Mayor Olivia Dawson was elected as mayor of Burgaw in 2021. She is the Tourism Director Pender County and serves as the current chair of the Pender County Long-Term Recovery Group focused on disaster recovery. The Town of Burgaw, the county seat of Pender County, North Carolina, has a population of over 4100. In 2010, the town participated in a multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan developed by Pender County, which included the assessment of flooding and hurricane hazards. In 2016, Burgaw received over $900,000 in grants to remedy stormwater infrastructure problems. To aid in its ongoing efforts to mitigate the damage of flooding, the town has adopted a Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance and participates in the National Flood Insurance Program. Burgaw also benefits from the more than $6.5 million approved by FEMA to eliminate flood risks in Pender County.