Severe flooding is destroying NC towns, ruining lives. These bills would change that.
Welcome to NC Voices, where leaders, readers and experts from across North Carolina can speak on issues affecting our communities. Send submissions of 300 words or fewer to opinion@newsobserver.com.
Flood prevention
North Carolina is in urgent need of flood prevention legislation. Increasingly, rural communities are bearing the brunt of severe flooding events but lack the resources, funding or capacity to recover from past floods or plan for future ones.
From hurricanes and tropical storms to powerful thunderstorms, extreme weather is becoming more prevalent in the state and subsequently, so is severe flooding.
State legislators need to take action now and consider policy solutions such as the Disaster Relief and Mitigation Act of 2021 and the Flood Resiliency and Prevention Act.
North Carolina needs a flood resilience blueprint that details a proactive approach to mitigation. Flooding demands state investment in effective solutions that leverage federal dollars and support local implementation. Thankfully, North Carolina can build on best practices in other states, such as Louisiana and Iowa.
Residents, businesses, farmers and other landowners have first-hand knowledge of local flooding issues and insights into solutions. Engaging and equipping them is essential, yet too often these communities don’t have access to the funding or technical expertise needed to develop resilience projects. A robust NC Resilient Communities Program will provide support to develop shovel-ready projects and allow North Carolina to compete more effectively for federal dollars.
North Carolina must reinvigorate state-level programs and resources designed to fund competitive, private sector mitigation and restoration projects.
The new Natural Infrastructure Flood Mitigation program within the Division of Mitigation Services will use watershed studies to identify local flooding threats and then contract with private restoration companies to more quickly and effectively construct flood reduction projects. It’s a program that can, if funded, put boots on the ground in short order and create much needed jobs.
With another hurricane season upon us, the time to act is now. We urge N.C. legislators to protect our most vulnerable communities by supporting and passing the Disaster Mitigation and Relief Act and the Flood Resiliency and Prevention Act.
Shawn Harding, NC Farm Bureau
Gary Salamido, NC Chamber
William McDow, Environmental Defense Fund
Broadband survey
More than 500,000 North Carolinians don’t have access to broadband because of a lack of population density or because geographic barriers prevent internet service providers from connecting to them.
The pandemic has shone a bright light on just how important broadband is for those trying to work remotely, learn, visit with healthcare providers, and connect with family and friends.
It has become clear that broadband is not a luxury. It is critical infrastructure.
As we continue to recover from the pandemic, expanding affordable, high-speed internet across the state and removing barriers is more urgent than ever.
The state’s investments in broadband must address infrastructure, affordability, equitable distribution and digital literacy. That is why we need to gather better data on who is and isn’t being served.
Insufficient coverage data hinders efforts to expand broadband. Right now, service is reported to the FCC by census block, which means that if one address within a census block has high-speed internet service, the entire block is considered to be served. That leads to over-reported coverage and inaccurate data for funding decisions.
To build an accurate picture of broadband access, quality and availability, we have designed a 5-minute survey, available at ncbroadband.gov/survey. We encourage every household and business to take it — regardless of quality of access.
It’s available in English and Spanish and can be taken online or by phone or text. Residents who need to call can either text “internet” to 919-750-0553 or call and answer a few short questions.
Providing broadband access to all North Carolinians is an urgent task. This data will give us a clearer picture of what your internet is really like. Please take the survey today.
Jim Weaver
Secretary and State Chief Information Officer
This story was originally published June 29, 2021 at 1:06 PM.