A VCPC report looks at the economic toll sea level rise could have on Hampton Roads without adaptive measures.
In 2006 a Naval Station in Norfolk, Virginia suffered flooding as tropical storm Ernesto traveled through the Eastern Mid-Atlantic region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Justin K. Thomas
This November, the Virginia Coastal Policy Center issued this report: “The Costs of Doing Nothing: A Sea Level Rise Synopsis for the Hampton Roads Region.”
This analysis, conducted by RTI International, and funded by the blue moon fund, looks at the economic toll that sea level rise could have on the Hampton Roads region if the community were to fail to take adaptive measures. The goal of the report is to help inform the public about the risks posed by sea level rise, and thereby assist coastal localities as they plan for this challenge.
The study concludes that sea level rise in the range of .5 meter to .75 meter (the levels predicted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science by the years 2040 and 2060, respectively) could increase the costs and economic damages from coastal flooding events by up to $100 million annually.
Among the study’s key findings are:
Raising significant interest, the report has been covered in the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post, along with many others.
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