Virginia Executive Order 24 (2018): Increasing Virginia’s Resilience to Sea Level Rise and Natural Hazards

Executive Order 24 (2018), issued by Governor Ralph Northam, established a statewide strategy to increase Virginia’s resilience to sea-level rise and natural hazards. It clarified the duties of the Chief Resilience Officer, previously appointed as the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and subsequently formalized in House Bill 1313 (2020).

The Order designated the Secretary of Natural Resources as the Chief Resilience Officer (CRO), tasked with leading pre-disaster mitigation efforts and coordinating resilience initiatives across state agencies. The CRO was directed to: 

  • Develop a facility assessment process to evaluate the vulnerability of state-owned buildings, 
  • Issue a unified sea-level rise projection and a freeboard standard applicable to new construction of state facilities starting January 1, 2020, and 
  • Guide decisions regarding relocation or retrofitting of at-risk facilities. 

The Order required the creation of a Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan to address tidal and storm surge flooding. This plan, led by the CRO and supported by the Special Assistant to the Governor for Coastal Adaptation and Protection (a position created and then subsequently eliminated by legislation), must incorporate existing and proposed projects, identify gaps in hazard mitigation, and recommend nature-based solutions and land conservation strategies. It must also include a funding analysis and conform to National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements. A comprehensive inventory of state pre-disaster mitigation programs and a review of the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s implementation of flood protection and dam safety laws were also mandated.

Finally, the Executive Order directed the CRO and the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to enhance public risk communication and convene cross-agency meetings to align hazard mitigation programs. It called for collaboration with military installations to support mutual resilience goals, encouraged hazard mitigation at the community level rather than individual properties, and promoted support for local governments through technical assistance, planning grants, and building code updates. To support local implementation of coastal resilience strategies, the CRO was further instructed to issue guidance to local governments on using standardized sea-level rise projections and freeboard practices. It also directed agencies to encourage residents to reduce personal risk through education, data access, and support for flood insurance and mitigation grants, while also fostering commercialization of resilience technologies in partnership with the Secretary of Commerce and Trade.

The CRO position was subsequently codified and amended through VA HB 1313 (2020), SB 551 and HB 517 (2022), and HB 1458 (2024).

Related Resources

Publication Date: November 2, 2018

Related Organizations:

  • State of Virginia

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  • Executive order

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