Flood Resiliency Blueprint releases final Lumber River Basin Action Strategy, identifying 17 priority flood resilience actions

The NC Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Flood Resiliency Blueprint program released the Lumber River Basin Action Strategy (RBAS), a comprehensive framework designed to guide long-term flood resilience planning and decision-making across the basin. Developed with local input and informed by existing flood planning efforts and vulnerability assessments, the strategy identifies 17 prioritized actions to help Lumber communities reduce flood risk and strengthen resilience. 

The prioritized actions include structural and nonstructural projects, from stormwater system and roadway improvements to protecting critical infrastructure and expanding nature-based solutions. It also identifies building-level mitigation projects, including elevating or floodproofing buildings, along with policy and planning measures to support long-term community resilience. 

In consultation with local leaders, the Flood Resiliency Blueprint also identified and recommended five high-priority actions to help guide investments. Recommendations are based on local buy-in, feasibility, capacity and potential impact and benefits. These actions represent a range of approaches, including floodplain and stream restoration, critical infrastructure upgrades, floodproofing and elevating critical facilities, and other stormwater and flood mitigation measures. 

"Flooding in the Lumber River Basin is getting more frequent and more severe, and this strategy gives communities actionable steps to reduce the damages from flooding,” said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “The extensive destruction from storms that Lumber River communities have experienced underscores the importance of a coordinated strategy to increase resilience for the next storm, saving lives, homes, businesses and money.” Approved 

All identified resilience actions for the basin are stored and maintained in the Flood Resiliency Blueprint tool, DEQ’s online decision-making tool, which provides users with data-driven flood risk and vulnerability assessments. The Blueprint tool allows users to develop and evaluate flood resilience actions. Communities can access this tool to update localized flood plans with the support of Blueprint staff as new information and opportunities develop. 

The action strategy is informed by a basin-wide vulnerability assessment, community capacity assessment and gap analysis, as well as extensive engagement with local governments, state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations and other partners across the basin. Local governments developed and submitted Local Action Plans through the Flood Resiliency Blueprint Tool, which outline locally identified flood resilience actions. The Lumber River Basin Advisory Group, made up of experts from state agencies, local and regional governments, nonprofits and academic institutions, provided technical expertise and guidance throughout the process. This group helped to identify flood risks, understand local needs and capacity, and prioritize actions to reduce the impacts of flooding now and in the future. 

The Lumber River Basin Action Strategy and supporting materials are available here. 

DEQ will continue collaborating with local governments and partners as they use the Flood Resiliency Blueprint Tool as a resource to support flood resilience planning and maintain up-to-date information on resiliency actions and funding opportunities. The Blueprint currently serves six of North Carolina’s 17 river basins. DEQ previously released the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico RBAS and will release the remaining three RBAS (Cape Fear, White Oak and French Broad) in the coming months.