NEW HANOVER COUNTY — The Endowment has awarded a $500,000 grant to the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Center for Marine Science to support efforts to enhance flood safety and resilience in New Hanover County.
The two-year planning grant is intended to help the community better prepare for future flooding and recover more quickly by building “cross-sector partnerships, improving flood detection infrastructure, and developing a comprehensive action plan that identifies and prioritizes local vulnerabilities.”
In a press release Tuesday, The Endowment pointed to the costly storms of the county’s past, including Hurricane Florence in 2018 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, as reason to align ongoing resilience, pinpoint high-risk areas and guide cost-effective solutions to flooding impacts.
“Preparing for the future means learning from the past,” Interim President and CEO of The Endowment Sophie Dagenais said in a release. “We remember the storms that have shaped this community, and we are committed to supporting efforts strengthening New Hanover County’s infrastructure, so residents, businesses, and ecosystems are better protected. This investment supports a coordinated, data-driven approach to flood resilience.”
With this grant, the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Center for Marine Science will convene a Flood Resilience Consortium that unites agencies and organizations focused on community preparedness, facilitating outreach, workshops, research, and implementation planning to guide long-term flood resilience efforts.
The consortium will produce:
• An inventory of existing tools and resources, including maps, models, and data
• A comprehensive implementation plan detailing vulnerabilities, priority projects, timelines, and responsibilities
• A funding strategy aligning public, private, and philanthropic investments with the most critical initiatives
“This is about building a community that can withstand, adapt, and bounce back,” Director of Community Safety Mary Vail Ware said in a release. “By investing in early planning and bringing partners together, we’re laying the foundation for solutions that safeguard our environment, infrastructure, and future.”
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