Hazard Mitigation Plan – Currituck County

2023 Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee Progress Report

Ta A.5 MITIGATION STRATEGY
Action #	Action Description	Hazard(s) Addressed	Goal & Objective Addressed	Priority	Lead Agency / Department	Potential Funding Source	Implementation Timeline	2023 Implementation Status Comments
CUR1	Establish appropriate buffers/setbacks between critical facilities and other uses that may be incompatible	All Hazards	2.1	High	Planning	General Fund	On going	Currituck participated in DCM’s Resilient Coastal Communities Program (RCCP) which included a detailed Risk & Vulnerability Assessment of critical assets (see final report link).
CUR2	Maintain partnerships with adjacent counties and municipalities to leverage and share resources.	All Hazards	2.2	Moderate	Emergency Management	General Fund	On going	Continuous - county-to-county mutual aid agreement
CUR3	Encourage clustering of residential lots outside of hazard areas in subdivision design/review and discourage development intensity and infrastructure improvements in known hazard areas	All Hazards	3.1	Moderate	Planning	General Fund	On going	This is somewhat addressed by ordinance language but will be reinforced by policies in the new Land Use Plan. Imagine Currituck, the new Land Use Plan, Adopted June 20, 2022, includes an Action for UDO AMENDMENT CC-ACT-29 “Prioritize preservation of open space near marshes and special flood hazard areas to allow for inland retreat of coastal marshes and wetlands.” The new Land use plan will soon be certified by DCM.
CUR4	Encourage development away from high-risk and vulnerable areas and establish redevelopment standards that decrease hazard risk	All Hazards	3.1	High	Planning	General Fund	On going	We allow higher density development as an incentive for developers to place special flood hazard area portions of large tracts in perpetual conservation. The new Coastal Resilience Tool, created for Currituck County by The Nature Conservancy, is used during subdivision review to encourage development away from high-risk areas.
CUR5	Install back-up generators at the Historic County Courthouse and the fuel farm.	All Hazards	2.2	Moderate	Emergency Management	HMGP Grant	0-1 years	The generator at the historic courthouse has been installed. The generator at the fuel farm had to be rebid.
CUR6	Enhance existing and/or implement new groundwater lowering systems in low-lying coastal areas.	Coastal Hazards, Flood, Hurricane & Tropical Storm	1.2	Moderate	Stormwater Service Districts/ Engineering	Service District Taxes	3 years for Ocean Sands	An additional pump is being installed in the Whalehead Subdivision and will be completed by December. As of July 1, 2023, the Ocean Sands Stormwater District is now paying increased taxes for additional revenue to fund the groundwater lowering system. The project will also be split into smaller more affordable phases to provide an earlier start date.
CUR7	Support individuals and Homeowners Associations in acquiring funding for green stormwater infrastructure to mitigate nuisance flooding.	Coastal Hazards, Flood, Hurricane & Tropical Storm	1.2	Moderate	Soil & Water Conservation Board, Planning, Cooperative Extension	General Funds and Grants	On going	Currituck County was awarded $248,000 through the North Carolina Department of Agriculture’s Stream Flow Rehabilitation Program. The County continues to use this money to improve drainage infrastructure.
CUR8	Preserve natural environmental features to naturally absorb water run-off and serve as wind buffers	Coastal Hazards, Flood, Hurricane & Tropical Storm, Severe Weather	3.2	Moderate	Planning	General Fund	On going	Our Unified Development Ordinance contains provisions for preserving existing vegetation for buffers as well as preservation of wetland areas. Our stormwater manual contains water quality standards as well.
CUR9	Retain vegetation and require buffers in areas adjacent to wetlands, water bodies and Maritime forests	Coastal Hazards, Flood, Hurricane & Tropical Storm, Severe Weather	3.2	Moderate	Planning	General Fund	On going	This is ongoing through a combination of wetland buffers, implementation of CAMA regulations, and heritage tree protection standards.
