office.

N.C. 12, which was closed on and off to traffic over the weekend because of ocean overwash and deep sand, remains closed as of Monday morning between the Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe and on Ocracoke between the pony pens and the ferry terminal. The North Carolina Department of Transportation expects the sections to be closed until Tuesday.

“The combination of seasonal high tides, strong northeast winds, and long form waves created by Hurricane Teddy has caused ocean conditions that have broken through protective dunes and deposited large amounts of sand and salt water on the road. In some spots, the sand on the highway is 4-to-6 feet deep. However, no structural damage to the road has been observed,” according to NCDOT officials Monday afternoon.

NCDOT crews have been working since Saturday to clear the road while rebuilding dune lines when conditions permit. High tide cycles have slowed or even reversed. NCDOT has around two dozen people, along with a contingent of front-end loaders, excavators and graders working to reopen the road.

NC12 remains CLOSED between the Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe, as well as on Ocracoke between the pony pens and the ferry terminal. Water and deep sand cover several sections of roadway. At this point, we expect these portions of NC12 to remain closed through Tuesday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/Zt40fFba6C

— NCDOT NC12 (@NCDOT_NC12) September 21, 2020

Sunday night’s high tide was the most severe of the event so far, according to NCDOT. Crews began operations to clear the highway at 8 a.m. Monday, but officials expect the next two high tides will produce similar results.

Additionally, NCDOT in a social media post explained that the strong northeast winds are keeping the Pamlico Sound routes from operating, while river levels are too high at Cherry Branch and Bayview and  the N.C. 12 closures have suspended service between Hatteras and Ocracoke.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore reports losing about 80 yards of dunes.

A coastal flood warning remains in effect for the Northern Outer Banks and Hatteras Island until Monday afternoon, but minor coastal flooding will continue for Tuesday’s high tides, according to the National Weather service. The coastal flood advisory has been extended for Pamlico, Southern Craven, Carteret and coastal Onslow counties as well as Ocracoke Island and Core Banks until Tuesday afternoon, with minor flooding forecast at high tide. The advisory for Beaufort and Tyrrell Counties expires Monday night.

A high surf advisory is extended for beaches north of Cape Lookout until Wednesday afternoon and evening. Water levels peak during the high tide cycle this morning and early afternoon.

This includes the Outer Banks north of Oregon Inlet, where impacts have been minimal so far, but the late morning high tide today will bring the greatest threat for ocean overwash and inundation of low lying roads, parking lots, and properties. https://t.co/SLch4TQMGB

— NWS Newport/Morehead (@NWSMoreheadCity) September 21, 2020

The Island Free Press reported that the following areas are especially prone to ocean overwash, and will likely be impacted over the next several high tide cycles:

• South of the Basnight Bridge to the Pea Island Visitor Center
• Mirlo Beach area, on the northern edge of the tri-villages
• South of the Avon Pier along Ocean View Drive
• At the north end of Buxton
• Between Frisco and Hatteras Village
• Along Pole Rd., south of Ramp 55 in Hatteras village
• Along the north end of Ocracoke island

The center of Teddy is forecast to move east of Bermuda Monday before transitioning to a powerful post-tropical cyclone as it moves near or over portions of Atlantic Canada late Tuesday through Thursday.

This story will be updated as needed.

8 a.m. Thursday

Though the chance of the low pressure just off the North Carolina coast developing into a tropical or subtropical cyclone later Thursday is likely, about 80%, the heavy rains are expected to stay off the coast, according to the Thursday morning briefing from the National Weather Service’s Morehead City/Newport office.

There is the chance of brief, tropical downpours Thursday that may produce brief ponding of water in low spots and urban areas.

Wind is expected to be light though there may be a few gusts between 20 and 30 MPH over the Outer Banks, because of the area’s proximity to the storm.

The storm is expected to lift north and east Friday, away from the area.

2 p.m. Wednesday

Eastern North Carolina could see heavy rainfall, gusty winds and minor flooding through Friday.

A low pressure near the coast of northeastern South Carolina Wednesday is expected to move near or just offshore of the Outer Banks Thursday and possibly cause gusty winds, according to the National Weather Service.

