Clone of Albemarle Regional Resilience Portfolio
Albemarle
The Albemarle Commission region includes Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hyde, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell and Washington counties.
The Albemarle Commission is working with NCORR’s RISE Program to develop a portfolio of priority projects that strengthen regional resilience. This multi-phase effort includes a forward-looking vulnerability assessment, the identification of five to 10 high-priority projects and a list of the actions needed to implement each proposed project. A diverse stakeholder partnership is guiding the project to ensure that the scope of work reflects local priorities. The Albemarle Commission is offering project guidance, a local leader has been hired by the NC Rural Center to provide facilitation support and Tetra Tech is providing technical assistance.
Project Updates
Two of the five priority resilience projects identified in the Albemarle region's Resilience Project Portfolio are currently in progress, with funding totaling $65,000.
1. Stormwater, Water Quality and Flooding Outreach Toolkit
The Duke Energy Foundation awarded $65,000 in Accelerator Grant Program funding to the Albemarle Commission to support the development of a stormwater, water quality and flooding outreach toolkit for the region.
The Albemarle Commission will coordinate the development of the outreach toolkit, which will include customizable templates to provide hazard preparedness messaging to the Albemarle regions’ 10 member counties and 15 member municipalities. Designed to be dispersed through local government channels of communication, the templates will target diverse audiences using a variety of methods, including short videos, educational brochures, social media outreach, graphics, and other content, as needed. The outreach materials will help educate residents about the flow of water in the unique environment of the Albemarle region and how they can help reduce flooding and contaminants. The customizable templates could also be shared with local governments outside of the region that need to educate their residents on stormwater, flooding, and water quality.
2. Harmful Algal Blooms Research, Prevention, and Identification
To address regional climate change risks, the Albemarle Commission is working with NCORR’s RISE Program to establish a collaborative outreach effort to tackle harmful algal blooms (HABs). As a first step in implementing the HABs outreach collaboration, state and regional organizations hosted the Albemarle Algal Blooms Summit in November 2023. The Summit brought together researchers, government agencies, local officials and environmental nonprofits to discuss community concerns, research, management and engagement around HABs in the Albemarle region. Learn more about the initiative on this webpage.
For more information about the state's RISE initiative in the Albemarle Commission region, contact NCORR Resilient Communities Program Manager Brian Byfield.
Project Overview
Step 1. Vulnerability Assessment
The first phase of the project was the development of the Climate Change and Natural Hazards Vulnerability Assessment for the Albemarle Region. This analysis brought together science and local knowledge to paint a picture of hazards in the region such as hurricanes, flooding, extreme temperatures, droughts and wildfires, and how they may change in the future. The report outlines the impacts of these climate hazards on housing, the environment and the economy.
Step 2. Propose and Prioritize Projects
The second phase of the project was the development of the Regional Resilience Project Portfolio for the Albemarle Region, which identifies priority projects and strategies that reduce the risks associated with extreme weather events and enhance regional resilience. Proposed projects could include construction projects, nature-based solutions, outreach and capacity-building activities, or planning and policy developments. The regional benefit could come in many forms, such as reducing downstream flooding, offering a resource to multiple local governments, or crafting a pilot project with replicability in other places.
The portfolio aims to produce shovel-ready actions with detailed implementation steps, including funding sources, estimated costs, potential implementing partners, likely project completion challenges and more. The region had the opportunity to select a project for seed funding from the Duke Energy Foundation RISE Accelerator Grant Program. Check out the press release announcing the awarded project.
Resource Documents
The RISE effort builds on analysis and planning conducted over the last several years. These resources include: