HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - A recent NOAA report on high tide flooding revealed Hampton Roads is projected to have 19 high tide flooding days this year; in years past it's been 12-14 days.
The report stated Hampton Roads is expected to have the highest number of hide tide flood days compared to any other region on the East Coast.
“What we know is that the water isn’t going to go away, and obviously times of flooding are going to get worse, so we have to find a way to live with that and to make sure when we do flood, we’re prepared for it,” said city of Hampton spokesperson Robin McCormick.
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McCormick told News 3 the city's flood mitigation plan includes doubling their cleaning of drains and ditches, improving their stormwater ponds, and developing plans for each sector of the city.
She said the city plans to adapt and embrace a staple of Hampton Roads- the water.
“We don’t want the plan to wall off the water, we want to learn to live with it," said McCormick "We’re going to have to allow it to flood to some extent, we just have to be able to control where it floods, and how it floods.”
WATCH: NOAA report says Hampton Roads expected to experience worst flooding on East Coast this year
The city recently received $11 million to raise one section of Armistead Avenue- Newmarket Creek causes major flooding.
Some of the other problem areas include King Street, Pembroke Avenue, and Harbor Drive. McCormick said coastal areas like Buckroe Beach and Grandview also have issues with flooding.
The NOAA report is based off of measurements at Sewells Point in Norfolk. Records indicate the frequency of flooding in Hampton Roads has tripled since 2000.
The report also came out with projections for the year 2040; NOAA projects there will be 47-75 days of high tide flooding.
