Report: Storm Surge Could Threaten 1M in SE Va.

A new report says thousands of miles of roads, hundreds of schools and more than 1 million people living in southeastern Virginia would be threatened by storm surge from a Category 4 hurricane.

The report was released by the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission on Thursday.

The report is intended to identify how vulnerable the region is to rising sea levels caused by climate
change. It says rising sea levels will only exacerbate the threat this low-lying, slowly sinking region already faces.

The report notes more than 100,000 people are already vulnerable to flooding from storm surge in a category 1 hurricane. Among other things, estimates are based on 2010 Census data.

No estimates were provided for the effects of a Category 5 hurricane.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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