LUMBERTON—Robeson County Board Chair John Cummings will attend a four-day event with the American Flood Coalition in Washington, D.C., this week.

Running through Thursday, the American Flood Coalition (AFC) will bring together 43 community leaders from six states to Washington, D.C., along with federal experts and congress members, to explore solutions to flooding damage in the Summit on Flooding. Participants will be able to advocate for more funding in their hometowns to fix and prevent flooding damage and casualties.

The Lumber River that passes through Robeson County has flooded previously, reaching a record high of 28 feet in 2016 and surpassing it just two years later at 29 feet due to Hurricanes Matthew and Florence, respectively.

According to the North Carolina Governor’s Office, Hurricane Matthew caused $4.8 billion in damages in the state. The National Weather Service reported a death toll of 25 in the state, all but one of which were directly due to flooding. Hurricane Florence caused 54 deaths and damages totaling $24 billion.

ReBuild NC’s vulnerability assessment has placed the Lumber River area at significant risk of increased flooding over the next 30-50 years. Several projects were given top priority to minimize future damages and deaths, such as creating a comprehensive map of stormwater and drainage infrastructure and installing stream gauges at various intervals for earlier flood warnings.

The Summit in D.C. will provide Board Chair Cummings with an opportunity to advocate for funding for the damage reduction projects and the restoration of still-present damage left behind by Hurricane Florence.

For more information on the Summit on Flooding and North Carolina’s recovery projects, visit ReBuild.nc.gov.