On Virginia's vulnerable coast, fear of flooding on the rise

Instead of the storm surge many fear, the rain overwhelmed drainage systems in neighborhoods miles from the Atlantic Ocean and the nearby Chesapeake Bay.

Experts warn that flooding will likely increase in Virginia's Hampton Roads region, where Virginia Beach and six other cities are clustered on or near the state's low-lying coast.

The Center for Sea Level Rise at Old Dominion University in Virginia said the region's population of 1.7 million is the country's second most vulnerable to sea-level rise, facing a potential increase of five feet by century's end.

A study released this month by William & Mary Law School said a major storm surge could cause $100 million in damage if nothing is done to counter sea-level rise by 2060.

Robert Tuleya, a hurricane expert at the Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, said there's reason to worry about more rain-induced floods.

Flooding is common enough that 280 homes over the years have filed multiple flood damage claims, noted Rich Sobota, an insurance specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The latest flooding followed weeks of rain after multiple storms stalled off the coast, with Hurricane Matthew's remnants serving as the tipping point.