The rain is expected to continue through Friday, when the forecast has the system tracking to the north, up the eastern seaboard.

Conditions will likely be conducive for development, and a tropical or subtropical cyclone could form within the next day or so, according to the 2 p.m. Wednesday tropical weather outlook. The low pressure has a high chance, 70%, of development over the next two days and a 70% chance of developing over the next five days.

Reprinted from Carteret County News-Times

CEDAR POINT — Commissioners voted 4-0 Tuesday to adopt a rewrite of the town’s flood damage prevention ordinance for residential structures.

In some cases, maps included in the rewrite will adversely affect property owners by placing their land or homes in classifications that imply higher flood risk.

The board acted during its monthly meeting conducted via Zoom after none of the handful of residents virtually attending the meeting commented during a public hearing.

Town Administrator David Rief explained to the board the town couldn’t change the lines on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 2020 flood insurance maps, which will go into effect June 19.

“There’s nothing we can do about those,” he said.

In particular, he noted some properties in low-lying areas will be required, if destroyed or damaged beyond 50% of their values, to be elevated higher than would be necessary before the new map goes into effect.

Rief said the new map moves some Cedar Point properties into zones that would require elevation of as much as 3 to 4 feet more than the zones they are in now. Others under the new map will move into zones that require elevation by an additional 1 or 2 feet.

For example, he said, some will move from FEMA’s AE-7 zone to the AE-10 zone. AE-7 means a structure must be elevated so its first occupied floor is above the base flood level, which is 7 feet. Base flood elevation is defined as the elevation to which a flood is anticipated to rise during a base flood event. In the AE zones, that is a flood that has a 1% chance of occurring in a given year.

Structures on land that were in FEMA’s AE-7 zone under the current map but are changed to the AE-10 zone under the upcoming map would have to elevate the first habitable floor an additional 3 feet, based on the map changes, if rebuilt or repaired at a cost beyond 50% of value. Similarly, any new structure built in the AE-10 zone would have to be built so its bottom occupied floor is at least 10 feet above base flood level.

“This would affect a lot of residences but there is nothing we can do,” Mr. Rief reiterated.

In addition, the map adds a new FEMA Coastal A zone.

“This will probably have one of the biggest impacts on properties in the town,” Rief said Thursday.

The new zone is an area of “moderate wave action,” according to FEMA. Anything on the water side of the line will have to follow the same restrictions as properties in the VE or high-velocity wave zone, which prohibits solid-wall construction for foundations.

Also, he said, “the elevation requirement (in the Coastal A zone) applies to the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member, usually girders under floor joists, rather than floor level.”

The town planning board earlier this year recommended the commission approve the new ordinance because if the town did not do so, it could not participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, which gives residents the ability to purchase flood insurance.

What this means, Mr. Rief told commissioners is in some places, especially near the water, new homes will be taller than before and old ones will be taller if they must be rebuilt.

He told commissioners they had discretion on a few items in the new ordinance, most notably the height of the “freeboard,” which is the elevation of a building’s lowest floor above the minimum base flood elevation during the initial construction process.

Cedar Point currently requires a freeboard of 2 feet, but FEMA and North Carolina now recommend 4 feet, Mr. Rief said. Towns that adopt higher freeboards can get savings for residents on flood insurance, he said, but it costs more to build or rebuild.

If the town adopted a 4-foot freeboard, he said, that would push the top of some new single-story homes to 26 feet or higher, which he called very tall for a single-story home. It could be especially problematic for new two-story homes since the town has a 40-foot building height limit.

Commissioners stayed with 2 feet, which Rief called a conservative approach.

The board also agreed to an option to require residents to sign agreements not to convert ground-level space to occupied space.

Finally, the town had the option to completely ban the use of fill material on lots but chose not to.

If there is anything to conclude from the recent spate of natural disasters and the coronavirus crisis, it is that data powers action, whether responsive or proactive. Data can illustrate the past, reflect the present and predict the future.

And as Northeastern North Carolina has seen all too clearly, flooding will be much more a feature of its tomorrows than its yesterdays.

That’s why gauges that measure rainfall and stream elevation installed at hundreds of locations in North Carolina, part of the state Flood Inundation Mapping and Alert Network, or FIMAN, remote monitoring stations, have proven to be remarkably useful tools in flood management and climate science.

Working with North Carolina Emergency Management, the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership recently funded three new gauges to increase real-time and projected knowledge of flooding events in the low-lying northeast region.

“The goal is to prevent the loss of life and property,” said Heather Jennings, APNEP program manager.

Jennings said that the partnership provided a total of $80,000 for the three new stations at Far Creek off U.S. 264 in Engelhard in Hyde County, at Pamlico Sound off secondary road SR 304 in Hobucken in Pamlico County and along the Currituck Sound in Mackey Island National Wildlife Refuge in Currituck County. Some of the funds, she added, also went toward solar panel modifications and online software upgrades at other locations.

Upgrades are planned at stations at Rodanthe Harbor, Pungo River, Cedar Island/Pamlico Sound, North Fork of the Alligator River at N.C. 94, Ocracoke Island/Pamlico Sound and Oriental/Neuse River, said Thomas Langan, engineering supervisor in the risk-management section at North Carolina Emergency Management.

The new technology, which includes GOES satellite transmitters, will enable FIMAN to integrate with the National Water Level Observation Network run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, he said.

The Water Level network, which began in the late 19th century, has contributed much to understanding tides and sea level trends.

Each new battery-powered FIMAN station will be equipped with meteorological and cellular transmission technology, a radar water-level sensor, and a solar charging system, all of which jointly collect environmental, hydrological and weather data.

“Water levels in the Albemarle-Pamlico Sound are driven primarily by wind and tidal influx, which results in unpredictable high tides and storm surges during extreme weather events,” according to APNEP. “The impact of these events, including saltwater intrusion of freshwater streams, is expected to increase in occurrence and severity in the future.”

The “FIMAN 1.0” system was launched in the western part of the state shortly after the one-two punch in September 2004 of hurricanes Ivan and Francis, which resulted in major flooding in the mountains, said Langan.

The 2.0 phase incorporates cutting-edge technologies and broadening the system through numerous partnerships including, among others, the state Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA, which owns and operates most of the ocean gauges on the coast.

Of FIMAN’s current total of 394 gauges, Langan said, 375 are “risk-rated” at minor, moderate or major levels in conjunction with local emergency managers and weather service field offices. Including public and private partners, data from more than 550 gauges statewide are fed into the system.

Gary Thompson, state Emergency Management’s assistant director for risk management, said that the state has a “gauge build-out plan” that is guided by “where the impacts are” and is somewhat open-ended.

“Our goal is to get more coverage,” he said.

Although FIMAN broadly uses the term “gauge” — the website is phasing out the alternate spelling of “gage” — the network involves far more than a water-level instrument. The website provides real-time data on elevation levels of streams, rivers and other water bodies, as well as rainfall and weather information. Some gauge locations are limited to only providing rain amounts or water elevation stages while others have the capability to monitor weather data.

But the FIMAN website has pulled together the multiple sources of historical and current flood data and provides different ways to understand the risk, including a preengineered and prebuilt “inundation library” tailored to certain elevation and water levels near gauge stations.

Data is transmitted in the west by radio repeaters and in the east by satellite and is shared with the National Weather Service. Each gauge can be located on a map on the FIMAN site and can be clicked on for specific details.

But the beauty of FIMAN is that it is as useful to the general public as it is to public officials.

An especially impressive satellite mapping tool allows a resident to go to the site, zoom into their neighborhood, and calculate how high the predicted flood levels will go on their property. Information is provided on water depth predictions in each building and estimated damages.

After weather and news outlets began recommending the tool, it has become a go-to site for the public during storm season.

“We had over 40 million hits on the FIMAN during Florence,” Thompson said.

Flood-prone Tyrrell County, which has two gauges on the Scuppernong River and one at the intersection of the North Fork bridge and the Alligator River, posts a link to FIMAN on its website that is shared frequently by residents, said Tyrrell County Emergency Management Coordinator Wesley Hopkins.

