Hampton Roads in Virginia—seven communities and 11 federal facilities—is facing one of the worst combinations of erosion, subsidence and sea-level rise in the nation. The latest modeling suggests the area faces a sea-level rise of between 2.5 ft to almost 7 ft by 2100. Acknowledging that it is not practical or affordable to build a fortress around the entire region, the communities and agencies are working on plans that will allow them to live with the water.
George Homewood, planning director for Norfolk, says the city explored the idea of building flood gates and floodwalls, but it learned that “the cost of doing so—in terms of the environment, in terms of our way of life, and in terms of the city, state and federal governments’ checkbooks—are way too high.”