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Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Katey Zimmerman was in Rocky Mount last week for a meeting of stakeholders in Tar-Pamlico flood resiliency.

Katey was invited to be a part of Tar-Pamlico River Basin Advisory Group — a group tasked with planning a flood resiliency blueprint for the watershed. Led by Christopher Dreps, with North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Mitigation Services, the attendees included regional Council of Government staffers, municipal public works employees, nonprofit staff and representatives from environmental justice groups.

“This first meeting was a lot of meet and greet — it wasn’t a whole lot of planning — but we went over the objectives: to build relationships and develop group expectations and basically get an introduction to the NC Flood Resiliency Blueprint and offer feedback on how we see the process evolving,” Katey said.

Part of the goal is to get on-the-ground feedback from communities in areas where flood risks exist, but might not be covered by current flood maps.

“Basically, we’re going to create a map that different municipalities and agencies can use to illustrate where their flood risks are and what kind of resiliency projects they’d like to see in the area,” Katey said. “That, in turn, will allow the blueprint to be used to get funding for these projects.”

Katey said being a part of the process will allow her to get to know others working for flood resiliency. 

“It’s a really great opportunity, and beneficial to me, to be in a room with professionals from across the Tar-Pam watershed,” she said. “It’s a great way to set the stage for future collaborations and partnerships.”

Do you like the work your Riverkeepers are doing? We do! Donate today to support Katey’s work for a flood-resilient Tar-Pamlico!

Read more about NCDEQ’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint here.