    [From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                              Coastal Zone
                               information
                                 Center

                  CRAVEN COUNTY

                          CRAVEN COUNTYO NORTH CAROLINA

                HURRICANE EVACUATION9 HAZARD MITIGATION

                                                                AND

                      POST-DISASTER RECONSTRUCTION PLAN

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            c@

                                                         JUNE9 1984

                               CRAVEN COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

                          HURRICANE EVACUATION, HAZARD MITIGATION

                                            AND

                            POST-DISASTER RECONSTRUCTION PLANS

                                        prepared by

                             GEORGE EICHLER & ASSOCIATES9 INC.

                                        JUNE, 1984

            %5.4 The preparation of this report was financed in part through
               a grant provided by the North Carolina Coastal Management
               Program, through funds provided by the Coastal Zone Manage-
               ment Act of 1972, as amended, which is administered by the
               Office and Coastal Resource Management, National Oceanic and
               Atmospheric Administration.

                                       TABLE OF CONTENTS

                                                                             Page

                  1.  INTRODUCTION                                              I

                 II.  CRAVEN COUNTY HURRICANE HAZARD
                      MITIGATION PLAN                                           2

                      A.  EXISTING DEVELOPMENT                                  2
                      B.  HAZARD AREAS IN CRAVEN COUNTY                         4
                      C.  EXISTING DEVELOPMENT LOCATED
                          IN HAZARD AREAS                                       7
                      D.  ESTIMATED SEVERITY OF POSSIBLE
                          HAZARD DAMAGES                                      10
                      E.  ANTICIPATED DEVELOPMENT IN
                          HAZARD AREAS                                        16
                      F.  EXISTING COUNTY MITIGATION
                          POLICIES AND REGULATIONS                            16
                      G.  REC OMM ENDED HAZARD MITIGATION
                          POLICIES                                            21

                III.  CRAVEN COUNTY POST-DISASTER
                      RECONSTRUCTION PLAN                                     26

                      A.  INTRODUCTION                                        26
                      B.  ORGANIZATION OF  DAMAGE ASSESS-
                          MENT TEAMS                                          27
                      C.  DAMAGE ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES AND
                          REQUIREMENTS                                        29
                      D.  ESTABLISHMENT OF A RECOVERY TASK
                          FORCE                                               32
                      E.  REC OMM ENDED RECONSTRUCTION POLICIES               35

                  IV. CRAVEN COUNTY HURRICANE EVACUATION PLAN

                      A.  INTRODUCTION                                        38
                      B.  DESIGNATED EVACUATION SHELTERS                      38
                      C.  IDENTIFICATION OF PRIMARY COUNTY
                          EVACUATION ROUTES                                   42
                      D.  PROCEDURAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL
                          RESPONSIBILITIES                                    44

                                          1. INTRODUCTION

                  The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission has adopted
                  rules for "Storm Hazard Planning" which require the
                  incorporation of such a planning program into the land use
                  plans that local coastal communities are required to prepare.

                  The Commission's rules are designed to implement a storm
                  hazard planning process that is outlined in Before the Storm:
                  Manaoina Develoi)ment to Reduce Hurricane Damages. That
                  publication was prepared for the Office of Coastal Management
                  of the Deparment of Natural Resources and Community
                  Development. The main components of a storm hazard planning
                  process are evacuation, hazard mitigation and post disaster
                  reconstruction.

                  The objective of this report is to present storm hazard
                  evacuation, mitigation and post disaster reconstruction plans
                  for Craven County which 1) meet the specific needs of the
                  County, and 2) conform with the State rules for storm hazard
                  planning.

                  Craven County is a coastal county that is located inland with
                  no direct ocean frontage. The County is bordered by
                  Beaufort, Pitt and Lenoir Counties to the north and west,
                  Jones and Carteret Counties to the south, and Pamlico       County
                  to the east. Elevation within the County ranges from        sea
                  level to about 50 feet and the topography tends to be      flat to
                  gently sloping or undulating. The county encompasses
                  approximately 725 square miles and is roughly divided        into
                  two sections, a northern portion on both sides of the       Neuse
                  River northwest of New Bern and a southern portion south of
                  the Trent River that includes the shore of the Neuse River
                  estuary and the Croatan National Forest. The county has a
                  total population of over 72,000. The two major population
                  centers are New Bern with about 30,000 and the Havelock-
                  Cherry Point area with about 15,000. Most of the remaining
                  population is distributed in and around small towns in the
                  northern portion of the county. These include Vanceboro,
                  Dover, Cove City and Fort Barnwell.

                  The remainder of this report describes Craven County's storm
                  hazard planning program. Chapter II presents the County's
                  Storm Hazard Mitigation Plan. Chapter III presents Craven
                  County's Post Disaster Reconstruction Plan. Finally, in
                  Chapter IY, ways in which the County can improve and
                  strengthen its Hurricane Evacuation Plan are presented.

                                                   1

                         II. CRAVEN COUNTY HURRICANE HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN

                   A. EXISTING DEVELOPMENT

                   Craven County is sparsley populated. The 1980 census
                   population was 71,043, with the majority (about 80:0
                   concentrated in a narrow corridor between River Bend and
                   Havelock. This corridor varies between I and 4 miles in
                   width. The County's population increased by 13.6% between
                   1970 and 1980. The Craven County Land Use Plan forecasts
                   that the County's population will increase by another 11 to
                   IZI. by 1990. Table I summarizes projected County growth by
                   County township. Township locations are shown in Figure 1.

                   As can be seen from Table 1, the County's population is and
                   will continue to be concentrated in Township #6 (Havelock)
                   and in Township #8 (New Bern, Trent Woods and River Bend).
                   The two other townships likely to experience significant
                   growth are Township #2 (primarily attributable to the
                   Fairfield Harbour development) and Township #7 because of its
                   location between Havelock and New Bern, and the anticipated
                   installation of central public water and sewer systems by
                   Craven County).

                                                  Table I

                                    CRAVEN COUNTY POPULATION GROWTH

                                                           POPULATION

                   TOWNSHIP         1970          1980          1990         X INCREASE
                                                             (PROJECTED)      1970-15190

                     #1             4946          5359          6018               22
                     #2             3257          4414          4830               48
                     #3             3837          3803          3167             (21)
                     #5             2047          2551          3009               47
                     #6             20798        21963          25495              23
                     #7             4757          6149          7601               60
                     #8             21125        24645          27237              29
                     #9             1787          2159          2375               33

                   COUNTY  TOTAL    62554        71043          79178              27

                   Table 2 presents a summary of Craven County housing data
                   based on 19eO census information. A number of important
                   observations can be made based on the information shown in
                   Table 2.

                       o  Mobile homes are scattered throughout all areas of the
                          County and constitute about 15% of the County's total
                          housing stock.

                                                      2

                                                                                                       Ilk

                                                                                                                                                              FIGURE I

                                           J

                                                                                                                              9 d

                      �  Outside of the urban concentrations in Townships 6 and
                         8, mobile homes constitute about 28X Of the County's
                         housing stock. Such housing is more susceptible to
                         storm damage than is conventional housing.

                      �  Township #6 is the only township with a significant
                         percentage of rental housing. This can be attributed
                         to the large number of military personnel stationed at
                         Cherry Point.

                   Figure 2 illustrates the location of recent residential
                   developments (over the last 2 to 3 years) within the County.
                   It should be noted that the vast majority of this new
                   development is occurring in areas immediately adjacent to the
                   Neuse and Trent Rivers in areas potentially susceptible to
                   flooding.

                   Commercial establishments within the County are concentratred
                   in the City of New Bern and in Havelock. Based on the late-it
                   available census information, about 74Y. of the total retail
                   establishments in the County were located in these two
                   municipalities (60Y in New Bern and 14:/ in Havelock). Othe",
                   retail establishments are located in Bridgeton, Vanceboro,
                   Trent Woods and on major highways in unincorporated areas of
                   the County.

                                                 TABLE 2

                                    CRAVEN COUNTY HOUSING - 1980

                   TOWNSHI,P OCCUPIED ;/ RENTER MOBILE HOME          MOBILE MEDIAN
                                UNITS    OCCUPIED      UNITS         HOMES     VALUE

                   1           1851         21           384           21      25800
                   2           1671         24           520           32      31300
                   3           1310         28           215           16      23000
                   5             712        21           187           26      21400
                   6           5829         61           782           15      43900
                   7           2219         23           548           25      38000
                   8           9952         34           706            7      40900
                   9             705        19           189           27      32600

                   B. HAZARD AREAS IN CRAVEN COUNTY

                   Craven County's major population concentrations are located
                   20 to 30 miles inland from the ocean shoreline.
                   Consequently, hurricane related damages are likely to be
                   primarily of two types -- flooding associated with various
                   storm events and wind damage. Following is a discussion of
                   the specific hazard areas located within the County.

                                                    4

                                                                                  -----------------

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                                                              Irk
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                                                                     FIGURE 2

                                                                                                                                                                       1 0   A I

                                                  fro=          AREAS OF RECENT SUBDIVISION
                                                                               ACTIVITY

                 1. Areas of Environmental Concern (AEC)

                 The Coastal Resources Commission has identified four
                 categories of AECs: the estuarine system; ocean hazard
                 areas; public water supplies; and natural and cultural
                 resource areas. Within these critical areas, a state/local
                 permit system is utilized to control development that is
                 potentially damaging to property, the public health and/or
                 the natural environment.

                 Within Craven County, the primary AEC is the estuarine system
                 which consists of coastal wetlands, estuarine waters, public
                 trust areas and estuarine shorelines.

                 Coastal wetlands are defined as anx'salt marsh subject to
                 regular or occasional flooding by tides, including wind tides
                 but not hurricane or tropical storm tides. Estuarine waters
                 are defined as commercial fishing waters and in Craven County
                 are composed of major parts of the Neuse and Trent Rivers and
                 their tributaries. Public Trust waters are defined as all
                 navigable waterways to which the public has access. Public
                 trust waters overlap estuarine waters but also extend
                 upstream to the limits of navigation.

