At the end of 2018, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed an Executive Order that will increase the state’s resiliency to sea level rise and flooding. Executive Order Twenty Four specifically identifies the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), recommending that the Secretary of Natural Resources and newly-designated Chief Resilience Officer and current Secretary of Natural Resources, Matt Strickler (VIMS ’07), consult with VIMS and several state offices.

Several directives in the Order specifically call for Strickler to work with VIMS. First, it requires sea-level rise projections to be used in the “design, siting, and construction of state owned buildings beginning on or after January 1, 2020” (VIMS).

“The 9-foot freeboard of the seawater facility at VIMS’ Eastern Shore Lab in Wachapreague kept it dry as designed during minor coastal flooding from Hurricane Sandy.” (Source)

Second, VIMS will help develop a “freeboard” standard, or the height of the building’s lowest floor above a flood level, for state-owned buildings.

The Order directs that the Chief Resilience Officer create a Coastal Resilience Master Plan that helps prepare government infrastructure for flooding, is updated every five years, uses the best-possible science for mitigation efforts, and evaluates funding options. It specifically directs Strickler to consult with VIMS and several other agencies in developing the plan.

Finally, the Order directs him to work with localities, planning district commissions, state federal agencies, the Commonwealth Center for Recurrent Flooding Resiliency, and VIMS to help localities prepare useful mitigation strategies.

VIMS is excited to help fulfill the directives of the Order, some of which need to be started within 180 days. Data and strategies developed by VIMS will be crucial to ensuring the Order’s successful implementation in Virginia.

To read more about what makes VIMS uniquely qualified to handle the directives of this Executive Order, check out this article from VIMS.