North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program
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| North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program | |
|---|---|
| Name | North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program |
| Formation | 1990s |
| Type | State agency initiative |
| Headquarters | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Jurisdiction | North Carolina |
| Parent agency | North Carolina Department of Public Safety; Federal Emergency Management Agency |
North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program The North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program is a statewide initiative to produce, update, and distribute flood insurance rate maps, digital elevation models, and hazard assessments for North Carolina coastal and inland communities. The program supports Federal Emergency Management Agency floodplain management, National Flood Insurance Program compliance, and local planning in municipalities from Asheville to Wilmington and Charlotte while coordinating with state agencies such as the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
Overview
The program integrates floodplain delineation, flood risk communication, and regulatory mapping across North Carolina counties and incorporated places like New Bern, Greensboro, and Raleigh to inform National Flood Insurance Program insurance rating and community floodplain ordinances. It produces products that serve stakeholders including county planning boards in Wake County, emergency managers in Mecklenburg County, coastal resource managers in Carteret County, and infrastructure owners such as the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The program coordinates with federal partners like United States Geological Survey and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
History and Development
Originating in statewide mapping efforts in the 1990s, the program built on precedent set by Federal Emergency Management Agency initiatives following major events such as Hurricane Fran and Hurricane Floyd which exposed widespread flood risk in eastern North Carolina. Early collaboration involved United States Geological Survey topographic mapping projects and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tide and surge studies, with funding mechanisms tied to National Flood Insurance Program requirements and state legislative action in the North Carolina General Assembly. Subsequent modernization phases incorporated lessons from responses to Hurricane Matthew and coastal storms affecting ports like Morehead City and Wilmington.
Methodology and Data Sources
The program uses high-resolution LiDAR-derived digital elevation models, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling including HEC-RAS and coastal surge models developed in conjunction with United States Army Corps of Engineers practice, and historic flood records archived by the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program partners and county emergency management offices. Inputs include National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tide gauges, United States Geological Survey stream gage records, and land-use data from regional councils such as the Research Triangle Regional Partnership and Cape Fear Council of Governments. Mapping protocols reference standards set by Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for spatial accuracy and datum transformations to NAD83 and NAVD88.
Products and Services
Deliverables include updated flood insurance rate map panels, digital flood hazard layers for integration with Geographic Information System platforms used by counties like New Hanover County, technical reports documenting modeling assumptions, and publicly accessible web map viewers modeled on portals similar to FEMA Flood Map Service Center offerings. The program issues advisory products such as preliminary flood maps and coastal storm surge atlases used by coastal municipalities including Jacksonville and Beaufort. It also provides training and outreach to county floodplain administrators and permitting staff in locales such as Currituck County and Pender County.
Implementation and Partnerships
Implementation relies on partnerships with federal agencies—Federal Emergency Management Agency, United States Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—and state entities including the North Carolina Emergency Management division and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. Academic collaborations involve institutions like North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and East Carolina University for research on coastal processes and floodplain science. Local government partners include county offices in Craven County and Onslow County as well as municipal planners in Hickory and Goldsboro.
Impacts and Uses
Mapped floodplain data underpin floodplain ordinance enforcement by local planning boards, inform National Flood Insurance Program mapping requirements for lenders and property owners, and guide infrastructure investment decisions by agencies such as the North Carolina Department of Transportation and utility providers serving Charlotte and the Research Triangle. Emergency managers in counties like Brunswick County and Pamlico County use the maps for evacuation planning tied to events like Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Dorian. Conservation and land-use planners employ the data in partnership with organizations such as the Nature Conservancy regional programs and regional watershed groups.
Challenges and Future Plans
Challenges include rapid coastal change in regions like the Outer Banks, subsidence in eastern North Carolina river basins including the Neuse River, and the need to incorporate sea-level rise scenarios from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projections into regulatory products. Future plans emphasize integrating dynamic flood risk via probabilistic modeling, routine LiDAR updates coordinated with the National Enhanced Elevation Assessment and expanded community engagement with county governments and entities like U.S. Army Corps of Engineers coastal field offices. The program aims to align mapping with resilience initiatives funded through federal recovery programs associated with incidents such as Hurricane Sandy and federal grants administered by Federal Emergency Management Agency.