Hurricane Evacuation, Hazard Mitigation & Post Disaster Reconstruction Plan-1984

CRAVEN COUNTY,
NORTH CAROLINA
HURRICANE EVACUATION, HAZARD MITIGATION
AND
POST -DISASTER RECONSTRUCTION PLAN
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DCM COPY DCM COPY
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Division of Coastal Management
JUNE, 1984

CRAVEN COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
HURRICANE EVACUATION, HAZARD MITIGATION
AND
POST -DISASTER RECONSTRUCTION PLANS
prepared by
GEORGE EICHLER & ASSOCIATES, INC.
DUNE, 1984
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
I.
INTRODUCTION
1
II.
CRAVEN COMITY 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. RECOMMENDED 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. RECOMMENDED 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

I. 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:
Manaoino Development to Reduce Hurricane Damaoes. 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 IV, 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 80X)
concentrated in a narrow corridor between River Bend and
Havelock. This corridor varies between 1 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
12% by 1990. Table 1 summarizes projected County growth by
County town -ship. 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 1
CRAVEN COUNTY POPULATION GROWTH
TOWNSHIP 1970
POPULATION
1980 1990
(PROJECTED)
X INCREASE
1970-1990
#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 1980 census information. A number of important
observations can be made based on the information shown in
Table 2.
o Mobile homes are scattered
County and constitute about
housing stock.
throughout all areas of the
15/. of the County's total
2

W

o Outside of the urban concentrations in Townships 6 and
8, mobile homes constitute about 28% of the County's
housing stock. Such housing is more susceptible to
storm damage than is conventional housing.
o 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 latest
available census information, about 74Y.. of the total retail
establishments in the County were located in these two
municipalities (60% in New Bern and 14% in Havelock). Other
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
TOWNSHIP
OCCUPIED
% RENTER
MOBILE HOME
V. 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

' , t......
FIGURE 2
AREAS OF RECENT SUBDIVISION
ACTIVITY
X •.
Cmvm COlw

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 any 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 defined 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
2

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
insurance 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
F

1
• i i "d
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® 100 Year Floodplain
Estuarine Shoreline (75 feet
from mean high water line)
COMPOSITE HAZARD AREA MAP
FIGURE 3
✓O Y
e
r O 1
N• t 1 0 N• 1
�/ '\ �•••
CRAVEN CVO.,

corridor running from the downtown bridge to the west.
o 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.
o 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 60% of the developed area of the town. This
means that approximately 700 residents and over 200
residences are located in areas susceptible to
flooding.
o River Bend. River Bend 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.
o 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 floodplain.
o 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.
o Industrial Developments. Two major industrial areas
within the County are located in the 100 year flood
E

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.
o Hazardous Waste Storage 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 and
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
located in flood prone areas along the Trent River and
Brices Creek. The availability of these facilities
will also stimulate future development in these areas.
Additionally, many public and private roads and
electric 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 not
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
11

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.
In Townships 1, 2, 31 5, and 91 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 potentially
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 floodplain had to be
estimated. The 1980 census counted over 26,000
housing units (occupied and vacant) in the County.
(This total has grown by y.bout 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
% of Total
for All 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
10,2969430
86,490
1.7
6
104,816,243
880,450
17.1
7
47,751,747
401,120
7.8
8
302,618,789
2,542,000
49.3
9
17,574,504
147,630
2.9
TOTAL
613,107,140
5,155,010
100.0
TABLE 5
ESTIMATED TAX GENERATION POTENTIAL
BASED ON 1980 CENSUS DATA
Township
No. of
Median
Housing
Value
Units
1
1851
25,800
2
1617
31,300
3
1310
239000
5
712
21,400
6
5829
43,900
7
2219
389000
8
9952
40,900
9
705
32,600
TOTAL
Potential
Est. Real
Property
Value
47,755,800
50,6129100
300130,000
15,236,800
255,893,100
84,3229000
4079036,800
22,983,000
949,696,600
Real Property
Value From
County Tax
Records (2)
51,847,177
50,827,847
27,958,167
10,296,430
104,816,243
.47,751,747
3020618,789
1795749504
613,107,140
NOTES: (1) Includes residential properties only
(2) Includes all properties
14

TABLE 6
ESTIMATE OF POTENTIAL RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY DAMAGE
UNDER WORST CASE CONDITIONS
Township
# of
% of
Medi an
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
720
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% 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
Township #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.
o Craven County Land Use Plan
o Craven County Flood Damage Prevention, Ordinance
o Craven County Subdivision Ordinance
o Craven County Mobile 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).
W.

r.
FIGURE 4
LAND CLASSIFICATION MAP
CRAVEN COUNTY, N.C.
1981
DEVELOPED
TRANSITION womimmmum
COMMUNITY
RURAL
CONSERVATION
W29. Al. rrf tti farm«" 1p PM tiV NMr 1
�� }Y ..•ram fro. 11r �ll.rl Ow«b fff •osogMrlr
tij/� Afr�4,n/1aw wf 00 fa.a. N a""
W Offs« d Comas /
��wront. P»vsrn! K rr1«al
IMF
............
of 1
smart;' �_ //� / �// .,,.►r f+�ri:�.: ` � ,1 i//
%

