Growing Returns

Ahead of the 2025 General Assembly, here are 3 ways to build flood resilience in Virginia

By Emily Steinhilber / Published: December 10, 2024

Virginia Conservation Network, a statewide coalition of 170 conservation partners, released its 2025 Common Agenda this year, providing a comprehensive overview of Virginia’s environmental policies and priorities to lawmakers and stakeholders. Detailed in the agenda are three key opportunities for lawmakers to continue progress on flood resilience initiatives.

While hurricane season officially ended on November 30, many Virginians in the southwest region are still recovering from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene. We stand with those communities as they recover and must remember that now is not the time to lose focus on reducing the risk of increasing climate-driven storms and disasters. According to the agenda’s co-authors from EDF’s Climate Resilient Coasts & Watersheds Virginia program, the following three flood resiliency opportunities should be a critical focus in the coming year.

Posted in Climate Resilience / Tagged climate resilience, coastal flooding, flood disclosure, flood resilience, wetlands | Comments are closed

Transformational climate adaptation puts communities at the center. This project shows us how.

By Emily Steinhilber / Published: November 1, 2023

From record-setting rain in New York City to overflowing rivers in Vermont to another hurricane slamming into Florida’s coast – this year alone, we’ve seen historic neighborhoods, communities, local businesses and homes devastated by severe weather events that are becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change. Now more than ever, we need to invest in climate resilience to prepare our communities.

Building resilience isn’t easy, but it’s possible – and the Ohio Creek Watershed project in the City of Norfolk, Virginia is a prime example. Earlier this year, city officials and community members celebrated the completion of a $112 million watershed resilience project that shows transformational climate action is possible when community members have a seat at the decision-making table. Read More »

Posted in Climate Resilience / Tagged climate resilience, coastal flooding, flood resilience, flooding, natural infrastructure, virginia coastal flooding | Comments are closed

Virginia’s Legislature made progress on flood resilience in 2022, but significant work remains.

By Emily Steinhilber / Published: June 3, 2022

Last month, a Nor’easter left parts of Hampton Roads flooded for days, disrupting transit and damaging property. This situation is a reality for a growing number of Virginians who are experiencing more intense and frequent flooding due to rising sea levels and heavier precipitation.

Without action, coastal flood damages are expected to cost Virginia $5.1 billion annually by 2080, which is why its leaders must use every tool in the toolbox to match the scale of challenges facing people across the Commonwealth.

While Virginia’s General Assembly concluded its 2022 legislative session with several successes, more work is needed – particularly in securing long-term funding for flood resilience, to protect people and natural resources from flood threats now and in the future.

Here are three key takeaways from Virginia’s legislative session relating to flood resilience. Read More »

Posted in Coasts and Watersheds / Tagged coastal communities, coastal resilience, flood management, flood risk, virginia coast | Comments are closed

Nearly 1 million Virginians are at risk of flooding by 2080. The state just released a plan to address that risk.

By Emily Steinhilber / Published: December 20, 2021

Last week, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam released the commonwealth’s first Coastal Resilience Master Plan, the result of a multiyear effort to guide action to address flood risk to better protect communities, businesses and vital natural resources against sea level rise and climate change.

Here are four ways the plan provides a foundation and path forward for Virginia to comprehensively meet the urgency of its flood crisis in a coordinated, equitable way.

Posted in Climate Resilience, ecosystems / Tagged virginia coast, virginia coastal flooding, virginia flooding, virginia infrastructure | Comments are closed

Virginia Beach’s new flood bond can be a model for other cities. Here’s how.

By Emily Steinhilber / Published: December 10, 2021

Virginia Beach, the most populous city in the commonwealth with 38 miles of shoreline, faces increasing flood risk due to rising sea levels and more intense storms. Recurrent flooding hurts critical sectors including the military and tourism, both major contributors to the local economy.

Fortunately, Virginia Beach voters took an important step to reduce flood risk in their community by passing a historic $567.5 million flood mitigation bond last month. This funding will not only reduce the city’s flood risk — it will also boost the economy and create thousands of jobs.

As other cities across the country grapple with how to pay for the increasing costs of flood protection projects, here are four ways this bond serves as a model for success. Read More »

Posted in Coasts and Watersheds / Tagged flood bond, floodplain restoration, virginia beach coast, virginia coast, virginia flood | Comments are closed

3 ways Virginia can continue to advance flood resilience statewide

By Emily Steinhilber / Published: October 4, 2021

Virginians are already seeing the impacts of climate change, from sea level rise along our coastlines to increased rainfall statewide. Without action, Virginians can expect $4.1 billion in annual losses to residential, commercial and public structures by 2080, with 171,000 acres of tidal marsh at risk of disappearing.

To better understand this risk, EDF worked with Virginia Conservation Network partners to release a policy paper that outlines Virginia’s flood risk and presents opportunities to build resilience.

Additionally, the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine recently released a report analyzing climate change impacts on Virginia’s coastal areas and offering specific ways to address them.

The sentiment of these two analyses is the same: Climate change is here, and we must act quickly to build resilience for our communities.

Here are three of the top recommendations for state leaders to take an equitable and comprehensive approach to flood resilience to protect Virginia’s communities, ecosystems, infrastructure and economy.

Posted in Coasts and Watersheds / Tagged Virginia climate, virginia coasts, virginia flood, virginia flooding | Comments are closed

Virginia is taking bold climate action to address flood risk across the state

By Emily Steinhilber / Published: June 10, 2021

Climate change poses a significant threat to Virginia’s communities, infrastructure and economy. The state has the highest rates of sea level rise on the Atlantic seaboard with more than 34,000 buildings and 534 square miles of coastal land at risk of flooding by 2060, while more intense rainfall is also increasing flood risk statewide.

Virginia’s state leadership is moving diligently to mitigate current and future flood threats by funding and implementing risk reduction and resilience projects across the commonwealth.

Here’s how the state is tackling its flood risk problem with thoughtful planning and long-term funding. Read More »

Posted in Climate Resilience, Coasts and Watersheds / Tagged climate action, coastal climate, flood risk, Virginia climate, virginia coastal flood, virginia flood | Comments are closed