As flooding and sea level rise continue to emerge as topics of concern in Hampton Roads, a common question is: “what are we going to do?” Local governments in Hampton Roads are already taking action to address these issues. To help document and track local progress on implementing projects that reduce flood risk, the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission recently released a new tool, the Hampton Roads Resilience Projects Dashboard. The online tool displays the cost, status, and location of various types of resilience projects. By providing these statistics, the Dashboard is designed to help communicate the need for state and federal assistance in mitigating the impacts of flooding and sea level rise. By including future projects proposed by local governments, the Dashboard can also help to identify possible opportunities for coordination and collaboration between jurisdictions. To view the new Dashboard, visit HRGEO.org and click “Hampton Roads Resilience Projects Dashboard” under “Featured Web Apps”. 

There are 11 different project categories included in the Dashboard, such as drainage improvements, natural shoreline management, structural flood protection, and stream and wetlands restoration.  Project costs can be summarized by project status and category. For example, the Dashboard inventory includes $1.6 billion in projects currently under design or under construction (136 projects). The Dashboard shows that 62 of the 136 projects underway are for drainage improvements. The Dashboard includes an additional $1.4 billion in proposed projects (108 projects), highlighting the magnitude of funding that will be needed for implementation. These cost estimates will continue to grow and change as more data is added to the inventory.

Image Source: Hampton Roads Resilience Projects Dashboard (2019)

The Dashboard also features an interactive map, where users can view details about individual projects and apply filters to view specific categories. HRPDC staff is also planning to communicate information on local policies, such as revisions to comprehensive plans and ordinances, as well as programs that localities offer to promote community resilience. All data included in the Dashboard was provided by local government staff, and HRPDC staff will continue to work with localities to update and expand the inventory.

Image Source: Hampton Roads Resilience Projects Dashboard (2019)