“Water level is pretty important to them,” Hopkins said.

Tyrrell is barely above sea level and is surrounded and intersected by sounds, rivers and creeks. FIMAN has given the county a valuable source of data in managing stormwater and flooding.

“It helps out a lot,” Hopkins said, including communication with citizens about the risk. “The interactive map you can bring up of the town you live in and the different scenarios — that’s a pretty good educational tool.”

The network also offers an alert function that people can sign up for that provides a text to their phone with customized risk ratings.

According to the February 2018 state hazard mitigation plan, flooding is North Carolina’s most common environmental hazard.

“Not only does it have many flat and low-lying areas, but it also has lots of coastline in the east and valleys in the western region that are all prone to flooding after heavy rainfall accumulation,” the document said. “Based on historical evidence, it is highly likely (between 66.7 and 100 percent annual probability) that North Carolina will continue to experience flooding events in the future.”

And climate change, the plan said, is expected to increase the risk of impacts from flash flooding and stormwater, especially in the southeastern United States.

Although flooding is not a challenge unique to North Carolina, the state’s expanding and increasingly data-rich flood gauge network is still pretty unique.

“FIMAN is a North Carolina product that we developed in North Carolina,” Thompson said. “But we share what we’re doing. We just had a conference call with Pennsylvania and Iowa (officials.) We also partner with local governments.”

Learn more

• Flood Warning Program Goals

North Carolina can expect large changes in climate by the end of the century, much larger than any time in the state’s history, and it’s very likely that temperatures here will increase substantially during all seasons unless the global increase in heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere is stopped.

Temperatures warmer than historic norms, disruptive flooding from rising seas, increasingly intense and frequent rainstorms and more and more intense hurricanes are “virtually certain” in the next 80 years.

That’s according to an independent, peer-reviewed report released Wednesday by North Carolina State University’s North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies, or NCICS. As a result of hotter temperatures and increased humidity, the state can face public health risks, more frequent and more intense heavy rains from hurricanes and other weather systems, increased flooding in coastal and low-lying areas and severe droughts that are more intense and that will increase the risk of wildfires.

“Increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are most likely causing much, if not all, of the warming that we have observed,” said David R. Easterling, one of the report’s 15 authors, during a press conference Wednesday.

The institute is a multidisciplinary team of experts collaborating in climate and scientific research. The report was assembled, reviewed and revised over the course of eight months beginning in July 2019 and was prepared in response to a request from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality as part of the state’s response to Gov. Roy Cooper’s 2018 Executive Order 80.

While there were no real surprises in the report, which looks at observed and projected climate change in North Carolina and whose findings are consistent with the U.S. National Climate Assessment, it brings the science to the state level and highlights the specific challenges ahead for North Carolina.

The researchers said 2009-2018 was the warmest 10-year period on record in North Carolina.

“It’s about a half degree warmer than the warmest decade in the 20th century, the 1930s, the Dust Bowl era,” Easterling said, adding that as the report was being finalized, 2019 turned out to be the warmest year on record for North Carolina and the second warmest globally.

Also, the past four years saw the largest number of heavy precipitation events on record for the state.

So what does it all mean for folks in coastal North Carolina?

The researchers said government officials should take the report into consideration when planning for new infrastructure, such as roads that will have to be designed to different standards to withstand the climactic changes. Individuals can also do their part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and concentrations.

State Climatologist Kathie Dello, also an author of the report, suggested that North Carolina residents should talk about the report with their friends, families and neighbors.

“There are so many folks who don’t think about climate all day like we do on the panel, and I’ve heard a number of times from folks, ‘This is the first time someone’s talked to me about climate change or projections or what I should expect in my town.’ So, have the conversation. I think it’s really effective and people trust you as a messenger because they know you, they like you and trust you about other things,” Dello said.

“There are so many folks who don’t think about climate all day like we do on the panel, and I’ve heard a number of times from folks, ‘This is the first time someone’s talked to me about climate change or projections or what I should expect in my town.’ So, have the conversation.”