                 Only water dependent uses are permitted within coastal
                 wetlands, estuarine waters and public trust waters. These
                 uses include channels, erosion control structures, boat
                 docks, marinas, piers, and wharfs. Non-water dependent uses
                 such as residences, commercial structures, trailer parks and
                 parking areas are prohibited.

                 Estuarine shorelines are de+ined as non-ocean shorelines
                 which are especially vulnerable to erosion, flooding, or
                 other adverse effects of wind and water and are intimately
                 connected to the estuary. The estuarine shoreline
                 encompasses the area landward along the estuaries, bays,
                 sounds and other brackish waters for a distance of 75 feet
                 from the mean high water level. There are no specific use
                 restrictions within estuarine shoreline areas. The prime
                 requirement is that all development substantially preserve
                 natural barriers to erosion.

                 2. Flood Hazard Areas

                 Significant portions of Craven County are contained within
                 the 100 year flood plains of the Neuse and Trent rivers.
                 There are no 'V' zones (flood prone areas that are also
                 susceptible to high velocity wave surges) within Craven
                 County.

                 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible
                 for preparing flood insurance rate maps that show the 100
                 year flood plain. Unfortunately, updated rate maps for

                                                6

                 Craven County are not Yet available from FEMA and will not be
                 until after this project is completed.

                 Data from existing flood insurance rate maps has been
                 transposed onto a Craven County Highway map in order to
                 provide a graphic illustration of the areas of the County
                 which are located within the 100 year flood plain. It must
                 be reiterated that this map which is included as Figure 3,
                 will have to be revised as new maps are made available by
                 FEMA.

                 3. Areas Susceptible to Wind Damage

                 The major damage from future hurricanes on Craven County
                 development will likely be attributable to flooding and to
                 high winds. The identification of areas particularly
                 susceptible to wind damage cannot be mapped. However, the
                 Trent River Bridge serves as the dividing line with regard to
                 wind related building construction requirements and mobile
                 home tie-down requirements. East of the Trent River Bridge,
                 buildings must be constructed to withstand winds of up to 110
                 miles per hour, while west of the bridge, the requirement is
                 reduced to 100 miles per hour.

                 Figure 3 is a composite hazard area map depicting the areas
                 within Craven County that are potentially susceptible to
                 hurricane damage. The scale of this map makes the exact
                 delineation of hazard area boundaries imprecise. For more
                 exact locations of specific hazard areas the following
                 references should be consulted: the actual FEMA flood
                 insurance rate maps; and AEC descriptions available from the
                 State or County. Other special areas which are located with-
                 in the composite hazard area, are described and located in
                 "Natural Areas Inventory the County; of Craven County, North
                 Carolina" (Office of Coastal Management, December 1981)

                 C. EXISTING DEVELOPMENT LOCATED IN HAZARD AREAS

                 With the exception of Havelock, which has grown primarily due
                 to its proximity to Cherry Point, development in Craven
                 County has historically been located in proximity to the
                 Neuse River. Consequently, a significant portion of New Bern
                 and its surrounding areas are located within the 100 year
                 flood plain of the Neuse River. Following is a summary of
                 the estimated existing development located within the 100
                 year Neuse and Trent River flood plains.

                     o  City of New Bern. According to the available flood
                        i'nsurance rate maps and the 100 year flood plain map
                        included in the New Bern Land Use Plan, approximately
                        50 percent of the land within the City is susceptible
                        to flooding. The major exceptions are the western-
                        most portion of the City which is relatively
                        undeveloped, and the N.C.55/U.S.17/U.S.70 commercial

                                              7

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                                   Om rnean hic
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                        corridor running from the downtown bridge to the west.

                     �  Bridgeton. The entire municipality of Bridgeton, with
                        480 residents, approximately 200 residences and
                        industrial and commercial developments along U.S. 17
                        is located in the 100 year floodplain of the Neuse
                        River.

                     �  Trent Woods. All of that portion of Trent Woods
                        located along and to the south of S.R.1200/1213 is
                        located in the 100 year flood plain of the Trent
                        River. It is estimated that this area encompasses
                        about -60X of the dev#loped area of the town. This
                        means that approximately 700 residents and over 200
                        residences are located in areas susceptible to
                        flooding.

                     �  River Send. River Send is a planned residential
                        community which has recently been incorporated. The
                        entire town, which is growing rapidly, is located
                        within the 100 year flood plain of the Trent River.

                     �  Fairfield Harbour. Fairfield Harbour is a rapidly
                        growing second home/vacation community located on the
                        north side of the Neuse River to the east of N.C.55.
                        The entire development which currently consists of 343
                        units is located in the 100 year flood plain. Other
                        new subdivision developments located in proximity
                        to Fairfield Harbour are also located in the Neuse
                        River 4loodplain.

                     �  Unincorporated Craven County. Scattered development
                        throughout the County is located in areas
                        potentially susceptible to flooding. The primary
                        areas susceptible to flooding that contain some
                        significant population concentrations are:

                          -   The areas between Clubfoot Creek and the Intra-
                              coastal Waterway in Township #5. It is
                              estimated that there are about 500 residences
                              housing about 1800 persons located in this area.

                           -  The area along the Trent River between the
                              municipalities of New Bern and Trent Woods. The
                              primary development in this area is Old Town
                              which contains about 55 residential units.

                           -  The Brice Creek drainage area south of U.S.70.
                              This area is just beginning to experience some
                              significant development.

                     � Industrial Developments. Two major industrial areas
                        within the County are located in the 100 year flood

                                                9

                         plain. These are: the Weyerhaeuser Company
                         development located off Streets Ferry Road on the
                         north side of Neuse River; and the industrial
                         'complexes located on the Neuse River to the north of
                         Broad Street in the City of New Bern.

                      0  Hazardous Waste StoraQe and Disposal Sites. Table 3
                         contains a listing of the hazardous waste facilities
                         located in Craven County. As indicated, a number of
                         these facilities are located in flood prone areas.

                      o  Public and Private Utilities and Facilities. The
                         municipalities of New Bern, Bridgeton, Trent Woods a,,-)d
                         River Bend all operate public water and sewer systems
                         which are susceptible to flooding. Private systems
                         subject to flooding are operated by Fairfield Harbour
                         and Weyerheauser. Susceptibility to flooding refers
                         strictly to location of facilities in flood prone
                         areas. The actual possibility of system infiltration,
                         contamination, etc. cannot be determined without
                         detailed engineering field investigations.

                         Craven County has purchased the Neuse River Water and
                         Sewer Association located in Township #7, and is
                         planning to: 1) add 26 miles of water lines through-
                         out the Township, and 2) construct a new sewer system
                         which will tie existing septic systems'into a new col-
                         lection system with treatment provided at an 80 acre
                         land disposal site near the airport. Significant por-
                         tions of both the water and sewer systems will be
                         ilocated in flood prone areas along the Trent River and
                         iBrices Creek. The availability of these facilities
                         will also stimulate -future development in these areas.

                         Additionally, many public and private roads and
                         e-lectric transmission lines are also located within
                         flood hazard area throughout the county. Storm
                         damages to these facilities could require significant
                         public expenditures after a major storm.

                  D. ESTIMATED SEVERITY OF POSSIBLE HAZARD AREA DAMAGES

                  Table 4 contains a summary of Craven County real property
                  values and the taxes generated by Township. Table 5 shows
                  what the real property values would be for each township if
                  1980 census data on housing and median housing values is used
                  to generate real property estimates. (The values of
                  commercial and industrial properties are not accounted for in
                  Table 5 but are reflected in the total real property values,
                  shown in Table 4.)

                  Although a comparison of tax generation potential based on
                  1980 census data and the real property values obtained from
                  County tax records is flawed in that the census data does riot

                                                  10

                                                 TABLE 3

                             CRAVEN COUNTY HAZARDOUS WASTE FACILITIES

                  FACILITY NAME           PRIMARY USE       LOCATION      IN FLOOD
                                                                          HAZARD AREA

                  AMF HATTERAS          generator         N.Glenbourne         yes
                    YACHT               transporter           Road

                  AGRICO CHEMICAL       generator         Neuse Blvd.          no
                    COMPANY                               H'way 55W

                  B&H CONSTRUCTION      transporter       H'way 70 East        no
                    COMPANY

                  BAYLINER MARINE       generator         H'way 17 East        no
                    CORPORATION         transporter

                  CLARK BOAT CO.,       small             H'way 17 East        no
                    INC.                generator

                  ENCEE CHEMICAL        small             Bridgeton            yes
                    SALES               generator
                                        transporter

                  FUEL OIL              transporter       Windly Street        yes
                    SERVICE CO.

                  MARINE CORPS AIR      generator         Cherry Point         no
                    STATION AT          storer
                    CHERRY POINT

                  PHILLIPS PLATING      generator         Bridgeton            yes
                    CO.

                  ROBERT BOSCH          small             H'way 55 West        no
                    POWER TOOL          generator

                  SALT WOOD             small             Cove City            no
                    PRODUCTS INC.       generator

                  STANADYNE MOEN        generator         Craven
                    DIV.                                  Industrial Pk.       no

                  WEYERHAEUSER CO.      generator         Streets              yes
                                        transporter       Ferry Road

                  use appraised values, the magnitude of differences in the
                  more urbanized portions of the County as shown in Table 5 is
                  startling, especially when the potential values were
                  developed without consideration of industrial and commercial
                  properties which are concentrated in Townships 6 and 8.
                        1

                  In Townships 1, 2, 3, 5, and 9, the estimated potential
                  property values and the actual property values obtained from
                  the County are relatively close. This indicates that it is
                  appropriate to use the median housing unit value obtained
                  from the census. The median census values for townships 6,7,
                  and 8 were also used because they tend to be substantiated by
                  current real estate listings. However, the discrepancies
                  between these values and those obtained from the County tax
                  records should be of concern to Craven County and warrants
                  some special analysis by the County.