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
"minimizing" flood damage and not on the development
of strong standards to prevent flood damage in flood
prone areas. Additionally, neither ordinance speci-
fies 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 County'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 of up to 110 m.p.h.
o 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.
Periodic 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 floodplain is the following
"The floodplain 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
W

utilities within the designated storm hazard area (100 year
floodplain). The development of such regulations can proceed
without Knowing what FEMA's final flood hazard elevations
will be for various sectors of 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 floodplain
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 permitting
development to occur in floodplain 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
accompanying policies is not where future develop- ment
should or should not locate (e.g. in flood hazard areas), 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
floodproofed with the flood proofing measured
designed by and certified by a registered pro-
fessional 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 Damage 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
floodproofing is used in lieu of elevation
it should be required that a registered
professional engineer or architect certify
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 or by floodproofing the system.
The adequacy of a flood proofed system
shall be certified by a registered profes-
sional engiineer.
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 Construction 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-
ticularly 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 of 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 50% 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:
o 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.
o The restoration period covers the weeks and months fol-
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.
o 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 federal -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).
NN

3. DEM compiles local data and makes recommendations to
the Govenor concerning 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 18 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 County 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 the 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
responsibilities.
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 (driver)
Business and Industry Survey Team
Tax Appraiser
Building Inspector
Commercial Realtor
Architect *
Chamber of Commerce Representative
Sheriff's Deputy (Driver)
Private Dwelling 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 toss, 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 Officer.
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:
o Destroyed (repairs would cost more than 80 percent of
value)
o Major (repairs would cost more than 30 percent of the
value)
o 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 infor-
mation to complete the Damage Assessment Worksheet must be
obtained on each damaged structure. More detailed
assessments of damaged structures should be undertaken
immediately after the initial reconnaisance survey has been
completed and reports are filed with the Damage Assessment
Officer.
The second phase of the damage assessment operation will be
to estimate the value of the damage. 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 differ. Consequently, with time being of 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:
o Destroyed - 100%
o Mai or Damage - 50%
o Minor Damage - (uninhabitable) - 25%
o Habitable - 10%
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
val ue- 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), 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
1. Complete Damage Assess-
ment
2. Prepare Summary of Re-
construction Needs
3. Set Reconstruction
Priorities and Prepare
Master Reconstruction
Schedule
4. Begin Repairs to Criti-
cal Utilities and Faci-
lities
5. Decision with Regard to
Imposition of Temporary
Development Moratorium
START DATE/COMPLETION/DURATION
Completed by second week after
the storm
Completed one week after dam-
age assessment is completed
Completed one week after
damage assessment is complete
As soon as possible after
disaster
One week after damage assess-
ment is completed
6. Permitting of Recon- One week after damage assess-
struction Activities ment is cotriDlete
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 Mora.torium 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.
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 50% 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
floodproofed, with the methods employed and 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 governmet 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 will 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 face 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 for 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 for 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-
mary 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 Building
Served
Capacity
Plan Area
Prone
Bangert
8
600
no
yes
Barber
8
600
possibly
yes
Barden
6
800
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
yes
West Craven, Jr.
1/9
800
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 significant because of sparse
population or small amounts of flood prone areas; or where
there are 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 the township is susceptible to
flooding. Both West Craven Hight School and West Craven
Middle 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 floodplain. There is no public school
located in the township. Havelock High School located off
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 sparsley 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
primarily 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:
o Adams Creek Road
o Streets -Ferry - Washington Post Road
o S.R. 1600 (to Fairfield Harbour)
o 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 for
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;
o 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.
o 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

CAI
a
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.
Routes with No Apparent Flooding Problems
The following routes have no apparent flooding problems
based on a review of available elevation data:
o N.C. 101
o U.S. 70
o N.C. 118
o N.C. 43
o Old Cherry Point Road
o 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.
PROCEDURAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
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

J FIGURE 5
......• 1 Evacuation Shelters and Routes
, M� 1 '
w • 1 13 w • 1 '
PRIMARY SHELTERS
townships
CRAVEN COUNTY
SECONDARY SHELTERS

The Craven County Sheriffs 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.
o River Road and Streets Ferry Road
o Washington Post Road and the N.C. 55 crossing of
Bachelors Creek
o U.S. 17 between Antioch and Bridgeton
o Brice Creek Road
o 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 b 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 designated 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 shelters 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 classifications, 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 sectors, and the location of designated
shelters and evacuation routes.
For a count; 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:
1. 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 flyer
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 could 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 fur-
ther information.
The above recommendations are merely illustrative of the
types of effort that the County should consider undertaking.
All such efforts will require 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 Turing 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.
W