WASHINGTON — Virginia's Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, along with Congresswoman Elaine Luria, sent a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requesting that the Virginia Beach Regional Coastal Storm Risk Management Study be included in the Army Corps Fiscal Year 2020 Work Plan.
The study was authorized in the 2018 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) to analyze the flood risk threats from sea level rise, coastal storm surge and rainfall events, and to develop watershed-based mitigation solutions to reduce flood risk in the cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Chesapeake.
“This study is crucial to the long-term vitality and resilience of the City of Virginia Beach and the entire Coastal Virginia region. This region is home to four critical military bases, which employ 33,000 military and civilian personnel and their families,” wrote the members.
If the study is approved to be added to the Army Corps Fiscal Year 2020 Work Plan, the City of Virginia Beach will be able to continue efforts in mitigating sea level rise and recurrent flooding, serving as a model to coastal cities in need of more resilient infrastructure, economies, and communities.
View the letter below: