Here’s how NC can make itself a model for flood resilience

Five years ago on Oct. 8, Hurricane Matthew pounded North Carolina, killing 25 people and upending the lives of thousands. Unfortunately, Matthew wasn’t an anomaly.

In three of the past five years, a major hurricane has hit North Carolina. Though these storms may briefly make headlines, the communities affected face a much longer recovery.

As the country faces another active hurricane season, small rural communities — like those hit by Matthew — continue to face record rains. Fortunately, we can change this: With the right long-term approach, N.C. communities can recover faster and be better prepared for the next disaster.

That’s why we’re pushing for historic investments through the state budget in risk assessment, planning, projects and support to local communities to prepare for flood disasters in the future.

This would be North Carolina’s largest statewide investment to address flooding, and we’re excited that the N.C. House led on the inclusion of resilience as a budget priority.

Here’s how the funding will play out across the state:

For communities and individuals to address flooding, they must first understand their true flood risk, so they can make informed decisions on how to protect themselves.

As we saw with Hurricane Matthew in 2016, record rainfall fell across the state — not just the coast but inland as well. Rivers rose to record levels, with flooding extending into areas that many residents thought were free from danger. And two years later, record rainfall from Hurricane Florence flooded communities once again across eastern and southeastern North Carolina.

To deal with such wide-reaching impacts, communities must have a plan for protecting properties. The state budget includes a flood resilience blueprint, which would identify and prioritize projects for our most at-risk watersheds, like those in the Neuse River Basin, and provide communities with information to make decisions.

Once communities understand their risk, they need funding for smart investments. Unfortunately, the areas hit hardest by flooding, as was the case with Matthew, are often communities without means to prepare for or recover from such events.

For smaller, rural communities, like Fair Bluff and Seven Springs, recoveries can be long and unwieldy. Delayed disaster aid and misguided policy — combined with the impacts of additional storms — create binds that take years to untangle.

Fortunately, the state has resources to jump-start recoveries and rebuild better and stronger after disasters thanks to responsible budgeting by the state legislature over the past decade.

Such investments not only make local communities more resilient, they also boost the economy. Research by the American Flood Coalition and Johns Hopkins University finds that every $1 million invested in North Carolina can create 42 jobs.

Five years ago, Hurricane Matthew exposed the critical need for a comprehensive strategy to address flooding and make the state more resilient before the next disaster. We’re confident that, with the state’s investment in resilience, North Carolina can lead the way on flood resilience and be a model for the rest of the country. Together we can create a more resilient, secure, and prosperous future for North Carolina.

This story was originally published October 8, 2021 at 5:00 AM.