CUR10	Evaluate allocating a portion of occupancy tax toward the dune protection program and shoreline restoration, and expand extent of the dune protection program to include grant support of sand fencing.	Coastal Hazards, Flood, Hurricane & Tropical Storm, Severe Weather	3.2	High	Planning	Occ Tax	On going	The county is offering yearly dune vegetation and sand fence cost share programs. The county has recently increased funding for this program to $20,000.
CUR11	Work to pursue shoreline stabilization projects and regular shoreline monitoring.	Coastal Hazards	3.3	Moderate	Engineering	General Funds	On going	The 3-year shoreline study has been completed and presented at a Board of Commissioners retreat. The results will be used by the board to develop a beach management plan.
CUR12	Currituck Sound Coalition partners collaborate to implement projects, research and other planning initiatives that advance the goals of the Marsh Conservation Plan to reduce the impacts of threats to the marshes in the Currituck Sound, while also benefiting the multifaceted conservation targets.	Coastal Hazards	3.3	Moderate	Audubon, Planning, GIS, Soil & Water Conservation	General Funds	On going	Coalition meetings are held quarterly. Audubon Pine Island Marsh Restoration Planning Project is in the process of designing project sites within the Currituck sound to address the following: increase resilience of existing marshes to sea level rise and other climate change impacts while reducing flood and storm surge impacts to nearby communities and infrastructure. Pilot projects include: a living shoreline with soft sill, Christmas tree breakwater, thin layer placement (TLP) for marsh restoration.
CUR13	Encourage linkage of existing and future open space areas to implement greenways throughout unique geographies of the county.	Coastal Hazards, Flood, Hurricane & Tropical Storm, Severe Weather	3.3	Moderate	Planning	No funding needed	On going	In partnership with The Nature Conservancy the county is testing out utility of a Green Space Dashboard.
CUR14	Seek funding for public hazard mitigation projects.	All Hazards	1.2	Moderate	Emergency Management	Grant	On going	Grant writing and monitoring added to Soil & Water admin position. Also monitoring EPA flood reduction grants. County has signed agreements with State for the State centric plan. The state will now handle all contract work and county EM will now be the liaison between homeowner and state. State has bids out for contractors to lift each of the houses. Very slow process.
CUR15	Continue to support efforts for planning, design, and construction of the Mid-County bridge project.	All Hazards	3.3	Moderate	Planning	NC Turnpike Authority	On going	Planning staff is working on terminus designs and studying impacts to properties on both sides of the bridge. Funding allocated in STIP for FY18, awaiting Record of Decision which should be issued spring/summer 2018.
CUR16	Identify bridges for retrofitting.	All Hazards	1.2	High	Planning	NCDOT	On going	Ongoing. Continuing to work with DOT to maintain roadways and the Wright Memorial Bridge.
CUR17	Secure funding, design, and construct an EOC/Public Safety Facility	All Hazards	3.3	High	Engineering/Emergency Management	General Fund/Grant	Complete	The new Public Safety Building is complete and operational.
CUR18	Maintain and work to improve radio communications and technology throughout public safety programs	All Hazards	4.2	High	Public Safety Agencies	General Funds and Grants	On going	This project is still in process. Updates to the microwave system will be worked on first. Waiting on proposal from vendor.
CUR19	Provide continuous training and information for first responders in hazard response.	All Hazards	4.1	High	Public Safety Agencies	General Funds and Grants	On going	Ongoing
CUR20	Coordinate response to bridge incidents for the Wright Memorial Bridge	Transportation Infrastructure Failure	4.1	High	Public Safety Agencies	General Funds/Grants	On going	This exercise is complete and continuous, planning will improve response.
CUR21	Educate the public and inform them of the benefits of participation in the Fire Wise program.	Wildfire	1.1	High	Emergency Management	Grant	On going	We have 3 communities that are in the Firewise program: Pine Island, Currituck Club, Point Harbor . We met with each community at the end of April to renew their certifications.
CUR22	Educate homeowners and builders on the benefits of sprinkler systems in residential structures.	Wildfire	1.1	Moderate	Fire Marshal/Planning	General Fund	On going	Ongoing through the fire marshal and planning department. The County is periodically conducting citizen academy sessions where planning processes and building codes are discussed with developers, contractors, and the general public. Residential sprinkle systems are included in these sessions.
