NORFOLK, Va. — Tuesday's storms turned some of Norfolk's most flood-prone streets into rivers, stranding vehicles and leaving drivers navigating several feet of standing water in some locations.
While many residents described the flooding as historic, an Old Dominion University expert says the event was significant — but not unprecedented.
"It certainly is not the record event, but is it a significant event? Yes," said Dr. Jessica Whitehead, executive director of the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience at Old Dominion University. "I would hesitate to say historic just because it's not the worst of the worst."
Instead, Whitehead said Tuesday's flooding was the result of several factors coming together at once.
A tremendous amount of rain in a short period of time
Whitehead said Norfolk experienced an exceptionally intense rainfall event.
"What happened yesterday is we got an amount of rainfall that, depending on exactly where you are, was somewhere between a one-in-50 and a one-in-100-year return period," she said. "The stormwater systems just aren't built to take that much water at the same time."
She explained that stormwater systems are designed to handle a certain amount of rainfall based on probability. When several inches of rain fall in just two or three hours, those systems can quickly become overwhelmed.
Adding to the problem was the timing.
The heaviest rainfall arrived shortly after high tide, limiting how much water could drain from the city's stormwater system.
"When the river levels are higher, there's less space in the stormwater system for that water to get out," Whitehead said. "What does it do? It backs up and it stays in the street."
A reminder that flooding can happen across Hampton Roads
Whitehead said Tuesday's flooding should serve as a reminder for both longtime residents and people who have recently moved to Hampton Roads.
"This is the biggest event that I've seen since I got here in terms of that amount of rainfall in that short a period of time," she said. "If you are also new to the Hampton Roads area, it's really important to know that this can happen here. It does not happen often, but when it does, it can be very disruptive."
She encouraged residents to think about how they would respond if an even larger storm struck.
"If yesterday was problematic for you, it should be a wake-up call as to what would you do if this happened more often, or what would you do if you had to deal with a bigger storm?" Whitehead said.
Don't become complacent
Whitehead said one of the biggest challenges after flooding events is complacency.
"Just because your part of the city didn't get it yesterday, doesn't mean your part of the city will never get it the next time," she said. "This kind of thing can happen anywhere, and avoiding that complacency, understanding, and having that situational awareness is really important."
She also encouraged residents to prepare now rather than wait for the next storm.
"Get flood insurance. Do it today. Do it right now," Whitehead said. "If you saw water outside yesterday, you could flood. Just because you didn't flood this time doesn't mean it won't be you the next time."
She also urged drivers to stay out of flooded roadways, saying driving through standing water can cause expensive damage even if a vehicle makes it through.
"Don't wreck your ride. Don't drive through floodwaters," Whitehead said. "Protect yourself economically because nobody wants to pay that car repair bill."
Looking ahead, Whitehead said residents should continue paying close attention to weather information when heavy rain is in the forecast.
She noted that while forecasters highlighted the potential for excessive rainfall days before Tuesday's storms, people should rely on trusted local weather sources for updates as conditions evolve.
"Have those channels, monitor those frequently," she said. "Even if you can't predict two days ahead of time that this is going to happen on your block, you can be aware and you can get information ahead of time from your media partners and from the National Weather Service."
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