Mid-East Regional Resilience Portfolio

Tar River next to East Carolina University in Greenville, NC

Mid-East

The Mid-East Commission region includes Beaufort, Bertie, Hertford, Martin and Pitt counties.

The Mid-East Commission worked with NCORR’s RISE Program to develop a portfolio of priority projects that strengthen regional resilience. This multi-phase effort included 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 guided the project to ensure that the scope of work reflected local priorities. The Mid-East Commission offered project guidance, the NC Rural Center hired a local leader to provide facilitation support and Tetra Tech provided technical assistance.

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The Duke Energy Foundation awarded Accelerator Grant Program funding to support the following resilience projects identified in the Mid-East region's Resilience Project Portfolio:

Planning and Engineering Design for Parker Creek
  • Applicant: Carolina Wetlands Association
  • Amount: $65,000
  • Project Summary: Carolina Wetlands Association will support the design, surveys, engineering and stakeholder engagement for wetland and floodplain restoration along Parker Creek in Pitt County just north of Greenville and further downstream. The organization will design the restoration to hold more water in the floodplain and slow it down, letting it release in a gradual manner. The project is the first steps required to reduce flooding in an area with local government facilities, churches serving minority communities and a significant access road.
Latino-Focused Information Sharing
  • Applicant: Association of Mexicans in North Carolina (AMEXCAN)
  • Amount: $60,850
  • Project Summary: The Association of Mexicans in North Carolina will use its existing NC Latino Community Task Force and relaunch its NC Latino Disaster Recovery Alliance to share hazard response and preparedness information with Latino and Spanish-speaking community members, including immigrant farmworkers. The organization will offer monthly webinars and workshops in Spanish and organize monthly in-person, direct-service events in communities across Hertford, Bertie, Martin, Pitt and Beaufort Counties. The project builds resilience and addresses equity by focusing on a community that has historically not had the same access to resources and information as other demographics and continues to be disproportionally affected by climate hazards and disasters.

Review the Climate Resilience Portfolio

The Regional Resilience Project Portfolio for the Mid-East Region identifies priority projects and strategies that reduce the risks associated with extreme weather events and enhance regional resilience. The portfolio aims to produce shovel-ready actions with detailed implementation steps, including estimated costs, potential implementing partners, likely project completion challenges and more.

Review the Vulnerability Assessment

The Climate Change and Natural Hazards Vulnerability Assessment for the Mid-East Region is a report describing past problems and future risks associated with extreme weather events such as hurricanes, flooding, extreme temperatures, droughts and wildfires. The report outlines the impacts of these climate hazards on housing, the environment and the economy.

Public Workshop #2: Mid-East Regional Resilience Portfolio Project

Oct. 11, 2022: 6:30–8 p.m.  |  Oct. 12, 2022: 9–10:30 a.m.

Workshop attendees had a chance to learn more about the Mid-East Regional Resilience Portfolio Project and give feedback on potential regional projects and strategies to build future community resilience in Beaufort, Bertie, Hertford, Martin and Pitt counties. Five to 10 prioritized strategies or projects will be included in the final portfolio, which will identify specific ways to help communities prepare for and recover from natural disasters and climate hazards.

Public Workshop #1: Understanding Vulnerability from the Local Perspective

April 14, 2022: 10–11 a.m. and 6–7 p.m.  |  April 23, 2022: 1:30–2:30 p.m.

During this workshop, community stakeholders learned about the Mid-East Regional Resilience Portfolio Project and provided feedback on regional response and recovery strengths and weaknesses. Participants also had a chance to share personal experiences with disaster preparedness and recovery, and engage in small group discussions about climate hazards.

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For more information about the state's RISE initiative in the Mid-East 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 a vulnerability assessment. This analysis brought together science and local knowledge to paint a picture of hazards in the region and how they may change in the future.

Step 2. Propose and Prioritize Projects

The second phase of the project was the development of a portfolio of several projects that have regional benefits for 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.

A critical component of developing the portfolio was finding achievable paths to implementation, including funding sources and capacity considerations. The region had the opportunity to select a project for seed funding from the Duke Energy Resilience Accelerator Grant Program.

Resource Documents

The RISE effort builds on analysis and planning conducted over the last several years. These resources include:

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