Whiteville explores new state funding tool to advance flood mitigation projects

WHITEVILLE, NC (WWAY) — After years of flooding during hurricane season, Whiteville leaders are looking to a new state planning tool that could help secure funding for long-awaited flood mitigation projects.

Whiteville Emergency Management Director Hal Lowder recently presented the North Carolina Flood Resiliency Blueprint to the Whiteville City Council, describing it as a potential pathway to funding projects designed to reduce flooding throughout the city.

The North Carolina General Assembly previously allocated $20 million to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Mitigation Services to develop the Flood Resiliency Blueprint. The statewide tool compiles demographic, geographic and project information to help guide state funding decisions for flood resilience efforts.

Lowder said the blueprint could help move local projects forward by making them more competitive for state funding.

“So the general assembly a few years back, tasked DEQ with developing this blueprint tool which is a repository of information,” Lowder said.

Among the projects already included in the Lumber River Basin Action Strategy is the proposed Mollie’s Branch Restoration Project on Whiteville’s west side. Lowder said the city also has smaller projects ready to move forward if funding becomes available.

“We have a project like on College Street that we need to finish, it’s shovel ready, it’s been engineered. The only thing we need now is funding,” Lowder said.

For residents who have experienced repeated flooding, the possibility of additional funding is encouraging.

“It’s devastating, all of the businesses on this road is flooded out. There is no way to get to the business without a boat,” said Amber Leonard, a Whiteville resident and employee at a local donut shop that has flooded multiple times in recent years.

Leonard said she hopes the city can receive funding as soon as possible.

“If we could start that sooner than later, because projects take a long time and we need to act now in order to save what we have,” she said.

Lowder said Whiteville has several flood mitigation projects planned, but obtaining funding remains the biggest challenge.

“We have lots of projects, and we can fix a lot of this – and this is the step we need to get to – it’s the funding and that is the hardest part for us,” he said.

A public information session on the Lumber River Flood Resilience Plan was scheduled to take place online Monday.