MEASURING THE PERFORMANCE OF FLOOD PREPAREDNESS INITIATIVES IN COASTAL NORTH CAROLINA

Abstract

In coastal North Carolina, flooding disasters are expected to increase over the coming decades, since sea level rise in this region is advancing at twice the global rate. Assessing the effectiveness of flood preparedness strategies is essential in order to ensure continued protection against flooding. The goals of this project were to assess the performance of current flood preparedness initiatives, project the future effectiveness of the same strategies, accounting for continuing sea level rise, and identify policies that are maladaptive in light of climate adaptation considerations. Using a case study approach, this analysis revealed that many flood preparedness strategies may have been effective in the past, but do not take into account future sea level rise. In general, approaches to flood preparedness were determined to be maladaptive if they incentivized floodplain development, employed short-term planning horizons, or failed to account for climate change.