NOAA Grants More Than $500,000 To The North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program To Fund River Basin Mapping

NOAA GRANTS MORE THAN $500,000 TO THE NORTH CAROLINA FLOODPLAIN MAPPING PROGRAM TO FUND RIVER BASIN MAPPING

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded $513,000 to the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program to finance the mapping of the Neuse and Lumber River basins. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The grant will support Phase II of North Carolina’s development of a flood mapping system and database for North Carolina river basins. The system will produce maps in real-time that depict areas of inundation and depth of inundation, as well as flood forecast maps that show areas that are expected to become inundated hours or even days into the future. This phase will develop more detailed and sophisticated models, which will improve accuracy and the extent of coverage. Phase I began in 2002 with the mapping of the Tar River basin, and Phase II will extend this work to include the Neuse and Lumber River basins.

“The updated flood hazard data will provide current, accurate information for North Carolina communities and property owners to make sound decisions when experiencing floods,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “NOAA and the Bush Administration are working to improve the understanding of our environment and to strengthen local initiatives like those administered by the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program.”

Following the extensive inland flooding caused by Hurricane Fran and Floyd, Governor James B. Hunt and the North Carolina General Assembly tasked the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program to improve the flood information forecasting system. The goal of the proposed program is to reduce the loss of life and flood related property damage by providing emergency managers and the public with more timely, detailed and accurate information regarding existing flooding and probable flooding.

Each year, NOAA awards approximately $900 million in grants to members of the academic, scientific and business communities to assist the agency in fulfilling its mission to study the Earth’s natural systems in order to predict environmental change, manage ocean resources, protect life and property and provide decision makers with reliable scientific information. NOAA’s goals and programs reflect a commitment to these basic responsibilities of science and service to the nation for the past 34 years.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources. To learn more about NOAA, please visit http://www.noaa.gov.

On the Web:

NOAA - http://www.noaa.gov