NORTH CAROLINA - The State of North Carolina, FEMA, and numerous other Federal, State and local agencies entered a Cooperating Technical Partner (CTP) agreement September 15, 2000—the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Floyd. Under the agreement, the state will assume primary ownership of, and responsibility for, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for all North Carolina communities. The project includes conducting flood-hazard analyses and producing updated, digital FIRMs.
North Carolina is the first state to enter into a CTP partnership with FEMA. North Carolina's interest in updating its flood maps is understandable. The state faces extreme hazard and consequence from hurricanes and flooding. Since 1989, there have been 14 Federally declared disasters in North Carolina. The updated digital FIRMs produced through this CTP project will help to protect the lives and property and contribute to the general well being of North Carolina citizens. In August 2000, the North Carolina General Assembly allocated $23 million to the flood mapping project. FEMA has contributed an additional $5.3 million toward the project, as well as in-kind contributions of engineering, mapping and program management services through its Map Coordination Contract.
Based on the General Assembly's directive, work has begun on Phase I, which includes the six eastern river basins (Cape Fear, Lumber, Neuse, Pasquotank, Tar-Pamlico, and White Oak). These were the basins most impacted by Hurricane Floyd (1999). They account for approximately one-half of the state, affecting 57 counties (in whole or in part) and approximately 21,200 linear miles of streams, rivers, and coastlines. Studies were completed for the Lumber, White Oak, and Cape Fear River Basins at the end of 2001 and for the other three basins near the end of 2002. Phase II, which includes five basins in central North Carolina, was initiated with data collection in November 2002. The first Mapping Activity Statement (MAS) for FEMA funding of Phase II was fully executed on July 1, 2004. Phase III, which includes the final six basins in western North Carolina, was initiated in December of 2004 with data collection.