Shoreline = the space most under attack from erosion. Grain by grain. Wave by wave. While water chews up soil on a shoreline, Fight the Flood businesses have developed protection.
The Challenge
Shorelines. Shorelines. Shorelines.
A homeowner’s most important interface between the land and the water is the shoreline. It’s where we go to recreate. It’s where nature interacts. It’s the most treasured environmental space that people generally own.
But it’s also the space that’s under the most attack from erosion and storm surge. At Fight the Flood, we refer to the threat property owners face as a coastal cancer. Grain by grain, wave by wave, the water is chewing up the soil on shorelines.
Each and every time a little bit of soil washes away, water is getting closer to a house. For that, and so many other reasons, you do not want to lose your shoreline.
Homeowners then have to make a series of choices.
Should you harden your shoreline or use a nature-based solution?
And once that decision is made, what type of solution should be selected?
And once that decision is made, can you afford it?
The Solution
Solutions for protecting shorelines fall into two main categories – hard or nature-based.
Living shorelines are generally characterized as containing three elements: rock, sand and plants. The design of living shorelines – made to absorb wave energy to protect property – can be big or small, made to protect against various size storm events.
Shoreline hardening is the practice of installing hard structures along the shoreline to prevent erosion and protect property from storm surge and sea level rise. Think seawalls, rip rap and jetties.
The Impact with Fight the Flood
While the general solutions for protecting shorelines fall into two main categories, the options for what you can do within those categories is growing thanks to Fight the Flood.
Companies with emerging and innovative shoreline solutions – solutions that can be referenced back to and documented as effective against various storm levels – have been curated in the Fight the Flood business directory to give homeowners a leg up on finding contractors to help protect shorelines.
Some of these companies install traditional living and hard shorelines. Others bring a portfolio of products to the consumer that are more cost-effective choices.
These new solutions are able to be installed along Virginia shorelines thanks to Fight the Flood, which continues to work with state elected officials to ensure regulations allow them to be deployed across the Commonwealth.
These companies are doing things like using 3D concrete printing technology. They're flying your shoreline with drone technology to map it and then design protective structures that naturally ebbs and flows with your shoreline.
These companies are designing solutions that work with the environment differently, that provide harmony between man and nature.
These companies are installing concrete mats that allow plants to grow through, enhancing living shorelines while also hardening.
These companies are stopping erosion in its tracks.
For the consumer, understanding what the portfolio of products looks like (through Fight he Flood) helps make the best informed decision.
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Other Solutions
Stormwater
Insurance
Property Owners
Many homes and families on the Middle Peninsula have never experienced the devastation that comes with flooding. But the times are changing. Start thinking about protecting your property now, and how Fight the Flood can help. Start by submitting your information so that Fight the Flood staff can evaluate your needs and potentially respond with funding opportunities.
Contractors or Consultants
Does your business provide services to property owners to help them mitigate rising sea water, rain-induced flooding and more? Fight the Flood would like to hear from you, and potentially connect you to property owners who could use your help.
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