Virginia’s flood woes: It’s time for some consistency

On Dec.

Half of the RGGI money goes to low-income energy efficiency and 45 percent goes to the fund to pay for flood-protection planning and projects statewide.

7 the state released the Coastal Resiliency Master Plan, the first cut at developing a strategy for Virginia’s flood control efforts.

Flood damages in the coastal region are projected to increase from $400 million to $5.1 billion a year over the next 50 years, unless we take preventive action.

The next day Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin gave observers whiplash when he announced that he would take Virginia out of RGGI, ending the funding stream for Virginia’s flood fund.

The Coastal Master Plan shows yearly flood losses, just in the coastal zone, increasing 1,250 percent and primary road flooding increasing over 600 percent by 2080.

The Flood Fund has just started pushing money out the door, with $7.8 million in the first round and nearly $30 million requested in the pending round.

The Community Flood Preparedness Fund is a phased program providing localities money to prepare strategic flood plans — hire consultants, build capacity and gather data and design projects — and then cost-share with them to build their flood control projects.

From the push to remove Confederate statues to big shifts in healthcare and energy policy, the Old Dominion is changing; fair and tough reporting on the policy and politics that affect all of us as Virginians is more important than ever.

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