The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) today announced the online availability of the updated Resilient Coastal Communities Program’s (RCCP) Planning Handbook in English and Spanish.
The RCCP Handbook, created as part of the program launch in 2021, is a resource for communities and contractors participating in Phases 1 and 2 of the RCCP process. Important existing data, tools and resources are incorporated throughout the program handbook to assist with the process. Additionally, specific program requirements are identified throughout the document.
Following the inaugural Phases 1 and 2 in early 2021, DCM staff along with partners at The Nature Conservancy, N.C. Sea Grant, and the N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency evaluated the program and identified areas for improvement. One of the areas identified was the RCCP Planning Handbook.
"The continual update to the RCCP Planning Handbook will ensure the most up-to-date data and tools are available in order to better serve our local governments and the community as the framework for coastal resilience continues to evolve,” said Mackenzie Todd, coastal resiliency coordinator for the Division of Coastal Management.
The RCCP serves to support communities in developing and implementing locally driven resilience strategies, and implementing projects or activities which reduce the impacts of coastal hazards like flooding and storms. This initiative provides funding to local governments to help overcome barriers in coastal resilience and adaptation planning, boost local government capacity, and support a proactive, sustainable and equitable approach to coastal resilience planning and project implementation.
The RCCP receives funding from a combination of state and federal sources.
For more information about the Resilient Coastal Communities program and to find a copy of the Planning Handbook, visit the DCM website.
The North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, a division of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, works to protect, conserve and manage North Carolina's coastal resources in the 20 coastal counties.
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