Norfolk survived the American Revolution, the Civil War, and a century of flooding. As a major military hub, it needs to ensure it remains resilient amidst rising sea levels.
The city of Norfolk’s natural and man-made assets are remarkable: 144 miles of coastline; 125 active and engaged civic leagues; the world's largest naval station; the most multi-modal city in Virginia; and on and on. And the city is full of incredible charm, like the cobble stone streets of the award-winning Freemason’s neighborhood. But, having been nearly destroyed during the American Revolution, burned down during the Civil War, and flooded repeatedly during the past century, Norfolk also knows a thing or two about resilience.
In this city anchored by the Navy, and taking a whole-community approach focused on hazard mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery, Norfolk has learned to “live with the water” as a coastal city; however, rising sea levels and recurrent flooding remain a major threat. Two major concerns trump others: local transportation officials estimate thousands could be stranded if a major hurricane hits the region because the state’s evacuation plan is inadequate. And energy security and redundancy remain a challenge, as power outages present safety and health hazards.
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Norfolk is one of 32 cities world-wide that the Rockefeller Foundation last week named to its new "100 Resilient Cities Network."
The designation means that the city will share in a fund of around $100 million that will be used to coordinate and implement disaster plans, Mayor Paul Fraim said.
The plans will mean the city can "better prepare for, withstand and bounce back more effectively in the face of shocks, stress and other vulnerabilities," said Judith Rodin, president of the foundation.
"Norfolk is now part of a global network of urban areas focused on building resilience to share best practices and lead by example for cities throughout the world."
The designation includes money for the city to hire a chief resilience officer. The city will work with other cities such as San Francisco and New York, which were also awarded the designation, to share ideas about preparing and surviving a disaster.
"We are doing everything we can to mitigate the issues involving water," Fraim said, including the adoption of building codes that require new buildings in
the floodplain be built three feet above the base flood elevation, or the worst flood in 100 years.
"Norfolk's extreme vulnerability to both natural and man-made extreme events makes the city an excellent candidate for the 1,000 Resilient Cities Challenge," Fraim wrote in a letter to judges. "For a metro area its size, Norfolk ranks second only behind New Orleans as being at greatest risk from sea level rise and as one of the top five most vulnerable U.S. cities to hurricanes. Home to the world's largest naval installation and to Virginia's largest and busiest port facility, both national security and safety would be imperiled by extreme events assailing Norfolk."
A panel of judges that included Bill Clinton and Olusegun Obasanjo, the former president of Nigeria, chose the cities.
Other factors that Fraim and the city cited in the city's application for the designation:
* The city is rated the 13th most fiscally stressed locality in Virginia and is considered "high stress" by the Commission on Local Government.
* Almost 15 percent of families in Norfolk live below the poverty level.
* Norfolk has a history of resilience. Fraim and the application cited the hostilities between the Indian tribes and English colonists, its reconstruction after the Revolutionary War, and repeated flooding during the past century.
* The city is home to the North American headquarters of NATO.
* The city has identified five "resilience building" priorities: coastal protection, utility redundancy, economic recovery, transportation and health care.
RICHMOND , VA – March 2, 2015 – Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that Virginia is developing a resiliency plan for its coastal communities.
“Our coastal communities are already feeling the effects of environmental challenges such as sea level rise, recurrent flooding and other extreme weather events,” said Governor McAuliffe. “The Commonwealth has identified Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore as the target areas for this resiliency plan that will unite the region, build water management solutions, strengthen vulnerable neighborhoods and improve economic vitality.”
The Commonwealth is currently applying for assistance through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under the National Disaster Resilience Competition to support innovative resilience projects at the local level. The competition will also benefit communities statewide in efforts to adopt policy changes and activities that plan for the impacts of extreme weather and climate change.
The Governor’s Climate Change and Resiliency Update Commission, established by Executive Order, is chaired by the Secretaries of Natural Resources and Public Safety and Homeland Security.
“Through this plan and assistance, communities will be better positioned to recover from prior disasters and improve their ability to withstand and recover more quickly from future disasters and hazards,” said Virginia’s Chief Resilience Officer and Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran.
Participation in the effort is broad based, bringing together multiple state and federal agencies, local governments, institutions of higher education, community groups and private sector partners. The Commonwealth is seeking input from the public for the resiliency plan proposal and will hold a public hearing on March 10, 2015, at 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Ted Constant Center, located at 4320 Hampton Boulevard, Norfolk, Virginia. Copies of the draft proposal will be available and comments will be heard at this forum.
“Collaboration in development of this plan will create a stronger framework that will encompass all aspects of communities affected by these types of extreme weather and climate change,” said Secretary of Natural Resources Molly Ward. “We look forward to hearing from the public on this issue and receiving input from the various stakeholders in Virginia’s coastal communities.”
For more information on the resiliency plan, visit www.dhcd.virginia.gov.