Kathie Dello, State Climatologist

Reide Corbett, director at the Coastal Studies Institute, dean of Integrated Coastal Programs for East Carolina University, and another author of the report, said coastal residents should be thinking about more sustainable growth, not just after disasters such as Hurricane Dorian’s flooding on Ocracoke Island, but also as high-tide, or “sunny day” flooding becomes more and more an everyday occurrence.

“That’s something that, locally, many of the communities need to start thinking about, preparing for and responding to likely after an event,” he said. “I think Ocracoke is a good example where, as they’re rebuilding, they’re considering the storm that they just had and rebuilding to new standards, not rebuilding to what it was in the past.”

Different responses may be necessary along the North Carolina coast, depending on where a community lies.

Sea level is rising 1.8 inches per decade at Duck on the northern Outer Banks, but only at a rate of 0.9 inches per decade at Wilmington on the southern coast because land along the northern coast is settling or subsiding more rapidly.

Also, the southern coast of North Carolina experiences more tropical storms and stronger hurricanes than the northern part of the state does, said Rick Luettich, director of the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City and a report author.

“That trend in and of itself will certainly be sustained,” he said, adding that as global mean sea level rise accelerates, the differences will be increasingly less obvious.

“As sea level rise starts going up faster and faster, that difference will become smaller and smaller,” Luettich said.

While the latest report deals mainly with the science of climate change, a risk assessment and resiliency plan are under review. Subsequent reports will deal with the consequences, such as the effects on agriculture, fisheries and other natural and economic resources and how to address those issues.

The authors agreed that examining the challenges specific to the state is an important step.

“The idea that science is being incorporated into policy in North Carolina is a huge step forward, particularly from a sea level and inundation perspective,” Corbett said. “I’m very pleased with the direction that we’re going and this report is the first step for North Carolina and really using it in developing science-based policy.”

Learn more

• Read a “plain language” summary
• Read the full report

Dare County Planning Board is holding two informational meetings in February about the newly released updated flood maps that will become effective June 19 for the unincorporated areas of the county.

Many properties have been reclassified on the updated flood maps for the county and in many instances at a lower risk flood zone, according to the county.

Planning Director Donna Creef will provide during the meeting an overview of the updated maps, discuss associated concerns and explain proposed regulations for development in unincorporated Dare County being considered.

For more information and to learn more about the flood map update presentation provided to commissioners at the Jan. 6 meeting, visit Dare County Flood Maps.

DARE COUNTY — The disconnect between current flooding reality and the newly released floodplain maps in Dare County, which decrease flood zones by 41%, may be starker than most coastal areas in North Carolina because of the barrier islands’ geology.

But much of the disparity between actual vulnerability and the flood risk reflected in Dare’s pending flood maps relates the timing of data collection and a different interpretation of oceanfront storm surge.

Whatever the reason, the dramatic changes in the updated maps misrepresent the flood risk for property owners in unincorporated Dare County and its six towns, said Dare County Planning Director Donna Creef.

Of the county’s 12,875 properties, the VE, or high-velocity areas such as the oceanfront, will soon number 124 properties, compared with the 1,828 currently, according to a presentation Creef gave to the Dare County Board of Commissioners during its Jan. 6 meeting. Many VE properties will be moved to AE flood zones, which are classified at 4 feet or 8 feet of base flood elevation. In addition, she said, the revised maps decrease current AE zone properties from 12,875 to 8,493. Also, 2,890 properties have been reclassified as shaded X and X zones that do not require federal flood insurance.

“Our concerns are legitimate concerns.”

Donna Creef, Dare County Planning Director

Creef said that when the maps are effective June 19, flood insurance rates will be based on the new maps. That could be a problem if people drop policies, even though their property is still subject to the same risk of flooding.

“Our concerns are legitimate concerns,” Creef said.

The county plans to put a local ordinance in place with appropriate elevation standards for properties in flood areas.

“Houses that have built since 2006 are elevated to levels that did not flood in Hurricane Irene,” she said. “That’s a good benchmark for us.”

