The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) received nearly $2M from the National Fish and Wildlife’s National Coastal Resilience Fund for resiliency planning through the Resilient Coastal Communities Program (RCCP).
Since 2021, the RCCP has assisted 41 communities in developing resilience strategies to pinpoint vulnerable critical assets, natural infrastructure and populations. This award will continue to fund the RCCP planning process while expanding upon these strategies, leveraging funding to engage communities in Phases 1 and 2 of the RCCP while weaving resiliency into their Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) Land Use Plans.
“DEQ continues to provide resiliency funding and tools to local governments along the coast that support projects to prepare and produce sustainable coastal communities,” said Secretary Mary Penny Kelley. “This additional funding supports the work to advance the state’s resiliency goals and address climate change under Governor Cooper’s leadership.”
Given that many existing land use plans are outdated and typically only designed to be relevant for up to 20 years, the RCCP aligns with the growing demand in North Carolina for updated land use plans to better anticipate future development. By incorporating resiliency into new and existing land use plans, DCM aims to modernize planning with a resilience-focused framework, steering sustainable development and laying the groundwork for resilient growth.
This recent funding will help communities to complete Phases 1 and 2 of the RCCP and develop a land use plan that incorporates future hazards and their impact on residents and the natural and built environment. The plans will include resilience policies and projects focusing on high-vulnerability areas. Communities will then use these plans to direct the development of regulations and drive public investments into the future.
The RCCP operates in four phases:
1) Community Engagement and Risk & Vulnerability Assessment
2) Planning, Project Selection, and Prioritization
3) Project Engineering and Design
4) Implementation
The RCCP receives funding from a combination of state and federal sources. For more information about the Resilient Coastal Communities Program, visit the DCM website.