Coastal communities are confronting large and growing flood risks

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) has been awarded a $486,933 Cooperative Agreement from the Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Climate and Atmospheric Research program (CFDA 11.431). The award's objective is to assist coastal communities in Hawai'i and North Carolina in developing locally-tailored models and technical capacity to assess flood risks and explore adaptation strategies.

Through partnerships with the University of Hawai'i and North Carolina State University, UNC will integrate physical, social, and economic data to assess current and future flood risks in the selected communities. The project will engage community members in the modeling process to enhance the validity and usefulness of the outputs, which will strengthen the evidence base for risk-reducing infrastructure investments. The award period is from September 1, 2023 to August 31, 2026.

Small communities and rural areas lack locally-tailored risk information and technical capacity to develop infrastructure projects to mitigate flood impacts. As a result, their adaptation needs often go unaddressed, exacerbating disparities in climate impacts and access to resources. Engaging community members in modeling flood risk and adaptation responses enhances the validity and the usefulness of the process and outputs. This approach, which we refer to as community-engaged modeling, can build community capacity to engage in adaptation decision-making while filling critical gaps in information about flood risk. The outputs will significantly strengthen the evidence base on which communities can draw to demonstrate their need for risk-reducing infrastructure investments. Through partnerships with four communities in hawai I and north carolina, we will integrate physical, social, and economic data to assess flood risk