                  Values of commercial and industrial properties and businesses
                  cannot be estimated or generalized. County tax records for,
                  each individual property must be utilized for this purpose.
                  Unfortunately, the County does not currently have the
                  capability of breaking the total real property values of each
                  township into values contributed by different types of uses
                  (i.e. percentage or totals attributable to residential,
                  commercial, industrial or other properties). Thus, estimates
                  of property value in Table 4 represent minimum "values at
                  risk" and reflect overall property values.

                  Table 6 presents a summary of the estimate value of
                  residential properties within the County that are potentialilly
                  susceptible to flood damage. This analysis is intended to
                  identify the order of magnitude of the problem based on
                  the best available information. The following assumptions/
                  estimates had to be made to conduct the analysis.

                       1    The percentage of the housing units in each township
                            that is located in the 100 year +loodplain had to be
                            estimated. The 1980 census counted over 260000
                            housing units (occupied and vacant) in the County.
                            (This total has grown by about 1000 units in the
                            past 4 years.) It was beyond the scope of this
                            project to conduct a field count of these units
                            in order to determine the specific number that
                            are actually located in flood prone areas.
                            Instead, a general field survey was undertaken
                            and supplemented with the review of available
                            county maps, flood insurance rate maps, land use
                            data, census data, and aerial photos in order to
                            make an estimate of the percentage of the housing
                            stock in each township that is located in areas
                            susceptible to flooding.

                                                 12

                    2)  The full market value of the housing was utilized.
                        Obviously flooding, depending on its magnitude,
                        would only partially damage most of these units.
                        The potential real property damage should thus be
                        viewed as a theoretical worst case condition.

               The potential damage to commercial properties cannot be
               estimated because of the lack of available data. However,
               almost all of the commercial properties susceptible to flood
               damage are located in the City of New Bern and in Bridgeton.
               Only a small number of such properties would be expected to
               be found in unincorporated Craven County.

                                              13

                                                     TABLE 4

                                           CRAVEN COUNTY TAXATION

                    Township             Real Property Value          Taxes       X oi Total
                                         +or A-11 Properties(l) Generated

                        1                     51,847,177             435,510           8.5
                        2                     50,827,847             426,960           8.3
                        3                     27,958,167             234,850           4.6
                        5                     10,296,430              86,490           1.7
                        6                    104,816,243             880,450           17.1
                        7                     47,751,747             4019120           7.8
                        8                    302,618,789           2,542,000           49.3.
                        9                     179574,504             147,630           2.9

                    TOTAL                    613,107,140           591559010          100.0

                                                     TABLE 5

                                    ESTIMATED TAX GENERATION POTENTIAL

                                          BASED ON   1980 CENSUS DATA

                    Township      No. of      Median      Potential        Real Property
                                  Housing     Value       Est. Real        Value From
                                  Units                   Property         County Tax
                                                          Value            Records (2)

                                  1851        25,800      47,755,800       519847,177
                        2         1617        31y300      50y6121100       50,8279847
                        3         1310        23,000      300130,000       27,958,167
                        5          712        219400      15,236,800       10,2969430
                        6         5829        43,900      255,893,100     104,816,243
                        7         2219        38,000      849322,000       47,751,747
                        8         9952        40,900      407,036,800     302,618,789
                        9          705        32,600      22,983,000       17,5749504

                    TOTAL                                 949,696,600     61391079140
                    NOTES:@(I)     Includes residential properties        only
                             (2)   Includes all properties

                                                          14

                                                   TABLE 6

                        ESTIMATE OF POTENTIAL RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY DAMAGE

                                     UNDER WORST CASE CONDITIONS

                 Township        of          V. of         Median       Potential
                              Housing        housing       Value        Real Property
                              Units          in Flood-                  Damage
                                             plain

                     1        1916         10     192      25,800          4,953 600

                     2        1949         75   1462       31,300          45,760,600

                     3        1338           1     13      23,000             299,000

                     5          7-20       75     540      21,400          11,556,000

                     6        6059           0      -      43,900                -

                     7        2292         10     229      38,000           8,702,000

                     8        10284        50   5142       40,900         210,307,800

                     9          733          5     37      32,600           1,206,200

                   total      25291        30'X  7615                     282,785,200

                 NOTE: The number of housing units represent occupied units
                          in 1980 plus units added in the past 4 years.

                                                    15

                  E. ANTICIPATED DEVELOPMENT IN HAZARD AREAS.

                  Figure 4 consists of the land classification map for Craven
                  County as contained within the County Land Use Plan. As
                  shown in this map and in Figure 2, which depicts the areas in
                  which recent subdivision activity has occurred, almost all
                  recent major development activity within the County is
                  occurring in areas susceptible to flooding (as shown in
                  Figure 3). These areas include:

                       o Fairfield Harbour and adjacent areas

                       o  River Bend

                       o  Trent Woods

                       o  The area between Trent Woods and New Bern in unincor-
                          porated Craven County.

                       o  The area between Brices Creek and the Trent River in
                          Townsh-ip #7. (The development of this area will be
                          stimulated by the development of the County water and
                          sewer system.)

                  Based on current development activity within the County and
                  on existing County policies, the question is not whether
                  development will continue to occur in flood prone areas, but
                  how will the County control this development so as to
                  minimize future damages attributable to high winds and flood-
                  ing. A review of the existing County policies and ordinances
                  related to this issue is contained in the next section. The
                  concluding section of this chapter contains recommended
                  mitigation policies.

                  F. EXISTING COUNTY MITIGATION POLICIES AND REGULATIONS

                  The following reports and regulations were reviewed in order
                  to assess existing Craven County policies related to hazard
                  area mitigation.

                       0  Craven County Land Use Plan
                       o  Craven County Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance
                       o  Craven County Subdivision Ordinance
                       o  Craven County Mobil`e Home Ordinance
                       o  County FEMA maps
                       o  North Carolina Guidelines for Areas of Environmental
                          Concern
                       o  North Carolina Residential Building Code

                  Based on a review of these regulations and reports it is
                  clear that development is and will continue to occur in
                  hazard areas (i.e. in Craven County, all hazard areas are
                  encompassed within the area that will be inundated by the 100
                  year flood).

                                                 16

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                                                                                                                     DEVELOPED
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                                      FIGURE

                 The main issue, therefore, is how the County's land use and
                 development regulations can be used to control potential
                 flood damages to development that has already and will
                 continue to be located in floodplain areas. This is the
                 prime issue regardless of what the 100 year storm elevations
                 are determined to be after the new FEMA maps are completed.
                 This same concern is true for public and community water and
                 sewer systems which are located to serve population
                 concentrations wherever they are permitted.

                 Following is a summary of the specific findings relating to
                 the ability of existing Craven County ordinances and policies
                 to control development in hazard areas in a desirable and
                 effective manner.

                       1.  The lack of County zoning clearly presents a problem
                           in that Craven County does not possess the prime
                           means available to a local community for control-
                           ling the location of future land developments.
                           Because there is no zoning, there are obviously no
                           non-conforming uses within the County. Additionally
                           the lack of zoning precludes this mechanism from
                           being used to establish a reconstruction program
                           that permits the rebuilding of an individual struc-
                           ture based on the percent of damage received and its
                           susceptibility to future damages if rebuilt in the
                           same location.

                       2.  The Craven County Subdivision Ordinance is generally
                           weak and vague with respect to floodplain develop-
                           ment. Its strongest statement is that "all sub-
                           division proposals shall be consistent with the need
                           to minimize flood damage." Likewise, the County
                           Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance does not contain
                           specific standards for development occurring in
                           designated flood hazard areas (the 100 year flood
                           plain). The emphasis of both ordinances is on
                           Uminimizing" flood damage and not on the development
                           of strong standards to prevent flood damage in flood
                           prone areas. Additionally, neither ordinance speci-
                           +ies what "minimizing flood damage" means.

                       3.  The Craven County Mobile Home Ordinance includes a
                           potentially strong provision that could prohibit the
                           development of new mobile home parks in areas sub-
                           ject to flooding. However, the provisions of the
                           ordinance pertain only to new mobile home parks, not
                           to existing parks or to mobile homes located outside
                           of mobile home parks. This ordinance could be an
                           excellent mitigation tool if its scope is expanded.

                       4. With regard to potential wind damage, the Count),'s
                           regulatory powers are governed by the North Carolina

                                                 18

                          Uniform Residential Building Code. Major provisions
                          are:
                              o On the east side of the Trent River Bridge,
                                structures must be constructed to withstand
                                winds 64 up to 110 m.p.h.

                              c, On the west side of the Trent River Bridge,
                                structures must be constructed to withstand
                                winds up to 100 m.p.h.

                              o Tie-down standards for mobile homes require
                                between 6 to 11 tie-downs depending on the
                                size of the unit.

                          These provisions appear adequate and there is little
                          the County can realistically do to modify them even
                          if desired. It is expected that the major wind re-
                          lated problem that needs to be addressed is con-
                          tinued compliance by mobile homes with tie-down re-
                          quirements after the initial permits are issued.
                          Pel,iodic random inspections by the County Building
                          Inspector should be considered as a means for
                          enforcing mobile home tie-down regulations.

                      5.  The Craven County Land Use Plan includes the follow-
                          ing provision related to development in Areas of En-
                          vironmental Concern:

                              "To continue the local permitting process of
                              allowing minor development forms in all estuarine
                              and public trust waters, coastal wetlands and
                              estuarine shorelines. These development forms
                              shall consist of activities requiring water
                              access and use which cannot function elsewhere.
                              Examples are simple access channels; structures
                              to prevent erosion; navigation channels; boat
                              docks; marinas, piers, wharfs and mooring
                              pillings, in conformance with the management ob-
                              jectives of 15 NCAS 7H, .0203.

