Storm Surge and Blackouts in Southeastern Virginia, and How Clean Energy Can Help

The report finds that significant portions of the U.S. East and Gulf Coast electricity grids are currently exposed to storm surge, with risks increasing as sea levels rise. In southeastern Virginia, 43 percent of major substations and four power plants are at risk today. The authors advocate for a shift from centralized grids to decentralized, resilient power systems—including microgrids and renewable energy with storage—to maintain critical services during outages and reduce the carbon emissions driving climate change.

• A significant portion of electricity infrastructure serving over 70 million coastal residents on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts is already exposed to flooding from severe storms, and this exposure will increase as sea levels rise.
• In southeastern Virginia, 57 major substations (43 percent of the total) and four power plants are currently exposed to flooding from a major storm, with over 80 percent of substations in Hampton and Norfolk specifically at risk.
• Future sea level rise will increase both the number of exposed sites and the depth of flooding; in southeastern Florida, the number of major substations exposed to a Category 3 storm could triple by 2070.
• Current flood protection often relies on static historical data and FEMA assessments, which the report argues underestimate future risks and leave long-lived infrastructure vulnerable.
• The report proposes three adaptation strategies for electricity infrastructure: protection (building defenses like seawalls), accommodation (elevating equipment or using submersible gear), and retreat (relocating at-risk infrastructure).
• Decentralized clean energy solutions—specifically renewable energy with storage, combined heat and power (CHP) plants, and microgrids—can provide more reliable power to critical facilities than the centralized grid or diesel generators.
• The cost of wind and solar power has dropped by 60 to 70 percent over the last five years, making resilient power systems more cost-effective for all communities, including vulnerable populations.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2015). Storm Surge and Blackouts in Southeastern Virginia, and How Clean Energy Can Help. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/10/lights-out-southeastern-virginia.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Storm Surge and Blackouts in Southeastern Virginia, and How Clean Energy Can Help. 2015. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/10/lights-out-southeastern-virginia.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Storm Surge and Blackouts in Southeastern Virginia, and How Clean Energy Can Help |date=October 2015 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/10/lights-out-southeastern-virginia.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2015storm, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Storm Surge and Blackouts in Southeastern Virginia, and How Clean Energy Can Help}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2015}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/10/lights-out-southeastern-virginia.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }