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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />"In Charlotte. we have harnessed the power of GIS (Geographic Information <br />Systems) to inventory and monitor the status of the 1700 structures and $350 <br />million inJlood-prone properties that we have in the county, The next step is <br />to utilize our modeling capabilities. and keep a running total of losses averted <br />(achieved through acquisition, elevations, and other mitigation techniques) <br />following storms and flooding, It is important to be able to demonstrate to <br />local government and business - in hard numbers - the cost savings from <br />mitigation, We want to track that $350 million number. until theoretically it <br />is reduced to zero, " <br />- W. Dave Canaan, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services <br />and Project Impact Coordinator, March, 23, 1999 <br /> <br />Assessing Community Vulnerability. The first twO steps in the mitigation plan- <br />ning process are to identify and analyze the hazards that pose threats, including <br />their frequency, strength, location, and impacts, and ro facror them into an assess- <br />ment of community vulnerability,'9 In recent years, hazard identification and <br />vulnerability assessment have evolved into increasingly sophisticated processes, <br />aided by technology tools such as GIS, <br /> <br />There are many dimensions to vulnerability: economic, environmental, ecological, <br />social, and physical. For example, as the economy becomes increasingly depen- <br />dent on technology for day,ro-day transactions, naturai and human,caused hazards <br />can have major economic consequences for <br />businesses and government agencies, "atural <br />hazards cause significant environmental and <br />ecological consequences, as demonstrated by <br />the severe erosion problems that occurred <br />following Hurricane Fran, Natural hazards can <br />also expose social vulnerabilities, as evidenced <br />by Fran's impact on low-income groups in <br />Kinston~Lenoir County. <br /> <br />. establish a "vulnerability baseline" for a community, against which progress <br />toward reducing or stabiliZIng risk can be measured: <br /> <br />. bring together key discipline specialists (engineers, planners, elected officials, <br />homebuilders, economists, and others) to assess vulnerability and identify <br />mitigation actions: and <br /> <br />. forecast future vulnerability of citizens and businesses, and to design compre- <br />hensive policies to incorporate the principles of hazard mitigation and sustain- <br />able development. <br /> <br />If properly used, vulnerability assessment can <br />be a powerful tool to galvanize support and to <br />promote an understanding of community risk, <br />More specifically, vulnerability assessment can <br />be used to: <br /> <br />Part Two: Mitigation Success Stories <br /> <br />Storm surge from Hurricane Fran had a major <br />impact on l'v'ew Hanover County. <br /> <br />.. <br /> <br />~ ~::"::..:~~,:::~~::,:;:~-!~~- <br />