                          This policy statement appears adequate. However,
                          the only mention made :-egarding controlling develop-
                          ment within the 100 year +loodplain is the following

                              "The +1oodplain policy of Craven County is: TO
                              CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NATIONAL FLOOD
                              INSURANCE PROGRAM AS A MEANS TO PROMOTE GOOD LAND
                              DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES AND TO PROTECT THE CITIZENS
                              OF THE COUNTY."

                 It appears that the biggest need with regard to storm
                 mitigation that needs to be addressed in the development of
                 strong standards for controlling the location and
                 construction of developments, and the installation of

                                                 19

                 utilities within the designated storm hazard area (100 year
                 +loodplain). The development o+ such regulations can proceed
                 without knowing what FEMA's +inal +lood hazard elevations
                 will be +or various sectors o+ the County.

                                               20

                 G. RECOMMENDED HAZARD MITIGATION POLICIES

                 Existing Craven County policies and ordinances permit
                 development to occur in hazard areas. All hazard areas in
                 Craven County are encompassed within the 100 Year +loodplain
                 boundary. As disussed in Section E, it is expected that
                 development within the floodplain will continue to occur
                 because in many coastal communities floodplains are not
                 generally considered to be an impediment to development. it
                 is even stated in Before the Storm that "Safe reconstruction
                 can occur on hazardous parcels of land if buildings are
                 designed to withstand flood waters, high winds and wave
                 action."

                 However, the fact that flooding represents a potentially
                 serious hazard to both the public health and safety and to
                 property must remain the major consideration in permit'ting
                 development t.o occur in +loodplain areas. In addition to
                 inundating homes and business, flooding can pollute water
                 supplies, cause sewers to back-up and overflow, cause septic
                 tanks to be exposed or destroyed$ and undermine structures of
                 various types. Despite these problems, the basic issue in
                 developing the Craven County Hazard Mitigation Plan and
                 accomi3anying policies is not where future develop- ment
                 should or should not locate (e.o. in flood hazard areas).L but
                 how should this development be constructed so as to minimize
                 damages in the event of a major storm.

                 There are two issues that must be addressed regarding
                 development in flood hazard areas - the control of new
                 development, and reconstruction in floodplain areas after a
                 storm.

                     1.  MITIGATION POLICIES RELATED TO NEW DEVELOPMENT.
                         Craven County does not have a zoning ordinance but
                         does have three other ordinances that can be uti-
                         lized to control development in flood prone areas:
                         the Craven County Subdivision Ordinance; the Craven
                         County Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance (this is
                         referred to as an ordinance, but has never been
                         formally adopted by the Craven County Board of Com-
                         missioners); and the Craven County Mobile Home
                         Ordinance. The major flood hazard provisions of
                         these ordinances related to new development, and
                         recommended policy changes are discussed below.

                         Craven County Subdivision Ordinance
                         Section 402 of the subdivision regulations deals
                         with the suitablity of land for development.
                         Section 402.1 states that:

                            "Land which has been determined by Craven
                            County Planning Board on the basis of engineer-
                            ing or other expert surveys to pose an ascertain-

                                                21

                            able danger to life or property by reason of its
                            unsuitability for the use proposed shall not be
                            platted for that purpose, unless and until the
                            subdivider has taken the necessary measures to
                            correct said conditions and to eliminate said
                            dangers."

                          Section 402.3 states: "All subdivision proposals
                          shall be consistent with the need to minimize flood
                          damage..." Both of these provisions are vague and
                          need to be strengthened.

                          Recommended Policy: It is recommended that Sec-
                          tion 402 be revised to include the following
                          provisions:

                            o   The 100 year floodplain shall be clearly
                                indicated on all subdivision plats and or
                                deeds and plats for all individual building
                                sites.

                            o   A portion of each building lot shall be
                                filled to provide a safe building site
                                above the 100 year floodplain elevation.

                            o   All water lines, sewers and other public
                                facilities shall be erosion proofed, and either
                                +Ioodproofed with the flood proofing measured
                                designed by and certified by a registered pro-
                                +essional engineer or such facilities shall
                                be elevated above the 100 year floodplain
                                elevation.

                            o   All streets in new subdivisions or access
                                roads to such subdivisions shall be elevated
                                above the 100 year flood plain elevation.
                                This shall be certified on the plat by a
                                registered professional engineer.

                          Craven County Flood Damaae Prevention Ordinance

                          Section A of Article 5 contains the general stan-
                          dards related to flood hazard reduction. The six
                          general standards included in the section are:

                          1.  All new construction and substantial improve-
                              ments shall be anchored to prevent flotation,
                              collapse or lateral movement of the structure.

                          2.  All new construction and substantial improve-
                              ments shall be constructed with materials and
                              utility equipment resistant to flood damage.

                          3.  All new construction or substantial improve-

                                                22

                             ments shall be constructed by methods and
                             practices that minimize flood damage.

                         4.  All new and replacement water supply systems
                             shall be designed to minimize or eliminate
                             infiltration of flood waters into the system.

                         5.  New and replacement sanitary sewage systems
                             shall be designed to minimize or eliminate
                             infiltration of flood waters into the sys-
                             tems and discharges from the systems into flood
                             waters; and

                         6.  Onsite waste disposal systems shall be located
                             to avoid impairment to them or contamination
                             from them during flooding.

                         These six standards represent good general princi-
                         pals. However, in some cases they should be made
                         more specific and/or expanded.

                         Recommended Policies

                         1.  The Craven County Board of Commissioners should
                             formally adopt a Flood Damage Prevention Ordi-
                             nance. The existing "ordinance" has never been
                             adopted. It appears that developers are com-
                             plying with flood plain development standards
                             primarily because local lending institutions are
                             requiring finished floor elevations to be higher
                             than 12.1 feet. An adopted ordinance will be
                             required if the County is to participate in the
                             regular phase of the flood insurance program.

                         2.  The special flood hazard area should be defined
                             as the 100 year floodplain as delineated in the
                             most recent FEMA flood insurance rate maps that
                             have been adopted by Craven County. In this
                             way, the ordinance would not have to be revised
                             to reflect updated maps nor would the County
                             find itself involved in issues regarding the
                             most appropriate elevation to utilize in the
                             ordinance.

                         3. Article 5, Section A should be revised to
                             included the following provisions:

                                o  All residential structures shall be
                                   elevated so that the lowest floor level
                                   (including the basement level) is ele-
                                   vated to or above the 100 year flood
                                   elevation.

                                o All non-residential structures shall have

                                                    23

                                     the lowest floor (including basement) ele-
                                     vated to or above the 100 year flood ele-
                                     vation or shall be floodproofed. Where
                                     +Ioodproofing is used in lieu of elevation
                                     it should be required that a registered
                                     pro+essi onal engi ne-er or arch i tect cert i +y
                                     that the floodproofing methods used are
                                     adequate to withstand the forces associated
                                     with the 100 year flood and submit such
                                     certification as part of a building permit
                                     application.

                                 o   All new and replacement water supply and
                                     waste disposal systems shall be designed
                                     to minimize or eliminate infiltration of
                                     flood waters into the system either by ele-
                                     vating the system above the 100 year flood
                                     elevation o by +loodproo+ing the system.
                                               2_r
                                     The adequacy of a flood proofed system
                                     shall be certified by a registered pro+es-
                                     s i onal eng i i neer .

                          Craven County Mobile Home Ordinance

                          The County ordinance includes the following general
                          provision: "Any land within the jurisdiction of the
                          ordinance deemed by the Planning Board to be subject
                          to flooding or unsuitable for residential occupancy
                          can be prohibited for residential development, but
                          such land may be set aside for such uses (e.g. such
                          as recreation areas) as will not be endangered by
                          periodic or occasional inundation. The Planning
                          Board in making its determination shall be guided
                          by an analysis of available data on topography,
                          soils, flood plains, drainage, or ground and sur-
                          face water information." It also contains a
                          provision which states that each new mobile home
                          shall be anchored to meet the requirements of the
                          North Carolina Building Code unless manufactured
                          to meet the National Mobile Home Co.nstruction and,
                          Safety Standards Act of 1974.

                          Recommended Policy

                             o  The Craven County Mobile Homes Ordinance is a
                                very good tool for controlling mobile home
                                developments in flood prone areas. It can be
                                strengthened by 1) clearly stating that "areas
                                subject to flooding" refers to all areas lo-
                                cated within the 100 year floodplain, and 2)
                                specifically requiring that all mobile homes in
                                all new mobile home parks and subdivisons be
                                elevated above the 100 year floodplain eleva-
                                tion.

                                                 24

                    2.   MITIGATION POLICIES RELATED TO REDEVELOPMENT OF
                         HAZARD AREAS AFTER A 'STORM

                         Craven County does not have provisions in any of its
                         local ordinances requiring damaged properties to con-
                         form with requirements for new development if they
                         are reconstructed after a storm. However, this in-
                         tent can still be satisfied as follows:

                            o   The North Carolina Building Code requires
                                any building damaged in excess of 50 percent
                                of its value to conform with code require-
                                ments for new buildings. (This will be par-
                                ticularlx beneficial in the event of wind
                                damage.)

                             o  To be accepted into the regular Flood Insur-
                                ance Program, Craven County will be required
                                to include in its Flood Damage Prevention
                                Ordinance a provision that all existing struc-
                                tures must comply with requirements related to
                                elevation above the 100 year flood plain ele-
                                vation and floodproofing if they are substan-
                                tially improved. A substantial improvement
                                is defined as "any repair, reconstruction, or
                                improvement o* a building, the cost of which
                                equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market
                                value of the building either before the im-
                                provement or repair is started or before
                                damage occurred if the building has been
                                damaged." Such a provision should be incor-
                                porated into the County ordinance when it is
                                revised.