But at this point, since the maps are not going to change, and their implementation is certain, the county has stepped up its outreach to citizens with its “Low Risk” is not “No Risk” initiative, including on its website. It is also working with local real estate companies and other community groups to get the word out.

“We’re committed to this,” she said.

Currituck County also had a lot of its properties that were formerly in flood zones moved out of flood zones, said Jason Litteral, the county’s floodplain manager.

“It’s a little odd, obviously, in the climate we are in right now, to reduce the flood zone requirements. It’s kind of counterintuitive.”

Jason Litteral, Currituck County Floodplain Manager

A number of oceanfront properties in Corolla and Carova are no longer in flood risk areas, he said, and there wasn’t any transition in the way they were reclassified.

“It just went straight from the worst flood zone to the best one,” he said. “It’s a little odd, obviously, in the climate we are in right now, to reduce the flood zone requirements. It’s kind of counterintuitive.”

The floodplain program covers the county’s 29-mile ocean coastline and 93.5 miles of riverine shoreline. The new maps, which were finalized in December 2018, had a 89.5% decrease in V zone and a 24.75% increase in A zone properties.

Another impact of the map changes is that much of the property in Carova that is in special Coastal Barrier Resource Act, or CBRA, zones, where federal flood insurance is not available to property owners, will no longer have to carry flood insurance. Despite some concern that it would result in a building boom in flood zones, Litteral said that had not happened. Nor had people in other former flood zones given up their policies en masse.

“We feared that everyone was going to drop their insurance immediately,” he said. “But it’s been nowhere what we anticipated.”

The state was required to use the approved Federal Emergency Management Agency standards and guidelines in creating the updated maps, said Randy Mundt, outreach coordinator with the North Carolina Emergency Management flood mapping section. And the new maps are accurate in that context, he added.

“The coastal flooding processes for FEMA’s models that are required to be used do not factor in rainfall,” Mundt explained. “They only factor storm surge and wave action associated with coastal storm events.”

But the maps, which are updated every 10 years or so, have different levels of accuracy in different parts of the state. And Dare County has a dynamic coastline that is more vulnerable to the effects of changing sea levels than the rest of the state.

“All modeling has to be based on existing data when we initiate the study,” Tom Langan, Engineering Supervisor North Carolina Emergency Management flood mapping section, explained in a recent telephone interview.

Since the storm surge modeling started around 2010, data from hurricanes Irene in August 2011, Matthew in September 2016, or Florence in September 2018, were not included. But those storms created significant flooding and/or storm surge on the Outer Banks.

Prior to the new maps, Dare’s flood maps had used a 1981 surge study as the base for its updated wave modeling. In the old model, surge primarily looked at wave action, while the new maps look at the influence of the primary frontal dune on the wave action. Rather than the paper topographical maps, the new coastal study used digital LIDAR, or light detection and ranging, which provides more accurate ground elevations.

The state is encouraging communities to use their own experience and expertise to set appropriate flood zone standards.

“Flood risk is not uniform across the United States, nor in North Carolina,” Mundt said. “If you think you’re in an area that is flood prone, you should maintain or purchase flood insurance.”

Learn more

• Coastal Flood Hazard Analysis
• Primary Frontal Dunes Fact Sheet
• Storm Surge Study Methodology
•  FEMA Coastal Risk Analysis and Mapping Fact Sheet

PINE KNOLL SHORES — The North Carolina Coastal Federation and officials in Pine Knoll Shores are set embark next year on a project to reduce flooding in town and protect water quality.

Portions of the east end of town frequently flood after heavy rains. The high water table coupled with impervious roads and driveways reduce the amount of rain that can soak into the ground. Instead, the water ponds and causes localized flooding.

The project funded with a grant from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund will include installation of an engineered system of pumps and drainage lines to lower the water table so stormwater can soak into the sandy soils below.

“Pine Knoll Shores is excited to work with the federation to move water off our streets in an efficient and environmentally sound way,” said Brian Kramer, the town manager. “This is really important to us.”

The project is designed to restore the soil’s infiltration capacity during average rainstorms by using the golf course ponds at the Country Club of the Crystal Coast in town to temporarily store runoff and then direct it to a sand filter where it can soak into the ground. By lowering the water table prior to predicted storms flooding will be reduced, according to the federation, rather than the current management approach of pumping floodwater to the sound.

