Homeowners across New Bern, Jacksonville, and Greenville may be at a much higher risk for flooding than federal maps show.
A UNC-Chapel Hill study warns that 43 percent of North Carolina buildings that flooded over a recent two-decade span sat entirely outside FEMA's official hazard zones.
The data strikes a major chord here in Eastern North Carolina. Heavy rains and river overflows routinely threaten property owners from the Neuse River in New Bern to the Tar River basin in Greenville. Because these hard-hit properties sit outside federal lines, owners are rarely required to carry flood insurance, creating a massive financial blind spot.
Researchers say integrating local topography and density shows that inland cities like Jacksonville are just as vulnerable to repeat storm damage as the immediate coastline.