                         A final recommendation is that the Craven County Mo-
                         bile Home Ordinance be revised to require that all
                         "old" mobile home parks (those constructed prior to
                         the adoption of the Ordinance) comply with the
                         provisions of the Mobile Home Ordinance if either
                         1) more than 50X of the homes in the park suffer
                         wind or flooding damage (this would not require
                         that each of the mobile homes sustain damages amount-
                         ing to 50% of their value), or 2) damage is
                         such that either the water system, sewer system, or
                         the on-site disposal system serving the park is
                         damaged to the extent that more than 50:/ of any of
                         the systems has to be repaired or replaced.

                                                 25

                              III. POST-DISASTER RECONSTRUCTION PLAN

                  A. INTRODUCTION

                  A post-disaster reconstruction plan provides a program that
                  will permit a local government to deal with the aftermath of
                  a storm in an organized and efficient manner. The Plan
                  provides the mechanisms, procedures, and policies that will
                  enable a local community to learn from the problems resulting
                  from its past land use decisions and its storm experiences
                  and to rebuild the.community in a wise and practical manner.

                  A post-disaster reconstruction plan encompasses three dis-
                  tinct  reconstruction periods:

                     �   The emergency period which encompasses the period
                         immediately-after the storm. The emphasis is on res-
                         toring public health and safety as outlined in the
                         County Emergency Management Plan, assessing the nature
                         and extent of storm damage, and qualifying for and ob-
                         taining whatever federal and state assistance might be
                         available.

                     �   The restoration period covers the weeks and months +ol-
                         lowing a storm disaster. The emphasis during this
                         period is on restoring community facilities, utilities,
                         essential businesses, etc. so that the community can
                         once again function in a normal manner.

                     �   The replacement reconstruction period is the period
                         during which the community is rebuilt. The period
                         could last from months to years depending on the na-
                         ture and extent of the damages incurred.

                  It is important that local officials clearly understand the
                  joint +ederal-state-local procedures for providing assistance
                  to rebuild after a storm so that local damage assessment and
                  reconstruction efforts are caried out in an efficient manner
                  that qualifies the community for the different types of
                  assistance that are available. The requirements are
                  generally delineated in the Disaster Relief Act of 1974
                  (P.L. 93-288) which authorizes a wide range of financial and
                  direct assistance to both local communities and individuals.
                  The sequence of procedures to be followed after a major storm
                  is a follows.

                         1. Local damage assessment teams survey storm damage
                            within the community.

                         2. Damage information is compiled and summarized, and
                            the nature and extent of damage is reported to the
                            North Carolina Division of Emergency Management
                            (DEM).

                                                      26

                       3. DEM compiles local data and makes recommendations to
                          the Govenor concerni.ng state actions.

                       4. The Govenor may request a Presidential declaration
                          of "emergency" or "major disaster." A Presidential
                          declaration makes a variety of federal resources
                          available to local communities and individuals.

                       5. Federal relief assistance provided a community when
                          an "emergency" has been declared typically ends one
                          month after the initial Presidential declaration.
                          Where a "major disaster" has been declared, federal
                          assistance for "emergency" work typically ends six
                          months after the declaration and -federal assistance
                          for "permanent" work ends after IS months.

                 Federal disaster assistance programs previously provided aid
                 for communities to rebuild in the same way as existed before
                 the disaster occurred. This policy tended to foster
                 reoccurring mistakes. However@ recent federal policy has
                 started to change the emphasis of disaster assistance
                 programs. Specifically,

                    o   Executive Order 1198 (Floodplain Management) directs
                        all federal agencies to avoid either directly or in-
                        directly supporting future unwise development in flood
                        plains (e.g. through sewer grants in locations that
                        foster floodplain development).

                    o   Section 406 of the Disaster Relief Act can require com-
                        munities, as a prerequisite for federal disaster
                        assistance, to take specific actions to mitigate future
                        flood losses.

                 The remainder of this chapter concerns recommendations
                 regarding 1) procedures that Craven County should follow in
                 carrying out its damage assessment program so as to meet all
                 federal and state requirements, and 2) reconstruction
                 policies that Craven County should adopt to insure that
                 future development that does occur in local hazard areas is
                 constructed in a manner consistent with sound land use plan-
                 ning, public safety considerations and evolving federal
                 policy.

                 B. ORGANIZATION OF DAMAGE ASSESSMENT TEAMS

                 The existing Craven Count>, Damage Assessment Plan contains
                 organizational charts for a Damage Assessment Section which
                 includes: a Public Property Survey Team, a Business and
                 Industry Survey Team, and a Private Dwellings Survey Team.
                 For a County the geographical size of Craven, more than one
                 Private Dwelling Survey Team will obviously be needed if a
                 major storm disaster occurs. This issue is not specifically
                 addressed in the Plan. Additionally, while the organiza-

                                               27

                  tional structure is patterned after the "Carolina County
                  Prototype Plan," specific personnel assignments are not made
                  and a review of the County's personnel roster indicates that
                  in some areas the County does not have th*e full-time person-
                  nel resources necessary to man each team in the manner
                  desired. For example, the County only has four (4) inspec-
                  tors in the Building Inspection Department and very few other
                  personnel skilled in property appraisal, rehabilitation,
                  engineering or construction related work.

                  Each damage assessment team should include individuals who
                  are qualified to give reliable estimates of the original
                  value of structures, an estimated value of sustained damages
                  and a description of the repairs (and costs) that will be
                  needed to rebuild the structure. Craven County will have to
                  rely on volunteer assistance in order to carry out these
                  responsibi 1 i ties.

                  It is recommended that five County damage assessment teams be
                  establihsed at follows (it is assumed that the larger munici-
                  palities in the County would have their own damage assessment
                  teams).

                    Public Property Survey Team
                    Assistant County Manager
                    Recreation Department Director
                    County Engineer *
                    Sanitary Engineer (the County's Consulting Engineer)
                    Architect *
                    Sheriff's Deputy (driver5

                    Business and Industry Survey Team
                    Tax Appraiser
                    Building Inspector
                    Commercial Realtor
                    Architect *
                    Chamber of Commerce Representative
                    Sheriff's Deputy (Driver5

                    Private Dwell'ing Survey Teams (3 teams to be assigned to
                    various sectors of the County
                    Tax Department Employer
                    Building Inspector
                    Residential Realtor *
                    Building Contractor *
                    Sheriff's Deputy (Driver)

                    Community Volunteer

                  The Director of Emergency Services should immediately under-
                  take a recruitment effort to secure the necessary volunteers
                  and to establish a training program to familiarize the mem-
                  bers of the various teams with required damage classification
                  procedures and reporting requirements. In doing so, it must

                                                28

                be recognized the it will be very difficult to fill certain
                positions, such as the building contractor positions on the
                Private Dwelling Survey Teams, because the services of
                individuals with such skills will likely be in a great demand
                after a storm disaster. A commitment from an organization
                such as a Homebuilders Association to provide such assistance
                might be the best approach.

                C. DAMAGE ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS

                Damage assessment is defined as a rapid means of determining
                a realistic estimate of the amount of damage caused by a
                natural or man-made disaster. For a storm disaster, it is
                expressed in terms of 1) number of structures damaged,
                2) magnitudes of damage by structure type, 3) estimated total
                dollar loss, and 4) estimated total dollar loss covered by
                insurance.

                After a major storm event, members of the Damage Assessment
                Teams should report to the Emergency Operations Center for a
                briefing from the Emergency Services Director prior to
                deployment. In order to efficiently deploy these teams, it
                is recommended that the Emergency Services Director have a
                prearranged agreement with the U.S. Marine Corps at Cherry
                Point for the Corps to provide a helicopter tour of the
                County for the Director and the Damage Assessment O+fic 'er.
                Such an initial reconnaissance is needed in order to 1)
                identify specific areas in the County where damage appears to
                be concentrated and where the various damage assessment teams
                should initially be deployed and 2) determine a rough order
                of magnitude of the damages sustained in the various sectors
                of the County.

                Because of the geographic size of Craven County and the
                limited personnel resources available to conduct the
                assessments, a two-phase assessment program is recommended.
                The first phase would be carried out during the emergency
                period and would consist of documenting and classifying the
                damaged structures. Because of time requirements and the
                fact that the prime concern is structural damage, external
                visual surveys of damaged structures should be conducted and
                the cause of the damage to each structure identified.
                Damaged structures should be classified in accordance with
                the provisions of the County's Damage Assessment Plan as
                follows:

                   �  Destroyed (repairs would cost more than 80 percent of
                      value)

                   �  Major (repairs would cost more than 30 percent of the
                      value)

                   �  Minor (repairs would cost less than 30 percent of the
                      value, but the structure is currently uninhabitable).

                                              29

                    o Habitable (some minor damage, with repairs less than
                       15 percent of the value),

                 It will be necessary to thoroughly document each assessment.
                 In many cases, mail boxes and other information typically
                 used to identify specific structures will not be found. Con-
                 sequently, each damage assessment team must be provided with
                 tax maps, other maps and photographic equipment in order to
                 record and document their field observations. Enough in+or-
                 mation to complete the Damage Assessment Worksheet must be
                 obtained on each damaged structure. More detailed
                 assessments of damaged structures should be undertaken
                 immediately Tft-er the initial reconnaisance survey has been
                 completed and reports are filed with the Damage Assessment
                 Officer.

                 The second phase of the damacte assessment operation will be
                 to ei@_timate the value.-Of the damages sustained. This
                 operation should be carried out in the Emergency Operations
                 Center under the direct supervision of the designated Damage
                 Assessment Officer (the County Tax Supervisor). A special
                 team consisting of county accounting clerks, tax office
                 personnel and other qualified personnnel should be organized
                 by the Damage Assessment Officer. This team should be incor-
                 porated into the organizational structure contained within
                 the County's Damage Assessment Plan.

