Mitigating compound coastal water hazards in Eastern North Carolina

Abstract

Eastern North Carolina (ENC), a predominantly rural region, experiences the intersection of fluvial, pluvial, and tidal flooding, which leads to complex and impactful outcomes. Managing these, often compounding, hazards is challenging, especially as climate change drivers, such as sea-level rise and more intense storms will likely lead to a greater incidence of compound coastal water events (CCWE). Using data from focus group interviews conducted with 41 planners and emergency managers, we examine the mitigation approaches pursued by rural counties in ENC located along the coast and those adjacent to it that share estuarine environments or linked riverine systems. Findings show that communities seek funding to clear streams and channels, to implement buyouts and elevation projects and for infrastructure maintenance. Communities also undertake floodplain management to minimize flood exposure while facing several barriers to adequate mitigation.

Keywords:

• hazard mitigation
• compound event
• flooding
• rural resilience
• climate change

Acknowledgments

The authors are deeply grateful to our project partner, the Mid-East Commission in North Carolina, for helping us to connect with ENC communities. Moreover, the focus group workshop would not have been possible without the help of graduate students from the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment and the Department of Coastal Studies at ECU.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Program Office Grant # NA19OAR4310312.