Flood Risk in Nature’s Wonderland: A Strategy for a Resilience in Buchanan County, VA
This presentation will focus on a strategy developed to reduce flood risk in the hard-hit communities within Buchanan County, Virginia. The county has a history of devastating floods, including major events in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Topics to be addressed include:
- Challenges around engaging stakeholders and the public in economically disadvantaged communities that have been repeatedly engaged for various flood mitigation efforts, all while recovering from destructive flood events;
- Topographical, environmental, and social complexities in assessing flood risk and considering potential actions to reduce risk, such as increasingly extreme rainfall events, a history of mining impacts, presence of endangered species, and steep slopes that limit most developable land to flood-prone areas;
- Understanding community capabilities and capacity to implement potential flood risk-reduction measures in a county where most officials balance multiple roles as several state and/or federal flood mitigation initiatives are underway; and,
- Developing flood-risk reduction strategies with a focus on nature-based project solutions with additional environmental co-benefits.
Author Bio
Christina is a planner with expertise in hazard mitigation, climate change adaptation, and resiliency planning. I’ve led or contributed to plans and risk assessments at the special district, university, local, regional, tribal levels. She uses ArcGIS and other available tools to assess and communicate risk and vulnerability for communities and the assets within. She is adept at using best practices and new technologies to recommend mitigation strategies to clients with their unique risks and challenges in mind.
Charlie is an experienced client solutions leader in the nature-based and hybrid infrastructure solutions practice for municipal (PPP) and corporate clients. He is practiced in community resiliency planning, mitigation, and securing grant funding that produce environmental and economic lift through the implementation and management of turnkey project delivery. His areas of focus are:
• Climate adaptation & flood resiliency
• Coastal resiliency
• Stormwater Management
