The GIS Integration and Development Program

Grant Project Summary: North Carolina Division of Coastal Management

North Carolina - NOAA Coastal Services Center Coastal Hazard Mitigation Cooperative Agreement

April 1998 to June 2001Grant Project Area Map

Project Summary

The North Carolina Division of Coastal Management entered into a cooperative agreement with the NOAA Coastal Services Center to investigate the potential for damage to existing structures along the North Carolina barrier island coastline from the South Carolina border to the New River inlet due to chronic erosion and from Category 1, 2, and 3 hurricanes. The project promoted the national Natural Hazards Reduction Initiative program by developing local decision support tools for use in analyzing hazards risk and vulnerability. This project involved the creation of GIS–based maps of the barrier island study area that shows current and projected flood zones; erosion hazard areas; projected storm surge and flooding elevations for Category 1, 2, and 3 hurricanes; Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood model projections; and the vegetation line. These coastal hazard boundaries were overlaid with the footprints of existing structures on the barrier islands to determine those that are threatened.

The North Carolina Division of Coastal Management developed a GIS attribute database for structures in the hazard areas that includes information such as street address, current and projected flood zone and base flood elevations, distance from existing flood zone boundaries, building and foundation type, square footage and age, assessed and replacement value, history of foundation failure/scour in Hurricanes Bertha and Fran, a digital photograph, and an inventory number. The Division prepared a final report that analyzes the data and assesses the potential risk to structures within the study area. The results of this project were made available to the affected local governments and to the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management and FEMA.

NOAA Coastal Services Center's Role

This was a grant project and NOAA did not have substantial involvement with the work.

Grantee Overview

Established in 1972, the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management (DCM), headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, works to protect, conserve and manage North Carolina's coastal resources through an integrated program of planning, permitting, education, and research. The DCM has nine offices located in North Carolina and carries out the state's Coastal Area Management Act, the Dredge and Fill Law, and the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 in the 20 coastal counties, using rules and policies of the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission (CRC). The division serves as staff to the CRC. Coastal Management is part of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which is responsible for keeping the state's environment healthy. The division also receives oversight (and part of its funding) from the NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management.

Back to Grant Page Summaries