Intended and Unintended Consequences of Buyout Programs as an adaptive response to Compound Flood Events and Coastal Inundation Risk in Rural Communities

This project will examine the full impact of buyout programs in two rural communities-counties in the Carolinas applying methods to capture the benefits of this adaptation strategy while addressing the fiscal and equity challenges. The first case study is in the incorporated Town of Windsor, NC located along the Cashie River. It is the largest county in the state of North Carolina spanning 741 square miles, Bertie's economic base rests on agriculture, including livestock and a growing poultry industry. In 2016, Hurricane Matthew damaged about 60 homes, out of 1,110 total housing units in the Town of Windsor. The town was awarded $4,256,788 for 34 acquisitions (buyouts) and another $1,707,626 for 11 elevations through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). The second case study area will be from South Carolina which experienced three major storms and flooding events over 2015 to 2018. The most affected counties, and those eligible for SC Disaster Recovery Office assistance, are located in the Pee Dee and Santee River watersheds. SC has obtained approximately $162 million from HUD, $35 million of which is intended to go to housing buyouts. To date, only two counties have been approved for buyouts. SC reopened the buyout program application process in August 2021.

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