“The project greatly improves resilience and environmental stewardship by increased infiltration of stormwater runoff during normal rain events and enhancing the ability of the Town to pump stormwater from flooding areas during tropical storm events to stormwater ponds or infiltration basins,” project engineer Larry Sneeden said in a statement.

“The goal of the project is to decrease instances of flooding, and in turn the need to pump water into Bogue Sound. This will reduce the amount of bacteria infected stormwater reaching the sound. We’re excited to be involved with a project that seeks to solve a problem facing many barrier island communities,” Bree Charron, coastal specialist for the federation, said in a statement. “The Town of Pine Knoll Shores has been extremely proactive in tackling stormwater issues that will benefit water quality.”

The project is intended to help in implementing the town’s watershed restoration plan that the N.C. Division of Water Resources approved earlier this year. The plan provides a roadmap for reducing the effects of stormwater runoff throughout the community.

The project team will be working on the final stormwater system design this winter and build the project in 2020.

Learn more

• For more information on the federation’s work to improve water quality, visit nccoast.org/stormwater or contact Bree Charron at breet@nccoast.org or 252-393-8185.

MANTEO — Ditches, swales and culverts, once the dullest of public topics, have become of urgent interest on Roanoke Island, where last summer’s epic rainstorm spurred Dare County to consider construction of its first engineered stormwater management project.

A new study of drainage infrastructure in the most affected neighborhoods on the island’s north end reveals that long-term fixes would not be easily, cheaply or quickly addressed.

Recommendations proposed in a three-phase project by Raleigh-based firm Moffatt & Nichol would cost about $2.6 million, not including engineering and easement acquisitions.

More than 15 inches of rain fell during a 10-day stretch in July 2018 on the north end of the island, flooding yards, homes and roads with increasingly wretched water for weeks, even months.

“The water didn’t have anywhere to go,” Ryan Smith, an engineer with Raleigh-based firm Moffatt & Nichol, said to 50 or so residents at a community meeting held last month in Manteo. “So it’s not just about depth; it’s about duration.”

Although Dare County has not yet done such comprehensive drainage improvements in its unincorporated communities, the increased flooding on the Outer Banks likely ensures that stormwater management projects will be a budget item for years to come.

Other flood-prone areas the county identified include Fernando, California and Scarborough streets on the west side of Roanoke Island; Tower Lane and Colington Road on Colington Island; Old Lighthouse Road in Buxton; and the mainland communities of East Lake and Stumpy Point.

But with most roads, roadside ditches and culverts under the jurisdiction of the North Carolina Department of Transportation, it has been difficult for the county to address drainage issues, county manager Bobby Outten said in an interview.

Outten said that if the county goes forward with the Roanoke Island work, it will require commitment from property owners, who will be expected to chip in a share of costs.

“We’ve got to sort through all of this stuff,” he said. “This is the first step in what is going to be a complicated process.”

With color-coded maps showing before-and-after water depths displayed on screens, Smith said the firm’s analysis, prepared for the state Department of Transportation at the request of Dare County, found that much of the drainage infrastructure in the approximately 1,000-acre, or 1.5-square-mile, study area was inadequate: too old, too small, too clogged or too shallow to handle the estimated 50 million cubic feet of rain that fell.

Some water drained into neighbors’ yards from more elevated homes and property. Some water spilled over from creeks and ditches. Some water just sat several feet deep on top of waterlogged land.

“We were prepared for the rain event, and we sandbagged our garage,” said Kimberly Head, who lives with her husband and four children in the Brakewood subdivision. “But then the water came through our vents. The water was almost up to our hips in some places.”

Responding to an outcry from residents after the storm, the county pumped 1.5 million gallons of water from affected areas, at a cost of $50,000. The North Carolina Forest Service pumped an additional 1.4 million gallons. The county has split the cost of the study – about $50,000 – with NCDOT.

