TANGIER, Va. — Much needed help could be in store for Tangier Island where around 400 people call home.
It sits in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay between the Eastern Shore and the Northern Neck. It's accessible only by boat or aircraft.
And Mother Nature is taking a toll on it.
Rising sea levels and coastal erosion are threatening the livelihood of the small fishing enclave.
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Since 1850, Tangier Island has lost two-thirds of its land mass.
This week, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine met with the Army Corps of Engineers to discuss possible solutions, including berms and bulkheads.
"It's something I'm very committed to. Tangier is a part of Virginia's history. And it will be an incalculable loss if we do nothing, and that island becomes uninhabitable," said Kaine, in an interview with 13 News Now.
Kaine helped secure $800,000 in the Fiscal Years '23 and '24 to study dredging that could help Tangier address sea level rise and recurrent coastal flooding and storms.
President Biden's proposed FY '25 budget includes more than $10 million for the project.