                 In order to estimate total damage values it will be necessary
                 to have the following information available for use at the
                 Emergency Operations Center:

                    o  Property tax maps identical to those utilized by the
                       damage assessment field teams.

                    o  Copies of all County property tax records should be
                       permanently maintained in the Center. This information
                       should indicate the estimated value of all commercial
                       and residential structures within the County. Assessed
                       values taken from tax digests and market values fre-
                       quently di+fer. Consequently, with time being o+ the
                       essence, the County should consider using the median
                       township housing values taken from the 1980 census and
                       shown in Table 2 as an average housing value for each
                       township. A new 2 bedroom mobile home costs about
                       $16,000+. An average value of $18,000 would be con-
                       servative estimate to use for estimating mobile home
                       damages.

                 Additionally, a survey of local Craven County lending insti-
                 tutions should now be undertaken (and updated periodically)
                 in order to determine how many Craven County homeowners
                 participate in the Flood Insurance Program, and the average
                 value of such coverage. This information should be kept

                                                 30

                available in the Emergency Operations Center for estimating
                the value of sustained damages covered by hazard insurance.
                In order to produce the damage value information required,
                the following methodology is recommended.

                     1.  The number of damage businesses, mobile homes and
                         permanent residences that have been damaged
                         within each township should be summarized by damage
                         classification category.

                     2.  The number in each category should be mutiplied by
                         1) the median housing unit value from Table 2 or
                         $18,000 for a mobile home or the value of a business
                         structure as obtained from county tax records; and
                         2) an average percentage of value for each damage
                         classification category as follows:

                            �  Destroyed - 100%

                            � Major Damage - 50%

                            �  Minor Damage - (uninhabitable) - 25Y

                            o  Habitable - 1OX

                     3.  The total value of damages for each township and for
                         the County as a whole should then be determined.
                         Damages sustained within municipalities should be
                         obtained from the appropriate local officials.

                     4.  The estimated value loss covered by insurance should
                         then be determined by 1) multiplying the values
                         determined above by a percentage which represents
                         the number of homes with flood insurance coverage as
                         a percent of the total number of homes located in
                         flood prone areas (estimated to be about 7600) and
                         2) multiplying the estimated number of damaged homes
                         and businesses with flood insurance by the average
                         value of such coverage.

                The Damage Assessment Plan is intended to be the mechanism
                for estimating overall County property damage in the event
                of a civil disaster. After such an occurrence, there will
                probably not be enough time or resources to research property
                values from County tax records. The procedure recommended
                above represents an approach for making a relatively quick,
                realistic "order of magnitude" damage estimate after a
                disaster occurs. However, using the median value of a
                residence in relatively large and diverse townships will in
                some situations provide only a rough estimate. As an
                alternative, the County Planning Department could divide the
                County into logical geographical sectors based on factors
                such as natural boundaries (e.g. water bodies)t man-made
                boundaries (e.g. highways), areas of recent subdivision

                                               31

                 activity, identifiable neighborhoods concentrations, etc.
                 After this is accomplished, the Tax Assessor's Office could
                 estimate the average (or typical) value of a residence within
                 each sector. This could then be used as an alternative to
                 the median housing value approach based on values shown in
                 Table 2.

                 D. ESTABLISHMENT OF A RECOVERY TASK FORCE

                 Damage assessment operations are oriented to take place
                 during the emergency period. After the emergency operations
                 to restore public health and safety and the initial damage
                 assessments are completed, it will be necessary for Craven
                 County to establish a Recovery Task Force to guide restora-
                 tion and reconstruction activities during a post-emergency
                 phase which could last from weeks to months and possibly in
                 excess of a year depending on the nature and extent of the
                 damages sustained. The responsibilities of such a Task Force
                 could include:

                      1.  Establishing an overall restoration schedule.

                      2.  Setting restoration priorities.

                      3.  Determining requirements for outside assistance and
                          requesting such assistance when beyond local capa-
                          bilities.

                      4-  Keeping the appropriate state officials informed
                          using Situation and Damage Reports.

                      5.  Keeping the public informed.

                      6.  Assembling and maintaining records of actions taken
                          and expenditures and obligations incurred.

                      7.  Proclaiming a local "state of emergency" if war-
                          ranted.

                      8.  Commencing cleanup, debris removal and utility
                          restoration which would include coordiation of res-
                          toration activities undertaken by private utility
                          companies.

                      9.  Undertaking repair and restoration of essential pub-
                          lic facilities and services in accordance with
                          priorities developed through the situation evalua-
                          tion.

                      10. Assisting private businesses and individual property
                          owners in: 1) obtaining information on the various
                          types of assistance that might be available to them
                          from federal and state agencies; 2) in understanding
                          the various assistance programs; and 3) actually ap-

                                               32

                           plying for such assistance. If a major storm does
                           hit Craven County and major. damages occur, consid-
                           eration chould be given to establishing a Community
                           Assistance Team within the Department of Social Ser-
                           vices to carry out the above functions until such
                           time as the need abates.

                 In Before the Storm, a sequence and schedule for undertaking
                 local reconstruction and restoration activities is presented.
                 (Figure 7.15 on page 7-35). This schedule was left deliber-
                 ately vague because specific reconstruction needs will not be
                 known until after a storm hits and the magnitude of the
                 damage can be assessed. The following sequence of activities
                 and schedule is submitted as a guide which should be recon-
                 sidered by the Recovery Task Force and revised as necessary
                 after the damage assessment activities are completed.

                         ACTIVITY                 START DATE/COMPLETION/DURATION

                 1.   Complete Damage Assess-     Completed by second week after
                      ment                        the storm

                 2.   Prepare Summary of Re-      Completed one week after dam-
                      construction Needs          age assessment is completed

                 3.   Set Reconstruction          Completed one week after
                      Priorities and Prepare      damage assessment is complete
                      Master Reconstruction
                      Schedule

                 4.   Begin Repairs to Criti-     As soon as possible after
                      cal Utilities and Faci-     disaster
                      I i t'i es

                 5.   Decision with Regard to     One week after damage assess-
                      Imposition of Temporary     ment is completed
                      Development Moratorium

                 6.   Permitting of Recon-        One week after damage assess-
                      struction Activities        ment is cor-olete
                      for all Damaged Struc-
                      tures (major and minor)
                      not Included in Develop-
                      ment Moratorium Area

                 7.   Complete Re-evaluation      One month after Temporary
                      of Hazard Areas and Miti-   Development Moratorium is
                      gation Policies in Areas    Imposed
                      Subjected to Development
                      Moratorium

                                                  33

                 8.  Revise Mitigation-Poli-     Two months after Temporary
                     cies and Development        Development Moratorium is
                     Standards for Areas Sub-    Imposed
                     jected to Development
                     Meoratorium and Lift
                     Development Moratorium

                 9. Permit New Development       Upon suspension of any tempor-
                                                 ary development moratorium

                 It is recommended that the  Craven County Recovery Task Force
                 consist of:

                     o  Craven County Manager
                     o  Assistant County Manager
                     o  County Tax Assessor
                     o  Emergency Services Coordinator
                     o  County Finance Officer
                     o  County Planning Director

                                                  34

                E. RECOMMENDED RECONSTRUCTION POLICIES

                The following policies have been designed to be 1) con-
                sidered and adopted by the Craven County Board of Commis-
                sioners prior to a storm, and 2) implemented, as appro-
                priate, after a storm occurs.

                PERMITTING

                     1.  Building permits to repair structures previously
                         built in conformance with existing local codes and
                         standards and with the North Carolina Building Code
                         shall be issued automatically.         1

                     2.  All structures suffering major damages as defined
                         in the Craven County Damage Assessment Plan shall be
                         repaired or rebuilt to conform with the provisions
                         of the North Carolina Building Code and Craven
                         County Flood Hazard Ordinance.

                    3.   All structures suffering minor damage as defined in
                         the Craven County Damage Assessment Plan shall be
                         permitted to be rebuilt to their original condition
                         before the storm but (not expanded or otherwise
                         improved).

                    4.   Permits shall not be issued in areas subject to a
                         Temporary Development Moratorium until such moratori-
                         um is lifted by Craven County.

                    5.   All individual mobile homes located in mobile home
                         parks sustaining damage such that at least 50Y. of the
                         homes in the park receive some damage, shall be
                         required to conform with the provisions of the Craven
                         County Mobile Home Ordinance and the Craven County
                         Flood Hazard Ordinance regardless of whether the park
                         is currently required to conform with the provisions
                         of the Craven County Mobile Home Ordinance.

                UTILITY  AND FACILITY RECONSTRUCTION

                    1.   All damaged water and sewer systems (both public and
                         private) shall be relocated or repaired so as to be
                         elevated above the 100 year flood plain or shall be
                         floodproo+ed, with the methods employed Tnd the con-
                         struction being certified by a registered profes-
                         sional engineer.

                    2.   All damaged roads used as major evacuation routes in
                         flood hazard areas shall be repaired so as to be ele-
                         vated at least one foot above the 100 year flood
                         plain elevation.

                    3. All local roads that have to be completely rebuilt

                                              35

                          shall be elevated so as to be above the 100 year
                          flood plain elevation.

                  TEMPORARY DEVELOPMENT MORATORIUMS

                  Under certain circumstances, interim development moratoriums
                  can be used in order to give a local govepnmet time to
                  assesss damages, to make sound decisions that avoid past
                  mistakes, and to learn from its storm experiences. Such a
                  moratorium must be temporary and reasonable.

                  It is not possible to determine prior to a storm whether a
                  temporary development moratorum will be needed. Such a mea-
                  sure should only be used if damge in a particular area is
                  very serious and if redevelopment of the area in the same
                  manner as previously existed would submit the residents of
                  the area to similar public health and safety problems. The
                  Craven County policy regarding such moratoriums should be to:

                      1.  Require that the Craven County Recovery Task Force
                          assess whether a Temporary Development Moratorium is
                          needed within one week after the Damage Assessment
                          process is completed. Such an assessment should
                          clearly document why such a moratorium is needed,
                          delineate the specific uses that would be affected by
                          the moratorium, propose a specific schedule of acti-
                          vities and actions that w'ill be taken during the
                          moratorium period, and establish a specific time
                          period during which the moratorium will be in effect.

