DURHAM — The plight of citizens in the tiny town of Pamlico, flooded by Hurricane Irene last August, has been in the news. Pamlico is one of dozens of small communities along the shorelines of Pamlico and Albermarle sounds. All are endangered by future storm surges, a risk that grows with rising sea level.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, North Carolina is at particular risk from flooding related to sea level rise, especially the Pamlico and Albermarle sounds region. Land slopes there are extremely gentle, often of the order of 1:10,000. This means that a 1 foot rise in sea level can flood inland on the mainland for 10,000 feet.

Because of this extraordinary flood risk, the State Division of Emergency Management was awarded $5 million federal grant to carry out a Sea Level Rise Risk Study. The plan is to determine the effect of sea level rise on flooding and especially storm surges for a 40 cm. (16 inches) sea level rise and for a rise of 1 meter (39 inches). The 1 meter rise was considered the most likely scenario by 2100 in a 2010 report by the Science Panel of the state Coastal Resources Commission.