Abstract

This report was developed by the North Carolina Interagency Leadership Team (ILT), a group of eleven state and federal agencies, to communicate to planners and engineers, working for the public and private sectors, about the potential effects and risks due to changes in climate and extreme weather events, as well as strategies for considering those effects and risks in planning, design and implementation of projects.

As Ryan Boyles, North Carolina’s state climatologist with the State Climate Office of North Carolina, explains, “Since North Carolina already experiences almost every kind of severe weather and climate, and that our best science suggests these events will not become less severe (and may become worse), our State can do a lot to manage future risk by taking steps to reduce our vulnerability to current hazards.” Obviously, we cannot predict the future with 100% certainty in any area of human concern, but we can plan so we can avoid unpleasant outcomes whenever possible. If the weather forecaster says it may rain, we grab our umbrella. If we live in a floodplain, we take out a flood insurance policy on our home. It is simply prudent to evaluate our risk and plan accordingly.