                  WIND DAMAGE -

                  It is assumed that many stuctures constructed to conform with
                  the provisions of the North Carolina Building Code will not
                  be able to withstand the acccompanying winds if a major- hur-
                  ricane hits the North Carolina coast. It is stated in Before
                  the Storm that "the State Building Code, as it now stands,
                  falls short in adequately protecting buildings from the
                  damaging forces of hurricanes and other coastal storms. The
                  Building Code Council, in seeking to maintain uniformity of
                  regulation across the state, has been resistant in the past
                  to allowing more stringent local standards. Another problem
                  small coastal communities are likely to face is a lack of
                  fiscal and staff resources to sponsor the engineering and
                  architectural studies that the Building Code Council requires
                  to justify any local variations to the code."

                  This is the case in Craven County. While the County has no
                  technical studies to indicate that the provisions of the Code
                  are inadequate as they effect Craven County, the County
                  should have some flexibility in imposing stricter standards
                  if it desires. This is a problem that the Coastal Resources
                  Commission must +ace if it expects local communities to take
                  the initiative in developing effective storm mitigation pro-

                                               36

                grams. The County policy should be to request the Coastal
                Resources Commission to carefully assess this problem which
                is common to all coastal communities.

                                              37

                          IV. CRAVEN COUNTY HURRICANE EVAUCATION PLAN

                 A. INTRODUCTION

                 The Craven County Hurricane Evacuation Plan provides the
                 overall framework for conducting evacuation operations in the
                 event of a major storm disaster.

                 The County's Hurricane Evacuation Plan was updated by Craven
                 County in 1983 to meet minimum critera +or evacuation plans.
                 The stated objective of the Plan is "to provide for an
                 orderly and coordinated evacuation to minimize the effects of
                 hurricanes on residents and visitors in Craven County." The
                 Plan includes provisions for 1) alerting and organizing local
                 officials who will be responsible +or carrying out evacuation
                 operations; 2) evacuating the public from areas particularly
                 susceptible to storm damage; and 3) designating evacuation
                 shelters to serve different sectors of the county.

                 The existing Craven County Hurricane Evacuation Plan has been
                 critically reviewed for conformance and compatability
                 with the new CAMA requirements for storm mitigation planning
                 as part of its land use planning regulations. The objective
                 in conducting this review is not to re-write the Plan, but to
                 identify areas where improvements are needed. Overall, the
                 organization of the Evacuation Plan is good and conforms with
                 the State requirements. However, the need for improvements
                 in the -following areas has been identified: 1) designation
                 of shelters; 2) identification of evacuation routes; and 3)
                 the refinement of assignments and procedures.

                 B. DESIGNATED EVACUATION SHELTERS

                 The Craven County Hurricane Evacuation Plans lists nineteen
                 (19) potential shelters, all of which are public schools
                 operated by the Craven County Board of Education. Each of
                 these nineteen shelters has been evaluated with respect to:
                 geographical area served; capacity; whether the building
                 appears to be susceptible to flooding; and whether adjacent
                 areas are susceptible to flooding. Table 7 presents a sum-
                 marx of the results of this analysis.

                 Based on the information summarized in Table 7, five (5)
                 schools should be eliminated from consideration as shelters
                 because of their potential susceptibility to flooding. These
                 schools are:

                     1.  Barber Elementary
                     2.  Danyers Elementary
                     3.  Oaks Road Elementary
                     4.  West Craven Middle School
                     5.  West Craven High School

                                                38

                                                  TABLE 7

                      POTENTIAL CRAVEN COUNTY HURRICANE EVACUATION SHELTERS

                                                                Located      Adjacent
                                      Township Student         in Flood      Area Flood
                  School Buildin-Q     Served     capacity     Plan Area     Prone

                  Bangert                 8          600            no           Yes

                  Bar be r                8          600        possibly         yes

                  Barden                  6          Soo            no           no

                  Bridgeton               2          600            no           yes

                  Brinson                 7          850            no           yes

                  Danyers                 8          425        possibly         yes

                  Farm Life/
                  Vanceboro               1          800            no           yes

                  Ft. Barnwell            3          423            no           no

                  Havelock                6          750            no           no

                  Havelock, Jr.           6         1000            no           no

                  Havelock H. S.          6         1000            no           no

                  Jasper                9/8          600            no       minor amt.

                  McDonald                8         1300            no           no

                  New Bern H.S.           8         1300            no           no

                  Oaks Road               8          600            yes          yes

                  Trent Park              8          600            no           xe s

                  West Craven, Jr.      1/9          Soo            yes          yes

                  West Craven.H.S.        1         1000            yes          yes

                  West Havelock           6         1050            no           no

                                                       39

                 Three other schools are located in areas where either the
                 need is not expected to be si.gnificant because of sparse
                 population or small amounts of flood prone areas; or where
                 there ape other nearby schools more suitable for shelters
                 because of locational and capacity factors. Schools that are
                 not recommended as primary shelters for these reasons are:

                     1. Ft. Barnwell Elementary
                     2. Barden Elementary
                     3. Havelock Elementary

                 Two other schools should be considered as secondary shelters
                 to be opened only if capacities at nearby primary shelters
                 are exceeded. The schools that should be designated as
                 secondary shelters are:

                     1. Havelock Middle School should be a secondary or
                         support shelter for Havelock Senior High School

                     2. Trent Park Elementary should be a secondary or
                         support shelter for McDonald Middle School.

                 The following nine (9) schools should be designated as the
                 primary Craven County shelters:

                     1.  Bridgeton Elementary
                     2.  Brinson Elementary
                     3.  Farm Life/Vanceboro Elementary
                     4.  Jasper Elementary
                     5.  West Havelock Elementary
                     6.  Bangert Elementary
                     7.  McDonald Middle School
                     8.  New Bern High School
                     9.  Havelock High School

                 Following is a discussion of how these shelters would serve
                 the various townships in the County in the event of a storm
                 disaster.

                 Township #1

                 The southeastern sector of ths township is susceptible to
                 flooding. Both West Craven Hight School and West Craven
                 Middte School are located within the 100 year flood plain.
                 The new Farm Life/Vanceboro school located in Vanceboro
                 should be the designated shelter for the entire township.

                 Township #2

                 The lower half of this township is susceptible to flooding.
                 Fairfield Harbour and Bridgeton are the major population
                 centers. Evacuees from these areas should be sheltered at
                 the Bridgeton Elementary School. Residents of the far west-
                 ern portion of the township could use the Farm Life/

                                             40

                Vanceboro Elementary school as a shelter should sectors of
                U.S. 17 experience flooding problems.

                Township #3

                This township is located in the extreme western portion of
                the County. With minor exceptions, there is little developed
                area susceptible to flooding. The Jasper Elementary School
                located in Township #9 would be the primary shelter for the
                residents of the township.

                Township #5

                This township is sparsely developed. The area adjacent to
                and west of Clubfoot Creek along Adams Creek Road is located
                in the 100 year +Ioodplain. There is no public school
                located in the township. Havelock High School located of+
                N.C. 101 would be the primary shelter for evacuees from this
                area.

                Township #6

                Development in this township is concentrated along U.S. 70 in
                the vicinity of Havelock and the Marine Corp Air Station at
                Cherry Point. Populated areas in the township are not
                located in the 100 year flood plain, but a significant amount
                of trailers that would be susceptible to wind damage are
                located in the area. Havelock High School and West Havelock
                Elementary School should be the primary shelters that would
                serve the residents of this township as well as Township #5
                which is located to the east. Havelock Middle School would
                serve as a secondary shelter to be opened as needed in order
                to meet the needs of County residents or of evacuees from
                Carteret County.

                Township #7

                The needs of the residents of this township would be met at
                one of three primary shelters - West Havelock Elementary
                School, Brinson Elementary School or at New Bern High School
                located to the west across the Trent River.

                Township #8

                This is the most heavily populated township in the County.
                Significant population concentrations are located in areas
                susceptible to inundation by the 100 year flood in New Bern,
                Trent Woods, River Bend and in unincorporated Craven County.
                Three primary shelters would serve this township. The
                McDonald Middle School and New Bern High School have large
                capacities and are located along major highways with good
                accessibility from all areas of the township. Bangert Elem-
                entary School would be the primary shelter from the Town of
                Trent Park and for other areas along the Trent River. The

                                              41

                  Trent Park Elementary school would be designated as a
                  secondary shelter to be opened as needs dictate.

                  Township #9

                  This township is sparsle>- developed and contains little
                  developed area that is susceptible to flooding. The Jasper
                  school would serve as the primary shelter for this township
                  as well as for Township #3.

                  C. INDENTIFICATION OF PRIMARY COUNTY EVACULATION ROUTES

                  Of primary concern is the susceptibility to flooding of the
                  primary County evaculation routes. The identification of
                  major roads which are expected to be used for
                  evacuation purposes has been determined by the Craven County
                  Director of Emergency Services. These routes are:

                      1.  Adams Creek Road (S.R. 1700)
                      2.  N.C. 101
                      3.  U.S. 70
                      4.  Brice Creek Road (S.R. 1004)
                      5.  U.S. 17
                      6.  U.S. 55
                      7.  Aurora Road (S.R. 1003)
                      8.  Street Ferry-Washington Post Road
                      9.  River Road <S.R. 1400)
                     10.  Dover-Ft. Barnwell Rd. (S.R. 1262)
                     11.  N.C. 118
                     12.  N.C. 43
                     13.  Old Cherry Point Road
                     14.  S.R. 1600 (to Fairfield Harbour)

                  The evacuation routes were reviewed and a request was made to
                  the Field Services Divison of the North Carolina Department
                  of Natural Resources and Community Development to provide
                  elevation data along these routes in order to determine their
                  susceptibility to flooding under different storm events.

                  The original intent was to attempt to computerize the
                  evacuation route elevation data as a component of a County
                  Storm warning system. This did not prove to be feasible
                  primaril.v because detailed elevation data is not available
                  for most routes. Additionally, the data that is available
                  can be more appropriately and effectively used to identify
                  potential problem areas that, in turn, can be specifically
                  addressed in the development of evacuation policies and
                  procedures.

