The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Flood Resiliency Blueprint (Blueprint) is working with North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) to implement infrastructure projects to reduce flooding and associated damaged. DEQ is providing over $3.9 million for three NCEM projects that will target flooding in Greenville, Fayetteville and Sanford.
“We know that storms will keep coming with increasing frequency and intensity, and it’s critical that we build more resiliently,” said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “Our partnership with NC Emergency Management on these projects will help reduce flooding and damage and make North Carolina a safer place for people to live, work, and raise a family.”
DEQ is partnering with NCEM to leverage its ongoing work as part of the Disaster Relief and Mitigation Grant Program. The partnership allows DEQ to quickly fund effective projects through an existing grant program with a proven track record of project implementation and long-term sustainability.
“The partnership between North Carolina Emergency Management, the Department of Environmental Quality, and these local communities to implement these infrastructure projects is a great example of how utilizing a whole of community approach can mitigate flooding issues at the local level and build stronger, more resilient communities” said NC Emergency Management Director Will Ray.
The following flood reduction projects are supported by this funding:
- The City of Greenville will implement drainage improvements and stream restoration at the East Firetower Road project. The flood resiliency project, located in the Tar-Pamlico River Basin, includes improving culverts and using nature-based solutions to mitigate flood risk to nearby communities. DEQ’s Blueprint is providing $1.5 million.
- The City of Fayetteville is tackling ongoing flooding near Eutaw Creek, a tributary to Little Cross Creek in the Cape Fear River Basin. The project will reduce flooding risk for a highly vulnerable residential area by improving culverts to alleviate upstream flooding. DEQ is providing $910,000 through the Flood Resiliency Blueprint.
- The City of Sanford will construct two box culverts and restore streams where Little Buffalo Creek crosses under Weatherspoon Street in the Cape Fear River Basin. The surrounding communities experience significant flooding during moderate to heavy rain events. The project will help reduce flooding and provide benefit to nearby residents and businesses. DEQ's Blueprint is providing $1.5 million.
This effort results from the North Carolina General Assembly’s funding allocation of $96 million for flood resiliency projects in six priority river basins: Cape Fear, French Broad, Lumber, Neuse, Tar-Pamlico and White Oak. DEQ's Blueprint team is developing similar partnerships with other state agencies and local governments, focused on a wide range of flood resiliency projects.
In 2021, the North Carolina General Assembly directed the DEQ Division of Mitigation Services to develop a statewide Flood Resiliency Blueprint. The Blueprint is intended to serve as the backbone of North Carolina's flood resiliency planning. It is based on the best available science and stakeholder engagement and has produced sound decision-making and actionable projects. The goal is to make North Carolina more resilient to flooding disasters, by limiting the extent and severity of flooding and by building systems that allow communities to recover more quickly and limit future risk. The Blueprint team has developed a decision support tool to help local and state government, agencies and non-governmental partners develop, evaluate and prioritize resilience actions as well as plan and marshal funding to implement those priorities.
North Carolina Emergency Management works to enhance the state's resiliency by actively collaborating, communicating and coordinating to prevent, mitigate, respond and recover from disasters. The agency deploys state resources when needed, and coordinates with neighboring states and the federal government to augment staffing and resources. NCEM also administers state and federal grants, manages multi-agency response to disasters, oversees all hazards and threat risk management, coordinates regional hazard mitigation plans, facilitates trainings and exercises, and manages assets such as the regional hazmat response and search-and-rescue teams. In addition, the agency develops and maintains flood maps for each county in North Carolina and maintains the official survey database for the state. NCEM also manages the state's Homeland Security program.