N.C. State CDDL to develop floodprint for Whiteville and other communities

RALEIGH, N.C. (WECT) - The N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency will be funding the N.C. State Coastal Dynamics Design Lab (CDDL) to create five new community floodprints in the next three years. CDDL creates floodprints as a planning approach which takes local environmental factors into account.

Whiteville will be the first of five new floodprints to be developed in various North Carolina communities. Previous floodprint reports include two for Lumberton, one for Princeville and one for Pollocksville.

The floodprints are built to help build resiliency and guide planning in communities acutely affected by severe weather such as hurricanes Matthew and Florence. NCORR Director Laura Hogshead writes in a release, “We have already seen positive outcomes from the development of floodprints and refer to them when determining local needs for disaster recovery and community resilience.”

Per a NCORR release, these floodprints provide both an outline of the current state of the community alongside more specific recommendations for minimizing weather damage. CDDL tailors its plans to the communities it serves with input from the people who live there.

Floodprints compliment the NCORR’s Strategic Buyout Program which allows property owners in high-risk areas to sell their properties and relocate. With the property bought, it is cleared out for greenspace and maintained local jurisdictions.

Funding for the collaboration comes from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation funds.

The N.C. State Coastal Dynamics Design Lab is a collaboration between designers, researchers and educators by the N.C. State University College of Design.