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through the H~1PI, a voluntary, incentive-based, outcome,directed program that is guided by three closely related objectives: (1) reduce community vulnerability to natural hazards; (2) promote sustainable development: and (3) provide a model for future HMPI participants, In partnership with the Department of City and Regional Plannmg at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the NCEMD developed a series of publications and outreach initiatives to guide communities through a step,by-step planning process, The outcome is a comprehensive mitigation strategy tailored to each community's unique features (political, economic, social, hazard vulnerability, and exposure), A defining characteristic of the HMPI is the link between comprehensive mitigation planning and sustainable development, The common denominator is the recogni- tion that lOCal government needs to take the lead in developing and implementing policies and initiatives to institmionalize mitigation and sustainable development in a "bottom-up," community,based approach that actively involves the business community Charlotte-Mecklenburg County, Boone, Wilmington-New Hanover County, and Kinston-Lenoir County - four of II pilot HMPI communities - are profiled in this report. Hazard Avoidance Strategies A second category of mitigation tools is designed to remove threatened structures from hazard-prone areas, Two types of hazard avoidance strategies have been used in Nor~h Carolina to minimize potential losses, particularly from fioods: (I) acquisi- tion or relocation of hazard-prone structures and areas, and (2) land use planning, Acquisition of Hazard-Prone Structures and Areas. Acquisition or "buyout" of structures and areas is a central element of North Carolina's mitigation strategy, One community featured in Hazard Mitigation Successes - Kinston-Lenoir County - has embarked on a buyout program that is among the most ambitious and poten- tially far,reaching of any in the nation, Floodplain acquisition offers twO key advantages: . Buyouts permanently reduce or elimi- nate susceptibility to future flood damage in high-risk areas: and . Acquisition can help achieve Q(her flood management goals (e.g.. increasing Floodplain storage capacity). natura] resource conservation goals (e.g., preservation of ecologically imporranr \\.'etlands, estuarine ecosystems. and beachfront areas), and community goals (e,g.. provision of affordable housing, open space. and parks). Homes relocated to higher ground in Boone. ~4';__ Part One: Hazard Mitigation and Sustainable Communities . ."W...", !Ufi .. ,~;. ~"~"">Y<4.d/'''*'///.;'~'', ..... '.", ::::""",,,y<,,=-