Planning Reduces Losses and Facilitates Recovery

Most of the city of Kinston, North Carolina is located in the 50-year floodplain and is extremely vulnerable to flooding. When hurricane Floyd hit in 1999, the city was still recovering from hurricane Fran that hit three years earlier. Fran inflicted major damage tothe city and prompted Kinston to undertake a new strategy guided by two objectives: to substantially or permanetly reduce flood hazards in the county and to revitalize existing neighborhoods and business developments in a long-term effort to empower citizens to be self-sufficient, and in the process, improve their qualiy of life.