On March 24, 2020, the North Carolina Division of Water Resources awarded $22 million to 13 coastal towns and counties to help them continue their recovery from 2018’s Hurricane Florence, in part by restoring waterways, beaches and dunes.
“Coastal communities are still in the rebuilding and recovery phase more than a year after Hurricane Florence left its devastating impact,” said Michael Regan, Secretary of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.
“These funds will help rebuild coastal communities, and strengthen North Carolina’s economy at a time when we need it most,” he added.
The Division awarded grants to the following local governments for projects that will mitigate coastal storm damage to beaches and dune systems.
- Carteret County (Atlantic Beach, Pine Knoll Shores, Indian Beach, Salter Path, and Emerald Isle) received $15,342,623
- Oak Island received $3,157,376
The division awarded grants to the following local governments to conduct surveys of beaches and channels for Hurricane Florence related damage and to assess disposal areas for dredged material.
- Bald head Island received $54,907
- Oak Island received $63,549
- Kill Devil Hills received $12,047
- Holden Beach received $21,264
- Dare County received $1,400
- Bogue Banks received $126,800
- North Topsail Beach received $71,838.32
Topsail Island storm mitigation grants have also been provided to the town of North Topsail Beach ($1.6 million) and the town of Surf City ($1.6 million) for hurricane recovery projects.
Funding for the projects came from the General Assembly during the 2018 Session. Staff with the state Division of Water Resources reviewed the coastal storm damage mitigation projects based on the following considerations: environmental benefits/mitigation measures, social benefits, economic benefits, expected useful life of project, financial resources, and project efficiency.
Photo of flooded Lumberton Science and Technology Center in Lumberton, North Carolina (2018) courtesy of Tony Miller/NIH.