According to data from the National Oceanic Administration, 15 inches of rain fell on Roanoke Island in July 2018. Of that, 14 inches fell during the last 10 days of the month. As far as categorizing that volume of rain – an estimated 50 million cubic feet – it would be considered midway between a 50-year and a 100-year storm, Smith said in a later interview.

Modeling in the report, however, was calculated for 10-year and 25-year storms. The different span of years is based on data that represents the likelihood of a storm of a certain magnitude to occur within the specified time period. For instance, a 10-year event has a 10% chance of occurring in any single year. It does not mean that it happens every 10 years.

But to the confusion of many, so-called 50- and even 100-year storms seem to be coming every few years.

“They certainly have been happening more often lately,” Smith said of the large rain events. “Whether they’ll continue to happen more often is something that people debate.”

NCDOT chose the study area around the Airport Road and Brakewood neighborhoods based on where the most flooding had been observed, Smith said.

Recommendations in the report include replacing existing pipes and culverts – pipes under roads or driveways – with larger ones; adding roadside and surface ditches, grading or excavating high spots, which will prevent water from being trapped and allow it drain to an outlet; installing erosion-control blankets – a degradable or removable covering – to stabilize grass growth over newly graded areas.

Another option would be to create a natural sand bed, freshwater creek with habitat features and a riparian buffer or flood plain. Although this option requires more area, it would also need minimal maintenance and would be environmentally friendly. The bonus of constructing a natural channel, Smith added, is that it would be more likely to qualify for grants from the state Clean Water Management Trust Fund or the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

“It would not reduce the drainage going into the sound, but it would improve water quality,” he said.

Engineering costs would be expected to be about 10% of the estimated construction costs, Smith said. There would also be additional costs to acquire easements from property owners, which are based on tax value.

Elevation in the study area ranged from below sea level at the downstream end of the creek to as high as 78 feet on the north end of U.S. 64, Smith said. The water table is generally high, and more so in low-lying areas.

Despite widespread flooding in the Roanoke Island neighborhoods, combined with the potential of more intense rainstorms, Smith said the data and engineering indicate that flooding can be managed.

“This is just a study-level analysis,” Smith said. “But the modeling that took place to come up with these systems is very sophisticated.”

By improving the capacity of the infrastructure and the storage in the soil, drainage flow can be restored.

“I think it can be and I think the type of solutions we address in the study would help,” he said. “It won’t flood and sit there 2 feet deep.”

Still, some areas present tougher challenges. For instance, Head said that even though her home’s property is like a bowl, it is not in a flood zone. No houses in her neighborhood are built on pilings.

“We’re an island that should be prepared,” she said. “I don’t think proper planning (for flooding) did occur. But my husband and I didn’t think about that. We looked at the ‘X’ flood zone.”

Flood Zone X on newer National Flood Insurance rate maps indicate a minimal to moderate flood risk, whereas on older maps it was understood to mean not a flood zone.

When the couple purchased the three-bedroom, two-bath house in 2015, Head recalled, flooding was not mentioned. But by the following year, their home had been inundated by 17 inches of rain during Hurricane Matthew and has also been flooded in subsequent storms.

Neighbors have since told her that her house had flooded several times before they bought it, she said.

“There is no way for us to drain our property,” said Head, a military retiree. “It would have to be pumped, or we’d have to move the house.”

Even before last year’s rainstorm, the Heads had applied to a Federal Emergency Management Agency program to have their home elevated 4 feet. Meanwhile, Head said the family is still dealing with effects from flooding, including mold damage, while coping with serious health issues for herself and her daughter.

“I would like to sell my home, but I won’t lie,” she said. “Trees are dying. All the bushes died. During (Hurricane) Dorian, five trees came down.”

But she’s keeping the house listed in hopes that another buyer could find a solution.

“I can’t take the anxiety of it,” she said of the flooding. “I am determined to enjoy life. I am an upbeat person, but every time it rains, or there’s a hurricane out there, it’s very stressful.”

Although Head said the report is “great,” she knows that the process will take time – and work near her property would be at the end of line.

“I hope that the county embraces this and moves forward quickly,” she said. “But I have my doubts. Phase III is a long ways away.”