DEQ is allocating over $4.7 million to 32 StRAP projects that will help communities across North Carolina prevent flooding during large storm events.   

“After seeing the devastation of torrential storms like Helene, there is no doubt that flood resiliency must be a top priority for North Carolina,” said DEQ Secretary Mary Penny Kelley. “I am proud of DEQ’s partnership with the Department of Agriculture that allows us to quickly grant millions of dollars to communities improving their streams and waterways.” 

“With the original allocation, we were able to award grants for 245 projects by 88 local governments, Soil and Water Conservation districts and nonprofits for stream debris and sediment removal,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler. “The partnership with DEQ provided a huge boost to fund another 32 projects in 23 more communities.” 

In 2021, the North Carolina General Assembly directed the DEQ Division of Mitigation Services to develop a statewide Flood Resiliency Blueprint. The Blueprint is intended to serve as the backbone of North Carolina’s flood resiliency planning and be based on the best available science, stakeholder engagement, and sound decision-making and result in actionable projects.

The goal is to make North Carolina more resilient to flooding disasters, by limiting the extent and severity of flooding and by building systems that allow communities to recover more quickly and limit future risk. The Blueprint team is developing a decision support tool to help local governments, agencies, and non-governmental partners develop, evaluate, and prioritize resilience actions as well as plan and marshal funding to implement those priorities.