Pine Knoll Shores, a small barrier island town on North Carolina’s Crystal Coast, is known for its sandy beaches, a popular aquarium—and for flooding when major storms blow in along the coast.
“People here are used to being in the path of hurricanes, tropical storms, major rain events, floods and everything else,” says Mayor John Brodman. “We try and plan to deal with severe weather events as best as we can over time. Money and everything else is always in short supply.”