Assessing and Communicating Flood Risk in Currituck County, North Carolina

Abstract

Flooding is a major threat to communities along the North Carolina coast. Currituck County specifically has seen several major flood events in the last few years. Currently, almost 60% of the county is in a flood zone, a designation that helps mitigate flood risks by ensuring property owners purchase flood insurance. Currently in the process of being adopted, new federal flood maps for the county will remove 64% of the structures from the special flood hazard area. County officials are concerned that these new maps will encourage residents to drop their flood insurance, leaving them more vulnerable to devastating flood events. This project utilized online surveys and participatory mapping meetings to assess the perception of flood risk in the county as well as concerns about flooding and flood insurance. I then used the information gathered to construct a flood communication plan for Currituck County that would help them to better communicate the true risk of flooding to residents.