Op-Ed: Rep. Chris Humphrey - House Bill 500, The Disaster Relief and Mitigation Act of 2021

Hurricane season is already underway in North Carolina. Just last week, Tropical Storm Elsa moved across the East Coast and brought flash flooding to the state. Those of us in Eastern North Carolina know how devastating these storms can be. Hurricanes Matthew and Florence were two 1,000-year flood events that hit our region just in the last five years. Fortunately, many are already taking action to prepare for the next major flooding event.

NC House Speaker, Tim Moore, appointed me to serve as a member of the American Flood Coalition, a nonpartisan, national alliance of more than 200 elected officials, civic groups, military leaders and cities last year. This affiliation afforded me the opportunity to work with city leaders to obtain a grant offered through the Kresge Foundation. The American Flood Coalition is partnering with Kinston to complete a stream restoration project at Emma Webb Park. The City of Kinston, Kinston Teens, and Kinston/Lenoir Parks and Recreation have already been working to gather input and start the planning process. The project will make repairs and improvements to the stream so it can better handle rising flood waters and offset flooding in the surrounding community. Emma Webb, as we locals call it,  has been a part of our community for over 90 years and this project will help the surrounding area for generations to come.

In Raleigh, we have been hard at work at the State Legislature to address flooding concerns in North Carolina. As a co-sponsor of House Bill 500, The Disaster Relief and Mitigation Act of 2021, I have been working with Majority Leader John Bell and Senator Jim Perry to secure more than $32m for Neuse River flood mitigation activities . This bill would provide funding to make crucial investments in our infrastructure to prepare North Carolina for future natural disasters. These appropriations would save North Carolina billions in the long run as every dollar spent on pre-disaster mitigation translates to roughly four to seven dollars in disaster recovery. As Ben Franklin once said, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. These investments will not only save money but save lives in our most flood prone areas.

I’m proud of the work being done in North Carolina to prepare for disaster mitigation and flooding. The Emma Webb Park Project displays the best of Kinston - with many concerned citizens and young people volunteering their time to improve the community around them. As we approach the height of hurricane season, I hope all of us take time to prepare for inclement weather before storm clouds arrive.