Universities present RAFT resilience assessment to York County supervisors; county scores 91 of 113

At the York County Board of Supervisors’ first August work session, a multi‑university team presented the Resilience Adaptation Feasibility Tool (RAFT) assessment for the Historic Triangle region, reporting that York County scored 91 out of a possible 113 points on the RAFT scorecard.

The presentation was led by Jessica Whitehead, executive director of the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience at Old Dominion University, with Elizabeth Andrews (University of Virginia) and Wendy Stout (Virginia Tech) describing the scorecard methodology, qualitative outreach and recommended next steps. County staff and the consultants said York County scored higher than the other RAFT localities in this round (Williamsburg and James City County), with particularly strong results in risk assessment and emergency management and in community engagement, health and well‑being.

The RAFT process combines a quantitative scorecard (reviewing plans, ordinances and policies) with a concurrent qualitative assessment informed by focus groups, interviews and a survey. Andrews said the team reviewed the…