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<br />
<br />As one key participant observed:
<br />"We have to look at this holistically. andfrom a regional watershed perspec-
<br />tive, Floodwaters and water quality problems do not recognize state bound-
<br />aries, Our strategy has been to pull in non'traditional partners, particularly
<br />non-profits, to pool and integrate resources to achieve multiple
<br />objectives, ..and to do this in a phased approach..
<br />- Jim Byrne, Resource Director,
<br />Boone Housing Authority, March 2, 1999
<br />
<br />
<br />The New River, which flows through Boone, has recently been designated by the
<br />federal government as one of the nation's first American Heritage Rivers, This
<br />initiative was created to promote sustainable development in watersheds across the
<br />country through improved access to Federal funding and technical assistance, The
<br />New River watershed plan involves 21 counties in North Carolina, Virginia, and
<br />West Virginia, and is the culmination of cooperative efforts among the Conserva-
<br />tion Fund, FEMA, NCEMD, U,S, Army Corps of Engineers, the Town of Boone,
<br />Canaan Valley Institute, and other agencies and organizations, A central compo-
<br />nent of the regional plan involves development of a multi-state hazard mitigation
<br />plan, the First in North Carolina and only one of a Few in the u.s,
<br />
<br />Boone has made remarkable progress in the past decade in marshalling technical
<br />expertise; tapping and linking state and Federal Funding sources to develop multi-
<br />objective programs; building coalitions at the local, state, and watershed levels; and
<br />in developing a cohesive, integrated strategy to apply these resources and expertise
<br />to reduce the vulnerability of Boone to floods and other hazards,
<br />
<br />Boone's Four-term mayor adds a bit of levity in assessing Boone's mitigation
<br />successes of the past several years:
<br />"", we have made progress, to be sure, but we are still paving over too much
<br />of Boone, And draining four JO}oot barrels into a single culvert is going to
<br />create problems.. ,but in the final analysis, I think one of the keys to our
<br />success is that we have much better data and higher quality information with
<br />which to base our decisions, so that we can at least make informed choices on
<br />some very complex issues, This is importanl. because we can't impose
<br />solutions on the publIC,"
<br />
<br />- Velma Burnley, Mayor, March 2, 1999
<br />
<br />The next mitigation success story examines the experience of Kinston-Lenoir
<br />County, a community that is radically diFFerent from Boone in virtually every sense
<br />- economically, demographically, and socially
<br />
<br />_A~:t~~!'~;!";;+1";;i::":~:'
<br />
<br />""""'''''''2_,,,,,,,,_,,,..,,,,,,,,_,,,,,,,,,,.* ""
<br />
<br />M'
<br />
<br />August 1999
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