NORFOLK, Va. — Longtime Norfolk resident Emma Morgan said when high water covers the roads she's not going outside.
Morgan said flooding is one of the reasons why she moved to a different section of the city.
“I used to live close to the downtown area up that way and it would just flood… that’s why I moved because I didn’t want my car to get flooded,” she explained.
Norfolk city staff already have several projects on the table to address the issue.
“On the smaller scale would be our Retain Your Rain program where we educate folks on things they can do on their property like rain gardens,” said Kyle Spencer, Norfolk’s chief resilience officer.
City staff also have a relationship with the Waze app which will help drivers get around flooded streets.
Spencer added his office has multiple larger-scale projects going on too.
“We’re talking about large infrastructure projects like what we’re doing with the [US] Army Corps of Engineers and the Coastal Storm Risk Management Program, and then other big stormwater projects like the Blue/Greenway in the St. Paul’s transformation area.”
Spencer said the designs for both projects are almost finished. He hopes construction can start later this year or early 2025. Now, city staff hope to get residents involved through a series of upcoming open houses. Spencer said it will update residents on where city projects stand, educate them on flood preparation and get them involved in the mitigation process.
“Our big focus is just living with water," Spencer said. "We’re surrounded by it on three sides. A lot of our economy is based around the water, so we want folks to be part of that conversation.”
Spencer said these sessions will allow city officials to collect feedback from residents. He said his office also hopes to release a citywide flood strategy by the end of the year.
The open houses will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at each location:
- March 14: Southside STEM Academy at Campostella, 1106 Campostella Rd.
- March 19: East Ocean View Senior Center, 9520 20th Bay St.
- March 21: Jordan-Newby Anchor Branch Library, 1425 Norchester Ave.
- March 25: Lambert’s Point Community Center, 1251 W 42nd St.
You can learn more on the city's website.