FLOOD05331

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Hazard Mitigation in North Carolina
• Date: 1/1/1995
• Prepared For: State of North Carolina
• Prepared By: North Carolina Emergency Mmanagement Division
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Mitigation/Flood Warning/Watershed Restoration

ability of future generations to meet their own needs,' Hazard mitigation is an important variable in the
concept of sustain ability. Communities can enhance sustainability by:

. siting their buildings and infrJSlructure in areas that are not hazard. prone

. using design and construction techniques that strengthen buildings and infrJStructure
against the foru'S of ;;ind, water, and groundshaking

. promoting sustainable businesses that are able to function follOlving a disaster

. promoting sustainable agriculture that incorporates the principles of hazard mitigation
into all facets of agricultural production

. conserving natural resources, including beacbes and dunes, floodplains, and riparian
areas, all of which play important, stabilizing roles in the ecosystem and serve as natural
buffers

North Carolina's Initiative to Incorporate Principlcs
of Sustainability into Redevelopment Strategies

One of the driving forces of the post-Hurricane Floyd planning and redevelopment efforts is the recognition
that exposure to natural hazards is an important dimension of the sustainability of cities and communities,
Furthennore, the principles and practice of hazard mitigation and sustainable
development are becoming embedded in state policies and programs.

ONE OF THE DRIVING FORCES

OF THE POST.HuRRICANE

FLOYD PLANNING AND REDE-

VELOPMENT EFFORTS IS THE

RECOGNITION THAT EXPOSURE

TO NATURAL HAZARDS IS AN

IMPORTANT DIMENSION OF

THE SUSTAINABILITY OF

CITIES AND COMMUNITIES.

The Governor's Quality Gro;;1h Task Force, for example, is examining the role and
impact of state programs on land use and development patterns, environmental
quality, and the exposure - and resilience - of communities to natural hazards.

The NCEMD, for its part, is encouraging redevelopment that "ill result in
communities that are more resilient to future natural disasters, and also have a
higher quality of life, The Mitigation Section has formulated a set of guiding
principles for redevelopment in eastern North Carolina which has been ;;idely
disseminated to policy makers, planners, administrators of federal and state
disaster assistance, local officials, business O;;l1ers, and others involved in the
rebuilding process. These principles are modeled after the goals established by
the President's Council on Sustainable Development in the report Sustainable
America: A New ConsensllS (I996) and include such goals as economic
prosperity, social equity, safe and affordable housing, efficient public infrastruc.
ture, conservation of nature, and the reduction of risk to natural hazards,

Persllective of Urban and Regional Planners

The state's leadership in the field of urban and regional planning - nationally recognized for its expertise in
hazard mitigation and sustainable development - has entered the dialogue of community sustainability and
disaster resistance. In a letter to Governor Hunt, the group has advanced four principles to guide short-tenn
disaster recovery and redevelopment'

Relocate or protect critical facilities located within floodplains. Critical facilities will be either relocated
from the fioodplain or, where this is not feasible, protected by floodproofing these facilities, Critical facilities
include public and private utilities ,ital to pro,iding community services; police and fire stations; electricai
generation facilities; emergency operations and response centers; hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes; and
emergency shelters and evacuation routes,

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