VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Less than 24 hours ago, the streets of Windsor Woods were under water — for many neighbors, it was a scene all too familiar.
“We might as well call it Windsor Island — it’s not Windsor Woods anymore,” one resident said as floodwaters crept into the neighborhood again Tuesday.
For families here, flooding has become part of daily life. After the latest storm, residents like Kadeem Clarke say they’ve had enough.
“I could barely make it home,” he said.
Watch previous coverage: Virginia Beach gets over 7" of rain in a day, more than city leaders expected
Virginia Beach Public Works Director L.J. Hansen explained why the system couldn’t keep up.
“We received about 7-and-a-half inches of rain in this area, and that was just more rain across such a very large area all draining into Lake Windsor. Those pumps behind us — while they serve in some capacity — they just couldn’t keep up with that amount of rain,” Hansen said.
The city has already invested millions in the Windsor Woods Drainage Improvements Project — widening canals, upgrading tide gates, and reinforcing stormwater infrastructure. Hansen said the biggest change is still on the horizon: a new pump station designed to move water out of the neighborhood faster.
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“Part of the overall project, though, is a very large pump station that will allow us to drain when the rain comes,” Hansen said.
The full project isn’t expected to be complete until 2031. Until then, residents will have to keep bracing for the next big storm, hoping one day their neighborhood won’t flood so easily.