CUR23	Increase public awareness and understanding of the locations and proper way to dispose of hazardous waste	Hazardous Materials Incident	1.1	Moderate	Public Works	General Fund	On going	PW continues to sponsor an annual household hazardous waste day. Hazardous waste day is now advertised in the Focus on Currituck publication and on social media platforms. Participation continues to increase.
CUR24	Periodically survey the public to evaluate if public outreach efforts are effective in identifying potential flood hazards, public concern, and ways to mitigate against hazards	Coastal Hazards, Flood, Hurricane & Tropical Storm	1.1	Moderate	Planning	General Fund	On going	Tailoring future outreach projects using survey results.
CUR25	Develop a joint public outreach document that addresses all hazards (published by the Planning and Emergency Management Departments)	All Hazards	1.1	High	Planning/Emergency Management	General Fund	On going	The planning department and the emergency management department publish documents in the "Focus on Currituck" publication. The new outreach brochure, created as a joint effort by Currituck and Dare Counties through our CRS user’s group, addresses all hazards.
CUR26	Evaluate effectiveness of Currituck's warning systems	All Hazards	1.1	High	Emergency Management	General Fund	On going	Number of individuals registering for Currituck Alert provides a baseline for effectiveness of mass notification. Planning a campaign to increase awareness of ENS and increase number of subscribers. Registrations still rising. Utilizing social media and Focus on Currituck publication to increase awareness.
CUR27	Educate and assist vulnerable populations in developing personal preparedness plans.	All Hazards	1.1	High	Emergency Management	General Fund	On going	Continuous
CUR28	Partner with other County Departments, State, local agencies to educate and inform vulnerable populations about special needs registry with Social Services through community outreach (survey, website, social media, water bill)	All Hazards	1.1	High	DSS, EM, PIO	General Fund	On going	Continuous
CUR29	Create curriculums for all hazards preparedness to better educate the public	All Hazards	1.1	High	Emergency Management	General Fund/Grants	less than 5 years	Emergency Management is working on this action as budget and staffing allows.
CUR30	Continue to educate elected officials and the public on the need for and benefits of sustained shoreline management strategies.	Coastal Hazards, Flood, Hurricane & Tropical Storm, Severe Weather	1.1	High	Planning	General Fund	On going	Staff continues to share information with elected officials and the public.
CUR31	Educate property owners on the natural and beneficial functions of floodplains, watersheds, and other natural/coastal areas.	Coastal Hazards, Flood, Hurricane & Tropical Storm	3.2	Moderate	Planning	General Fund	On going	This is included in the new outreach brochure.
CUR32	Educate the development and agricultural communities as well as the public on the impacts of turbidity on floodplain/natural areas and mitigating best management practices	Coastal Hazards, Flood, Hurricane & Tropical Storm	3.2	Moderate	Soil & Water Conservation Board, Planning, Cooperative Extension	General Fund	On going	The Soil and Water Conservation Board and the Cooperative Extension continue to work on this action as time and budget allows.
CUR33	Develop outreach materials and offer training on Low Impact Development (LID) best management practices that can be distributed to the public and engineering communities.	Coastal Hazards, Flood, Hurricane & Tropical Storm	3.2	High	Soil & Water Conservation Board, Planning, Cooperative Extension	General Fund	less than 5 years	The stormwater manual addresses this. Training has not been offered yet. Progress on this action has been hindered by staffing and budget constraints.
CUR34	Send targeted outreach on flood risk, preparedness, insurance and mitigation options to repetitive loss property owners	Coastal Hazards, Flood, Hurricane & Tropical Storm	1.1	High	Planning	General Fund	1 year	All repetitive loss properties received a copy of our outreach brochure which addresses these concerns.
CUR35	Send targeted outreach on flood risk, preparedness, insurance, and mitigation options to pre-FIRM property owners	Coastal Hazards, Flood, Hurricane & Tropical Storm	1.1	High	Planning	General Fund	1 year	The County is hoping to develop a new letter to be sent to all pre-FIRM property owners in the near future. Working to get more outreach funding included in the budget.