COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



East 



ECU Conference Looks 

 at Impacts of Hurricanes 



st Carolina University will host "In 

 the Aftermath of Floyd: Recovery in the 

 Coastal Plain," May 24-26, at the 

 Mendenhall Student Center. 



The conference will bring together 

 citizens whose lives were disrupted, scien- 

 tists, students, policy makers and agency 

 representatives. 



The goal is to better prepare Eastern 

 North Carolina citizens and officials to deal 

 with future extreme weather events to 

 lessen the loss of lives and property. 



Gov. Jim Hunt will deliver the keynote 

 speech at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 24. 

 In addition, Robert Sheets, former director 

 of the National Hurricane Center, will 

 speak at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 25. 

 Both evening presentations are free and open 

 to the public. 



The conference workshops open at 

 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. Researchers will 

 report on projects that relate to the effects 

 of the 1 999 hurricanes and floods. 



Workshop topics include extended 

 recovery response; short- and long-term 

 floodplain management; risks and ben- 

 efits; sustainable recovery and mitigation; 

 and areas of responsibility. 



All sessions will include audience re- 

 sponse. The final forum on Friday, May 26, 

 "Lessons Learned and Recommenda- 

 tions," will review preliminary results from 

 the break-out sessions. 



Participants will be encouraged to 

 develop strategies to rebuild "smart" in a 

 region that is rapidly growing, but also is 

 increasingly vulnerable to severe weather 

 disasters. 



Registra- 

 tion fee, $65 for 

 the general pub- 

 lic and $35 for 

 students, covers 

 conference ma- 

 terials, lunch on 

 Wednesday and 

 Thursday and 

 dinner on 

 Thursday. 



For infor- 

 mation call Pam 



Cloer, events coordinator, 919/515-7990; 

 or visit the Web: www.ecu.edu/coas/floyd/. 



For information on post-hurricane 

 research, turn to Sea Science on page 24. 



-P.S. 



Neuse River Day 2000 



Neuse River Day 2000 will get un- 

 der way at 8:30 am. Saturday, June 3, at 

 New Bern's Union Point Park, as dozens 

 of paddlers cast off for a 1 2-mile canoe and 

 kayak challenge. A cash prize awaits the 

 winner. 



Recreational paddlers may find the 

 5-mile event and its "paddle plaque" award 

 just as enticing. A raft race at 1 1 a.m. offers 

 another creative, competitive alternative. 



The annual festival is sponsored by 

 the Neuse River Foundation, says volun- 

 teer Bill Cote, "to give people a chance to 

 celebrate this wonderful water resource in 

 our back yards." 



The festival's educational exhibits 



will raise public awareness of the efforts to 

 help improve water quality, Cote adds. 



North Carolina Sea Grant will join 

 dozens of other exhibitors on the banks of 

 the Trent and Neuse rivers for daylong ac- 

 tivities — face painting, a petting zoo, fire 

 safety demonstrations, and arts and crafts. 



The Neuse River Foundation aims to 

 preserve and improve the water quality of 

 the Neuse River. The Neuse flows more 

 than 200 miles through 19 counties within 

 its 6, 192 square-mile basin — home to 

 one-sixth of the state's population. 



For more information, or to register 

 for events, call the foundation at 252/637- 

 7972. - P.S. 



Hurricane Expo 

 Set forjune 3 



North Carolina Sea Grant 

 will take part in Project Impact: 

 Hurricane Preparedness Expo 

 2000 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 3 

 atTrask Coliseum at the University 

 of North Carolina at Wilmington. 

 Project Impact is a Federal 

 Emergency Manage- 

 ment Agency (FEMA) 

 initiative that helps 

 communities protect 

 themselves from the 

 devastating effects of 

 natural disasters by 

 taking actions to 

 reduce disruption 

 and loss. 



Exhibits will 

 include products and 

 demonstrations aimed 

 at making area residents "disaster 

 resistant" and better prepared for 

 the next storm. 



FEMA named New Hanover 

 County and the municipalities of 

 Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, 

 Wlmington and Wrightsville 

 Beach "Disaster-Resistant 

 Communities" in 1 997. 



Last year, the local expo 

 raised nearly $1 7,000 for the 

 American Red Cross, Salvation 

 Army and Cape Fear Area United 

 Way. Attendance reached 6,000 — 

 the largest of its kind in the U.S. 



Spencer Rogers, North 

 Carolina Sea Grant coastal erosion 

 and construction specialist, will 

 present several workshops, as will 

 Sea Grant researchers from 

 Clemson University. 



For information, call Debbie 

 Reed at 91 0/341 -4595. -P.S. 



COASTWATCH 



