CDBG Mitigation
North Carolina prepares for future disasters
with CDBG-MIT funds.
Mitigation helps communities lessen the impact of future disasters by reducing or eliminating the risk of death, injury, property loss or damage, suffering and hardship. North Carolina’s mitigation activities focus on several key areas:
- Affordable Housing - increases available, affordable housing in lower risk areas of communities affected by storms
- Strategic Buyouts - reduces risk of damage from future flooding in floodways, 100-year flood plains and disaster risk reduction areas by purchasing high-risk properties and converting them to green space
North Carolina pays for mitigation activities with Community Development Block Grant – Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds, which have been allocated to the state by the U.S. Congress and approved for use by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD made $168 million in CDBG-MIT funds available to North Carolina for mitigation activities.
How Funds Are Used
Under federal guidelines, CDBG-MIT funds must be used for projects that reduce future losses. Additionally, North Carolina must:
- Spend at least 50% of the funds to benefit areas most affected by Hurricanes Matthew and Hurricane Florence
- Use at least 50% of the funds for activities that benefit low- and moderate-income residents
Action Plan and Citizen Participation Plan Development
HUD released the Federal Register notice that specified the requirements for the mitigation funds on August 30, 2019. Based on risk assessment data, feedback from local government and community input, the state developed the draft action plan, which outlines how the money will be used. After a 45-day public comment period, NCORR submitted the draft action plan and the required citizen participation plan to HUD for approval, which was granted on March 13, 2020.
Public Hearings
As part of the Action Plan development process, the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency held five public hearings. Three were held before the Action Plan was posted for public comment to help inform the contents of the plan, and two were held during the 45-day public comment period.
October 14, 2019 - Lumberton Public Hearing
Lumberton Public Hearing Audio
Transcript in Spanish · Transcript in English
October 15, 2019 - Tarboro Public Hearing
Tarboro Public Hearing Audio
Transcript in Spanish · Transcript in English
October 16, 2019 - New Bern Public Hearing
New Bern Public Hearing Audio
Transcript in Spanish · Transcript in English
December 3, 2019 - Goldsboro Public Hearing
Goldsboro Public Hearing Audio
Transcript in English
December 5, 2019 - Beaufort Public Hearing
Beaufort Public Hearing Audio
Transcript in English