Hampton at the Cross-Roads

Taking office in 2020, Wallace has a background that combines engineering expertise from the University of Virginia with global experience from the Peace Corps. Focused on the dual challenges of climate change and preserving local shipbuilding jobs, Wallace used their mayoral campaign to advocate for urban resilience. They beat a long-time incumbent in an upset victory.

After a multi-decade career in the House of Representatives, Representative Chase is now chair of the Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittee. An easy path to reelection is suddenly in doubt in the aftermath of Hurricane Helen, placing Chase in the spotlight like never before. Fighting climate and union activists, Chase must match the economic viability of the region's shipyard with the future needs of the U.S. Navy all with just weeks to spare.

A native of Biloxi, MS, Brewer rose up through the ranks of GBI over many decades, finally becoming CEO. Brewer oversees a sprawling range of activities, but most importantly, the company’s shipyard in Hampton Roads, which is its largest revenue and profit center. With Hurricane Helen's destruction, Brewer needs to carefully handle repairs along with a growing labor crisis to ensure GBI's long-term success on Wall Street.

After graduating from the College of William & Mary, Carmichael joined the Daily Press, the local newspaper of Hampton Roads, reporting on regional issues and the last mayoral campaign. Recently, they left to build a new Substack newsletter focused on the defense economy of Hampton Roads. With Hurricane Helen's landfall, Carmichael is suddenly getting attention for "Virginia Stripes" like never before, and hopes to parlay that interest into a durable subscription-based media company.

The latest in a multi-generational family of welders at the GBI shipyard, McKinley mostly ignored union politics until Covid-19 broke out, where they watched workers pass away even as the company instituted back-to-work orders to meet the Navy's construction deadlines. The event radicalized McKinley, who won the recent union presidential election and is now devoted to ensuring that GBI's workforce is as safe, healthy and prosperous as the company itself.

As Chief of Naval Operations and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Reid is the proud leader of America's naval forces. Reid has sounded the alarm on the Navy’s vulnerabilities to climate change for many years, warnings that have long been dismissed. Now with the extensive damage from Hurricane Helen, Reid has the opportunity to shine — and potentially be promoted to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs — or drown in the coming scapegoating.