What will flood in Virginia - if sea level rises 5-10 feet, or more...
(Source: Environmental Protection Agency -
Maps of Lands Vulnerable to Sea Level Rise:
Modeled Elevations Along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coasts)
Sea level is rising at nearly an inch a century now, before the projected impacts of excessive carbon dioxide in the atmosphere affect the climate. Places like the Eastern Shore, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Suffolk, could become offshore sandbars. Imagine the buildings in downtown Norfolk being recycled as oyster reefs for the 500th anniversary of the English colony at Jamestown...
Virginia's business leaders may be conservative politically, but they are also conservative when dealing with business risk. Various scientists and commentators may challenge the data or the interpretations of how global warming could trigger sea level rise or changes in climate, but the insurance company and banking executives recognize the need to be prepared - just in case...
Being "conservative" means "being prepared, just in case." The costs of insurance will reflect the perceived risks of flooding during a major storm. Insurance costs will rise, driving new development inland, long before fish swim through the windows of the 20-story buildings in Norfolk.