Editorial: Surviving a powerful hurricane depends on resilience investment now
Hampton Roads has in recent years been spared the effects of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes, a trend the region should hope continues in a very active season for storms.
We know a big one will come — and the region remains unprepared, with carefully crafted resilience plans still waiting to be put in motion due to a lack of funding and, frankly, a lack of commitment.
Without a cooperative partnership between federal, state and local governments, Hampton Roads will continue to remain vulnerable, even as the seas rise, the land sinks and the Atlantic spins off more powerful storms that threaten widespread devastation.
This week marks the 15th anniversary of one of the deadliest hurricanes in modern history. Hurricane Katrina killed more than 1,800 people and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage. Some communities along the Gulf Coast, which took the brunt of that storm, have yet to recover.
