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Figure 2.1 One of the most important elements of a long-term strategy to create sustainable commu- nities is housing .'Ulnerability reduction, 22 more, nearly one-half of these flood-damaged and uninsured homes were occupied by low-income house- holds,' Lack of flood insurance coverage is a statl~vide problem, Of the 175,520 properties that are located in floodplains in North Carolina, only 60,040 are covered by flood insurance (FE~L~):' Vulnerability of Population Hurricane Floyd impacted a vulnerable population, The region has a higher than average poverty rate. Of the 67 counties that were most affected by Floyd, five counties have poverty rates as much as 15 to 20 percent higher that the state's average' The region is also culturally diverse, Thirty-two of the 67 counties have minority populations above the state average, with five counties haling more than 60 percent minority population, Among the groups represenled in the 67 county region: the Lumbee Indian tribe in Robeson County; a Korean and Haitian community in Wayne and Jones counties; and a substantialllispanic popuiation dispersed throughout the area, One of the challenges facing ;>\orth Carolina is to rebuild these communities outside the flood-hazard areas, yet in a manner that preserves cultural identity. Vulnerability of Infrastructure The tenn "housing," in the broadest sense, includes the supporting services, which enable families and communities to carry out their routines at home and the workplace on a day-la-day basis, During Hurricane Floyd, housing recovery was hampered by damages to wastewater treatmenl plants, roads, electric power and other lital services, In summary, Hurricane Floyd caused unprecedented damages to houses, businesses and infrastructure in eastern North Carolina, Arguably, one of the most important elements of a long-tenn strategy to create sustainable communities in ;>\orth Carolina is housing vulnerability reduclion,