The RAFT is regularly featured in local, regional and national news outlets. For the most recent updates on RAFT localities and partners making change in their communities, please click the direct links below.
Virginia Public Radio - Universities unite to help communities prepare for and cope with climate change
The RAFT is highlighted on Virginia’s NPR, featuring two founding members, Elizabeth Andrews, formerly director of the Virginia Coastal Policy Center at William & Mary’s Law School and now with UVA as the Environmental Institute’s very first Environmental Sustainability and Resilience Practitioner Fellow, as well as Tanya Denckla Cobb, director of the UVA Institute for Engagement & Negotiation.
Celebrating RAFT Partnerships New and Old in an Expanded Effort to Build Climate Resilience Across Virginia
The University of Virginia's School of Architecture announces the addition of new core team member Virginia Tech to the RAFT's multi-university collaborative.
UVA's IEN Partners with Virginia Coastal Communities to Address Climate Change
The University of Virginia's School of Architecture highlights the work and media attention that The RAFT has received based on its resilience efforts in the Northern Neck of Virginia with funding from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund.
A Life RAFT for Coastal Communities
This article in UVA Envision Magazine describes the RAFT process in the Town of Colonial Beach and describes how money from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund have allowed the RAFT to broaden its scope to include economic and social challenges.
RAFT Prepares Virginia's Northern Neck for Future Storms
Madeleine Jepsen with Virginia Sea Grant discusses The RAFT process in the Northern Neck. The article features photos of Colonial Beach and Warsaw as well as interviews with community members and RAFT Core Team members.
In Rural Coastal Virginia, an Academic Tool Helps Jumpstart Flood Resilience
WHRO interviews Wie Yusuf about the RAFT's strategy in coastal Virginia.
The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine's Report on Motivating Local Climate Adaptation and Strengthening Resilience
The RAFT is featured in this report that details effective strategies for localized climate resilience. The authors praise the RAFT as an example of successful integration of expert insights and local action.
Virginia’s Proactive Plan to Tackle Coastal Resilience
The Environmental and Energy Study Initiative (EESI) reports on Virginia's Coastal Resilience Master Planning Framework. The article highlights The RAFT, as well as team member Elizabeth Andrews' contributions to state resilience efforts.
How The RAFT Contributed to One Community’s Resilience
To hear from past RAFT localities about their experiences with The RAFT process and the advice they have for other communities developing their own Resilience Action Checklists see this video interview and testimonial with Joy Marino of Onancock, Virginia.
American Bar Association's Environment, Energy, and Resources Law: The Year in Review 2019
The Environment, Energy, and Resources Law: The Year in Review 2019, ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, is a summary of significant legal developments in 2019 in the areas of environmental, energy, and resources law. The RAFT is featured on page X-7 under Section III. Innovative and Collaborative Organizations and Tools to Resolve Environmental Issues.
Tree Planting on Saxis
These images posted by the Virginia Department of Forestry on flickr document a tree planting held in Saxis, Virginia on February 8, 2020 to prevent erosion and manage floodwaters. This event was catalyzed during The RAFT’s work on the Eastern Shore.
Increasing Climate Resiliency: Assessing Community Risk and Readiness
The Fall 2019/Winter 2020 issue of the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Magazine discusses The RAFT process in detail, describes its success supporting pilot localities and working at the regional scale on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, and highlights how communities have been supported to learn more about the Community Rating System under the National Flood Insurance Program. See pages 8-11 for more details.
Saxis Looks for Solutions to Rising Seas
Pamela D’Angelo, with Virginia Public Radio, reports on how Saxis, one of The RAFT’s Eastern Shore localities, is learning to live with water while seeking solutions to rising seas. The article discusses how Saxis was able to affect real change in their town with the support of The RAFT team and regional partners they connected residents with.
Climate Adaptation Working Group 2018 Annual Report
The 2018 Annual Report of the Climate Adaptation Working Group highlights The RAFT’s success partnering with the Accomack-Northampton Planning District to serve seven localities on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. See pages 11-12 for more details.
RAFT Partnership Fortifies Town Against Storm Hazards by Turning Ideas into Action
Madeleine Jepsen, Science Writing Intern with Virginia Sea Grant, discusses The RAFT process in Cape Charles and how lessons learned here will inform The RAFT’s regional work on the Eastern Shore.
Is Accomack Ready for Coastal Flooding? Study Shows Gaps
This article in Delmarva Now describes The RAFT’s assessment of localities’ vulnerability to coastal flooding and how seven localities will receive one-year of facilitated resilience planning and implementation support.
RAFT Wachapreague
These images posted on Virginia Sea Grant’s flickr account highlight former RAFT team members, Angela King and Michelle Covi, presenting on The RAFT to Wachapreague’s Town Council.
Cape Charles update on Resilience & Adaptation Feasibility Tool (The RAFT)
The Cape Charles Mirror describes Cape Charles’ participation in The RAFT as one of three pilot communities.
Group Gives Accomack Supervisors Tips on Flooding Resilience
A presentation to Accomack County’s Board of Supervisors on The RAFT is described as well as plans to support the Eastern Shore region in developing greater resilience to coastal hazards.
Workshop Helps Cape Charles Prepare for Flooding
The Eastern Shore Post reports on a Resilience Action Workshop conducted by the RAFT core team for Cape Charles.
