After Hurricane Matthew, state leaders directed funds to areas that saw extensive destruction and established the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency. This office administers Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds and runs programs to build local capacity for resilience. Renewed state-level leadership in the legislature and Governor’s office, like the $20 million Flood Resiliency Blueprint, indicates a greater focus on holistic flood planning in the state.
Highlights
- In 2020, the state’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency established the North Carolina Resilient Communities Program, which provides technical assistance and funds for planning and carrying out resilience projects.
- North Carolina has advanced several objectives outlined in its Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan: Convening an interagency resilience team, establishing programs to build local resilience, and incorporating risk assessments into its 2023 Enhanced State Hazard Mitigation Plan.
What to watch
- In 2023, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality started developing the Flood Resiliency Blueprint, which will assess flood risk of the most at-risk watersheds, lay out a statewide plan for projects and funding, and provide communities with information to make decisions, drive investments, and jumpstart projects.
