When I arrived in Hampton, Virginia, I met with Jamie Chapman, who has lived in the area for 20 years. He was eager to show me around his neighborhood, Grandview Point—or, as he calls it, “Paradise.”

Chapman is proud of his waterfront home, which he bought as a “fixer-upper” in 1998 after the cottage survived double northeasters and was left with enough damage for the previous owner to put the house on the market for a bargain price. 

Chapman hasn’t stopped repairing and protecting his home from flood damage since. With sea levels rising, land sinking and more extreme weather patterns, residents like Chapman and their homes are at more risk than ever before.