UNCW Receives Grant to Advance Flooding Research

UNC Wilmington’s Center for Marine Science (CMS) has been awarded a $500,000 planning grant from the New Hanover Community Endowment to identify flood vulnerabilities and increase effectiveness of community response to flood safety and resilience.

By aligning ongoing resilience efforts and bringing together local governments, private organizations and university experts, the project will address the growing complex risk of flooding in our rapidly developing coastal community.

“The two-year investment allows UNCW to connect the expertise and resources needed to protect our coastal communities and strengthen resilience for future generations,” said Stuart Borrett, associate provost for research and innovation. “This is one example of how UNCW’s research and innovation engine serves New Hanover County and the Cape Fear region.”

The effort is led by Ken Halanych, CMS executive director; Lynn Leonard, CMS associate director for research and innovation; and Phil Bresnahan, associate professor of earth and ocean sciences.

“The Center for Marine Science has a rich history of advanced research on flooding and flood mitigation,” said Halanych. “The generous award from The Endowment will help us translate that expertise into multi-sector community conversations that set shared priorities to enhance safety and minimize community risks.”

With this grant, CMS will develop a Flood Resilience Consortium that unites agencies and organizations working on community preparedness and provides a sustained effort for comprehensive guidance.

“The public, private and academic sectors have been leading important flood resilience initiatives across New Hanover County for years,” said Bresnahan. “With this support from The Endowment, the UNCW Center for Marine Science has an exciting opportunity to help strengthen ties across organizations and efforts, to build a comprehensive understanding of where key flood risks remain and to collaborate on addressing them with research-informed approaches.”

Research will drive the consortium’s outreach, workshops and implementation of shared priorities and clear roles to guide long-term flood resilience efforts. The consortium plans to develop a comprehensive inventory of current maps, models, data and other resources to outline key vulnerabilities, priority projects and timelines, as well as responsibilities.

Building a unified approach is essential for the community to respond effectively, said Leonard. “Through collaboration, clear risk assessment and early planning, the consortium, created with The Endowment support, will help the citizens of New Hanover County better withstand, adapt to and recover from future flooding.”

To sustain the initiative, the consortium will identify funding strategies that bring together public, private and philanthropic investments to continue to safeguard the most critical initiatives.