Ocracoke needs public input on creating resiliency plan

The Village Craftsmen in Ocracoke show the new high water mark established by Dorian. [Facebook]

Hyde County officials are asking Ocracoke residents, property owners and other stakeholders to complete a short questionnaire on ways for the community to be better prepared to withstand, respond to, and recover from weather or other disruptions.

A public meeting about the Resilient Coastal Communities Program is set for 6 p.m. Jan. 27 in the Ocracoke Community Center or attend virtually via Zoom.

The questionnaire can be completed online or participants can download and print the form and return it.

The county, on behalf of the unincorporated Ocracoke Village, is one of the 25 local governments selected for the Resilient Coastal Communities Program administered by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management. The grants are for technical assistance in risk assessment and resilience planning work.

The program helps local governments on the coast set resilience goals, look at the community’s needs, and identify projects to boost community resilience to coastal hazards. The four phases of the program include Phase 1, community engagement and risk & vulnerability assessment; Phase 2, planning, project selection and prioritization; Phase 3: engineering and design; and Phase 4: implementation.

This first award through the program was announced in March 2021. The 25 local governments can receive up to $675,000 total complete the first two phases.