{"id":623,"date":"2021-11-15T12:50:43","date_gmt":"2021-11-15T12:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/?p=623"},"modified":"2022-10-10T20:56:20","modified_gmt":"2022-10-10T20:56:20","slug":"its-coming-quicker-than-we-realize-reckoning-with-a-future-of-more-flooding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/?p=623","title":{"rendered":"‘It’s coming quicker than we realize’: Reckoning with a future of more flooding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Photo by Kristen Zeis. Margaret and Bobby Buxton talk with their grandson, Justin, on the front porch of their home in Portsmouth. The house has flooded several times. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story is part of \u201cAt A Crossroads,\u201d<\/a> a WHRO Public Media series exploring how coastal Virginia is dealing with higher waters due to climate change. The project is funded by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting <\/a>as part of its nationwide Connected Coastlines reporting initiative<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With their neighborhood forecast to go underwater in the next two decades \u2014 according to a flood projection map<\/a> produced by Old Dominion University \u2014 the Buxtons are deciding whether they should say goodbye before the flooding worsens and more damages accrue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll of the things that make up a good lifestyle were here,\u201d Bobby, 67, said. \u201cThe flooding seems to have come and decided to destroy the whole picture.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Buxtons are far from alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sea levels around southeast Virginia have risen about 20 inches over the past century<\/a> and are expected to go up nearly 7 feet by 2100<\/a> \u2014 the fastest rate on the Atlantic Coast<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thousands of homes could face chronic flooding in the next several decades, according to the ODU map and flood predictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of \u201cAt A Crossroads\u201d \u2014 a new series looking at coastal Virginia\u2019s future with rising waters \u2014 WHRO Public Media has been following two Hampton Roads families on the frontlines of sea level rise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I\u2019m looking to move on\u2019 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo by Sam Turken. Mark Chorik stands in his backyard in Poquoson. His neighborhood is surrounded by a marsh, the Chesapeake Bay and the Back River. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While the Buxtons are still considering their next steps as flooding intensifies, Mark Chorik has already made his decision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before Chorik bought his home in Poquoson, he was already familiar with water\u2019s destructive capabilities. He witnessed a major flood <\/a>in his hometown Johnstown, Pa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1977, a deluge of rain caused five dams in the area to fail, sending over 100 million gallons of water into the city and surrounding valley. The flood killed more than 80 people and destroyed hundreds of homes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen the water went down, there were cars stuck in two-story houses,\u201d he said. \u201cThere was mud, knee-deep.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Chorik and his wife moved into the Poquoson home in the 1980s, he didn\u2019t anticipate the flooding would follow him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Choriks loved the marshland, the Chesapeake Bay and the Back River that surrounded their single-story house. They went boating and fishing with their kids and appreciated the quiet neighborhood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a fishermen town,\u201d Chorik said. \u201cEverybody\u2019s so nice and everybody looks out for each other.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But storms started rolling through, causing waters to rise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chorik recalled one time when he was arriving home from work during a nor\u2019easter. To avoid trudging through floodwater, he pulled his truck up to the side of the house and crawled through a window. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked at his wife and asked, \u201cBabe, what are we getting into?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She convinced him to stay. He agreed on one condition \u2014 \u201cIf we ever get water in this house, we\u2019re leaving,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the flooding only worsened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo by Kristen Zeis. A cross in the marsh near Mark Chorik’s home in Poquoson. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 2003, Hurricane Isabel pushed a surge of water from the river and bay into the neighborhood. The Choriks spent the storm in their neighbors\u2019 two-story house as boats started floating down the street. When they returned home, nearly three feet of water was waiting for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By that point, Chorik had been slowly remodeling the home for 18 years. He was just in the process of installing a porch \u2014 he always wanted one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut when all the water got in the house, the floor caved in. It was not feasible to rebuild. So we had it torn down,\u201d Chorik said. \u201cIt was devastating\u2026. Isabel took my dream away.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that moment, he and his wife had another opportunity to leave the area, but Chorik said they decided to stay because they loved their neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So they spent nine months living in an RV in their driveway before they installed a pre-built, modular home elevated seven feet atop cement blocks. Flood insurance helped cover some of the recovery. Still, the Choriks had to pay over $100,000 out-of-pocket. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, the flooding has been less of a threat to his home but still a nuisance \u2014 they have to park their cars nearly 8 miles away at Langley Speedway when storms come through; they can only decorate their front yard with rocks because the seawater kills anything they plant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chorik, who\u2019s in his 60s, said he\u2019s tired and knows the flooding will only worsen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne day, there\u2019s gonna be water here, and you\u2019re not going to be able to live here unless you get [around] by boat because this global warming \u2014 it\u2019s serious,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo that\u2019s why I\u2019m looking to move on, get out of here,\u201d he added. \u201cI\u2019m in the process now of fixing the house up. I\u2019m painting the decks and everything, and I\u2019m going to put it on the market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He hopes to finally end up somewhere that doesn\u2019t flood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running out of time <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo by Kristen Zeis. Margaret and Bobby Buxton watch their grandchildren play soccer in front of their Portsmouth home. The Buxtons raised their children in the home.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Portsmouth, the Buxtons have replaced their floors and carpeting multiple times. They\u2019ve renovated their kitchen and installed flood pumps in their crawlspace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it seems like every time they fortify their home and repair damage from floods, there\u2019s always something new to fix, they said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a tour of the house, Margaret pointed out uneven floors and fresh cracks in their walls. Outside, the concrete exterior is spalling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis part of the house is sinking,\u201d she said. \u201cSo it\u2019s causing the whole house to tilt in that direction because the ground is always wet.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we don\u2019t do something, it\u2019s going to continue and we will not have a livable property,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Buxtons have tried to sell the house, but any offers they receive are either below their asking price or require tens of thousands of dollars in additional repair work. Now, they\u2019re unsure what to do next because they still love the neighborhood and it\u2019s close proximity to downtown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost of the churches we attend are walking distance from our home,\u201d Bobby said. \u201cThe amphitheater is right down the street. The museums are right down the street.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur first option,\u201d he said, \u201cwould be to stay longer.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Margaret said their decision will hinge on Portsmouth\u2019s response to flooding in the area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Buxtons\u2019 neighborhood is one of the lower parts of the city. There\u2019s a downward slope in their street, causing floodwater to drain and then back up near their front yard. It can take days for floods to recede during hurricanes and nor\u2019easters, they said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo by Kristen Zeis. Walls in the Buxtons’ home continue to crack even after repairs. Margaret Buxton says part of the house is sinking.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Portsmouth officials did not respond to a request for comment for this story. The city has received nearly $10 million<\/a>, mostly from the federal government, to install a pump station meant to alleviate flooding around Olde Towne. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Buxtons said if the city continues to fortify the area against accelerating sea level rise, they might demolish their current home and build a new elevated one on the same property. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf going forward it may not be that, then we would have to consider selling it\u201d for less, Margaret said. They would even accept a buyout<\/a> from the city, although Portsmouth hasn\u2019t offered them that option yet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Margaret said two decades sounds like a long time, but \u201cit\u2019s coming quicker than we realize.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to make some decisions by at least the 10-year mark,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Their homes could go underwater in the next 20 years. How are they responding?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":628,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=623"}],"version-history":[{"count":39,"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":911,"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623\/revisions\/911"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}