NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Secretary Reid Wilson joined coastal communities, resilience partners and consultants in New Bern today to celebrate five years of the Resilient Coastal Communities Program (RCCP) and look ahead to the next phase of helping communities turn resilience priorities into action.
The Sept. 24 workshop, hosted by DEQ’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM), provided an opportunity to reflect on RCCP accomplishments since the program began, review findings from an external evaluation and discuss ways to strengthen the program as communities continue moving from resilience planning toward implementation.
“Strengthening resilience is all about limiting damage during disasters and getting life back to normal quickly, saving lives, homes, businesses, and money,” said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “The Resilient Coastal Communities Program provides local leaders the tools, resources and partnerships they need to turn planning into action and make their communities safer and better prepared for future storms and flooding.”
Representatives from 140 coastal communities joined RCCP partners, consultants and DEQ staff for discussions focused on lessons learned, collaboration and available resources to support resilience planning and implementation.
Five Years of Community-Driven Resilience
The Resilient Coastal Communities Program was established to help North Carolina’s coastal communities address flooding, storms and other coastal hazards through a locally driven process. Through the RCCP, participating communities receive technical assistance and funding to identify vulnerabilities, develop resilience strategies and advance projects that address local priorities. The RCCP has engaged 60 communities through 91 grants totaling $16.3 million.
“What we’ve learned over the past five years is that the strongest resilience solutions are built with communities, not simply for them,” said DCM Director Tancred Miller. “Their experiences — what has worked, where they’ve encountered challenges and what they need to move projects forward — will help us strengthen RCCP and shape the next phase of coastal resilience work in North Carolina.”
Participants also shared their experiences with RCCP, including successes, challenges and lessons learned that could benefit other coastal communities.
“We’ve had a lot of solutions in the past, but we never had a plan for implementing measures to help our community in the face of a storm or its aftermath,” said Lynn Davis, Town Manager, Belhaven. “The RCCP put the critical pieces together to help Belhaven build a better future and be ready for whatever may come our way.”
Participants explored funding opportunities, technical assistance and implementation resources, and connected with peers, partners and DEQ staff to share ideas and build collaborations that can continue beyond the workshop.
Feedback gathered during the workshop will also help DCM identify opportunities to strengthen RCCP and guide the program’s future.
For more information about the Resilient Coastal Communities Program, visit the RCCP website.
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