The Pitt County Planning Board recommended that the Board of Commissioners adopt the Neuse River Basin Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan update, a five-year plan regional in scope that Pitt County participates in alongside Greene, Jones, Lenoir and Wayne counties.

Planning staff said local governments must maintain a FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plan to be eligible for federal mitigation grants (Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Pre-Disaster Mitigation, Flood Mitigation Assistance and Severe Repetitive Loss programs) and that jurisdictions must update their plan every five years. The current regional draft has been reviewed by the state and is pending FEMA approval; staff said the county may proceed with adoption while FEMA finishes review because the existing plan is close to expiration.

The plan update identifies hazards relevant to Pitt County including flooding, hurricanes and tropical storms, tornadoes/thunderstorms, drought, excessive heat, earthquake, winter storms, wildfires and dam failure. The update carries forward previous mitigation actions and adds items the county prioritized in the last five years: continue enforcement of erosion- and sedimentation-control regulations; enforce the countys stormwater and riparian buffer regulations; maintain FEMA elevation and flood-proofing certificates and invest in a records system; repair the Lake Glenwood dam and monitor other high-hazard dams; create cooling centers in partnership with faith-based organizations; and adopt new hydrologic advisory maps into public outreach.

Staff described grant eligibility as the primary reason for maintaining the plan and summarized several action areas: prevention, property protection, natural resource protection, structural projects, emergency services and public information and outreach. The plan also recommends coordinating with East Carolina University and Pitt Community College on their hazard mitigation plans, incorporating mitigation priorities in the county capital improvement plan, and evaluating access to critical facilities during flooding.

Planning staff asked the board to recommend adoption to the commissioners; the board voted to recommend adoption and staff said the Board of Commissioners would consider the plan at an upcoming meeting. Staff also noted that county commissioners allocated funds to a new software system to catalog elevation certificates and floodproofing documentation, a step toward implementing the plan priorities.