                  Following is an assessment of the various evacuation routes
                  based on available data.

                                                42

                1.   Routes Located in the 100 Year Flood Plain

                     Four of the evacuation routes are located almost entirely
                     within the 100 year flood plain and should be considered
                     especially vulnerable to flooding. These routes are:

                        � Adams Creek Road
                        � Streets-Ferry - Washington Post Road
                        � S.R. 1600 (to Fairfield Harbour)
                        � Brice Creek Road (S.R. 1004)

                2.   Routes Adjacent to the 100-Year Flood Plain

                     River Road (S.R. 1400) runs parallel to the Neuse River
                     in the western part of the County. Most of the road is
                     not actually in the 100 year flood plain based on avail-
                     able data. However, this data can be imprecise and the
                     road should be viewed as being potentially susceptible to
                     flooding.

                     Aurora Road runs parallel to Little Swift Creek in the
                     north central part of the County. Elevation data +or
                     this roadway is not available. It should be viewed as
                     being susceptible to isolated flooding. However based
                     on population distribution within the County, it is not
                     expected that this road would see much use as an
                     evacuation route.

                3. Routes With Isolated Problem Areas

                     a. U.S. 17

                         There are a number of potential problem areas on U.S.
                         17 between Bridgeton and Vanceboro. These problem
                         areas are:

                            �  The roadway elevation is between 11.7 and 12.2
                               feet (which generally corresponds with the 100
                               Year flood elevation) in the vicinity of Little
                               Swift Creek. The roadway is built-up as it
                               crosses the creek, but flooding problems can
                               still be anticipated in this area.

                            �  The roadway is below the 100 Year flood ele-
                               vations from Antioch to the Neuse River. The
                               railroad, which parallels the roadway through
                               this area, was constructed to be out of the
                               floodplain and is about 3 to 4 feet above the
                               roadway elevation. Localized flooding along
                               U.S. 17 can be expected during significant
                               storm events.

                                                  43

                      b   N. C. 55

                          The elevation of N.C. 55 is only slightly above the
                          100 year flood plain elevation as it crosses Bache-
                          lors Creek. Potential flooding problems at this
                          location should be anticipated.

                  4. Routes with No Apparent Floodin_g Problems

                      The following routes have no apparent flooding problems
                      based on a review of available elevation data:

                         �  N.C. 101
                         �  U.S. 70
                         o  N.C. 118
                         �  N.C. 43
                         �  Old Cherry Point Road
                         �  Dover-Ft. Barnwell Road

                      Figure 5 identifies all locations along the designated
                      evacuation routes that are potentially susceptible to in-
                      undation during heavy flooding.    Based on this analysis,
                      Figure 5 also depicts recommendations concerning evacua-
                      tion routes that should be used to access each of the
                      designated shelters. It should be noted that some of the
                      routes that are susceptible to flooding will, due to the
                      lack of realistic alternatives, continue to be used as
                      evacuation routes. Recommendations regarding how these
                      problem areas should be handled as part of an evacuation
                      effort are contained in Section D-1.

                  D.  PROCEDURAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

                  1.  Evacuation Route Monitoring

                      The evacuation of residents in mobile homes and in areas
                      susceptible to flooding is stressed in the Craven County
                      Evacuation Plan. Mobile homes are scattered throughout
                      the County and it is unlikely that many residents of
                      these homes will leave prior to the issuance of a hurri-
                      cane warning. However, depending on weather conditions,
                      flooding could easily occur prior to the issuance of such
                      a warning. Consequently, County personnel should be pre-
                      pared to monitor flooding conditions along the evacuation
                      routes even prior to the issuance of a hurricane warning.

                      The Craven County Hurricane Evacuation Plan states that
                      the State Highway Patrol will be responsible for traffic
                      control on the state highway system. The County
                      Emergency Services Director should determine if this will
                      include surveillance monitoring for potential flooding
                      problems along the designated evacuation routes prior to
                      the issuance of a Hurricane Warning.

                                                  44

                                                                                                                                                                                                          FIGURE 5

                                                                                                                                                                              Evacuation                  Shelters

                                                                                                                                                   Ir .1

                                                                                                                                                                                         \4 -4_

                                            4 z
            Jib
            Qn

                                                                                                                                                           f  a  C1

                                                                             PRIMARY SHELTERS

                                                                             SECONDARY SHELTERS

                       The Craven County Sherif+/s Department has 42 staff mem-
                       bers (exclusive Of jailers). Assignments should be made
                       so that Sheriff deputies (or other qualified personnel)
                       are assigned to monitor the following roadways for indi-
                       cations of flooding problems, prior to the initiation of
                       evacuation orders.

                           �  River Road and Streets Ferry Road

                           �  Washington Post Road and the N.C. 55 crossing of
                              Bachelors Creek

                           �  U.S. 17 between Antioch and Bridgeton

                           �  Brice Creek Road

                           �  Adams Creek Road

                           o  S.R. 1600 to Fairfield Harbour

                       Direct communications should be maintained with the Emer-
                       gency Services Director and evacuation orders should be
                       issued as appropriate in response to observed or antici-
                       pated flooding problems.

                       It is estimated that at least 6 officers with vehicles
                       and communications equipment should be assigned this
                       monitoring task. Supplemental staff assistance should be
                       provided as necessray in order to carry out the evacua-
                       tion orders and to establish road blocks, as appropriate,
                       in flooded areas.

                  2.   Shelter Operations

                       A minimum of nine desig@ated primary shelters should be
                       operated during a major storm. According to the Hurri-
                       cane Evacuation Plan, each shelter will be manned by
                       representatives of the Red Cross, the Craven County
                       Health Department and the County Social Services Depart-
                       ment. However, the Evacuation Plan indicates that Social
                       Service and Health Department personnel will not be
                       assigned to shelte@-s until Condition 2 (24 hour warning).
                       This appears to be too short a notice given the inevi-
                       table confusion and hectic pace of activity that is
                       likely to occur during this period. Permanent assign-
                       ments, at least to key designated shelters, should be
                       made with provisions made to revise these assignments
                       should the opening of additional secondary shelters at
                       Havelock Middle School and Trent Park Elementary School
                       be required. This would necessitate initially assign-
                       ing additional personnel to Havelock High School and
                       McDonald Middle School .

                       The County Health Department has over 50 personnel in

                                                  46

                    various Job'classi-fications, while the Social Services
                    Department has over 110 personnel in various positions.
                    There are four relatively large shelters that must be
                    manned. (West Havelock Elementary, McDonal Middle and
                    New Bern and Havelock High Schools). It is recommended
                    that up to 10 persons be assigned to each of the large
                    shelters and 5 to each of the smaller shelters. Five
                    additional personnel should be assigned to New
                    Bern High School and Havelock High School in the event
                    it is necessary to open the secondary shelters and man
                    them with personnel from these primary shelters. Addi-
                    tionally it is recommended that one person from the
                    Recreation Department and one from the Sheriff's Depart-
                    ment be assigned to each shelter.

                    Shelter assignments should be made based on available
                    skills, shelter needs and the location of the resi-
                    dences of each shelter team member. These assignments
                    should be continuously updated to reflect personnel
                    changes. Additionally, the County should move to imple-
                    ment the provision in its Evacuation Plan whch calls for
                    an annual training exercise.

                3.  Public Awareness and Issuance of Warnings

                    A major concern with all evacuation plans is public
                    awareness regarding storm threats, potential safety prob-
                    lems in different sectorsq and the location of designated
                    shelters and evacuation routes.

                    For a county the size of Craven, County personnel must
                    rely primarily on the mass media (i.e. radio and televi-
                    sion) for the dissemination of information regarding hur-
                    ricane watches, hurricane warnings, warnings regarding
                    flooding conditions, and the issuance of evacuation
                    orders. In some concentrated but sparsely populated
                    flood prone areas such as Adams Creek, it might be
                    possible to issue evacuation orders and alert residents
                    with county personnel, but this will be the exception
                    rather than the rule. Consequently, in addition to mass
                    media information, the County's efforts should be placed
                    on public awareness so that residents of the County know
                    what to look for and what to do as a storm approaches the
                    coast. Specifically, it is recommended that the County
                    consider:

                         I.  Mailing summary copies of the Evacuation Plan to
                             each property owner in the County as part of the
                             mailing of the annual tax bills.

                        2.   Including summary copies of the Evacuation Plan
                             as a supplement with the local Sunday newspaper
                             at the beginning of each hurricane season.

                                                   47

                         3.  Preparing special flyers for mobile home resi-
                             dents that describe the particular danger of re-
                             maining in mobile homes during major storm
                             events. Such flyers should also identify the lo-
                             cation of the designated shelters. This +Iyer
                             could be mailed to mobile home owners with the
                             annual personal property assessments. This
                             information should also be required to be posted
                             at all mobile home parks.

                         4.  Publishing a one page generalized summary map
                             showing all areas susceptible to inundation by
                             the 100 year storm. This map coul'd also be
                             mailed with the annual tax bills. The back side
                             of the map could include information related to
                             the flood insurance program, the dangers of wait-
                             ing too long to evacuate and being isolated by
                             flooded roadways, and a number to call for +ur-
                             thep information.

                 The above recommendations are merely illustrative of the
                 types of effort that the County should consider undertaking.
                 All such efforts will req4ire the use of County resources.
                 and some financial expenditures. However, it is difficult
                 to see how the County can make its residences aware of the
                 potential dangers to be faced +uring a major storm unless it
                 is willing to undertake expenditures of this nature. The
                 cost would be relatively minimal in comparison to the savings
                 that could be realized as a result of such an effort if,
                 unfortunately, a major storm does occur.

                                                  48

                                                                                                                                NOAA COASTAL SERVICES CTR LIBRARY

                                                                                                                                3 6668 14111603 0