VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — By Monday at noon, standing water had already submerged the end of the street just outside Rich Califf's newly purchased home in Cape Story by the Sea.
“I understood that -- I guess I wasn’t prepared for the scope of it," he told 13News Now Monday.
Califf closed on the house at the end of Wake Forest Street this summer, having recently moved from Alexandria, VA. He says the reality of seeing coastal flooding following a major storm system is different than the expectation of what he thought he'd see before moving in.
“Expected it once every 10 years to get a serious flow. I have a raised driveway, and today I think it’s going to go above that, so I moved my car," Califf said.
Monday, coastal areas across Hampton Roads saw varying degrees of tidal flooding following the remnants of post tropical cyclone Ian. Earlier in the day, the National Weather Service Station in Wakefield named at least five areas across Hampton Roads that would see the possibility of "major" coastal flooding.
Those flood predictions downgraded throughout the day, with flood totals coming in under what was originally expected. Still, the Lynnhaven region around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel still had a the possibility of "major" flooding as of Monday early evening.
Throughout the day, the flood line's knee-deep level kept extending further and further onto Wake Forest street, submerging front and back yards.
Even after nearly three decades in one home, the sight still surprised homeowner Mary Cawley.
“I woke up this morning, and normally at low tide around 9 there isn’t water, but there is still water in my yard. So that gives you an idea of what it’s going to be like today," she said.
Virginia beach voters overwhelmingly passed a flood protection bond referendum last year to improve flooding conditions across the city: including the Shore Drive corridor.