Sept. 10, 2008
Gov. Tim Kaine declared a state of emergency last Thursday to prepare for and respond to the effects of Tropical Storm Hanna, which brought winds of nearly 50 mph and more than 7 inches of rainfall to parts of Virginia on Saturday. Three people died in storm-related motor vehicle accidents and minor flooding occurred on the Appomattox, Dan, Meherrin and Roanoke rivers. Dominion reported more than 170,000 customers without power during the height of the storm as more than 100 people went to local public shelters. Localities are conducting initial damage assessments.
The latest news is available at http://www.vaemergency.com/newsroom/disasters/hanna2008.
Virginia helps Gulf States respond to Gustav
Gov. Tim Kaine activated the Emergency Management Assistance Compact to help states on the Gulf Coast prepare for and respond to Hurricane Gustav. EMAC is a national interstate mutual aid agreement that enables states to share resources during times of disaster. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the Virginia National Guard sent personnel to support operations on the Gulf Coast, and Fairfax County and the city of Roanoke sent Incident Management Teams to Louisiana.
Virginia has also sent resources to the affected areas at the request of FEMA, outside of EMAC. The Virginia Department of Health's Office of Emergency Medical Service sent 32 ambulances to the Gulf Coast and two Virginia-based Urban Search and Rescue Teams deployed to the Gulf Coast to support response operations.
State agencies continue to monitor Hurricane Ike and the remnants of Tropical Depression Josephine and their potential impacts on Virginia.
Virginia disaster laws posted
The 2008 edition of the Code of Virginia Emergency Services and Disaster Laws are now available for download at http://www.vaemergency.com. The 34-page document covers Title 44: Chapters 3.2 to 3.5, which cover local emergencies and the declaration of a local emergency by political subdivisions. The PDF also includes annotations from LexisNexis.
Volunteer Coordination Program Manager leaves
Volunteer Coordination Program Manager Suzanne Simmons has left VDEM to work in FEMA's Disaster Assistance Directorate as a voluntary agency liaison. Until her position is filled, Citizen Corps Program Specialist LaWanda Christian is the point of contact for all Citizen Corps issues at (804) 897-6500, ext. 6602 or lawanda.christian@vdem.virginia.gov.
National Preparedness Month
2008 will mark the fifth anniversary of National Preparedness Month. Throughout September, national, regional, state and local organizations will distribute educational information, host events and sponsor activities throughout the country to promote emergency preparedness. Any organization planning to participate in a National Preparedness Month event should register online at http://www.citizencorps.gov. More than 1,600 Coalition organizations participated in more than 900 events nationwide in 2006.
New FEMA EMI classes
FEMA's Emergency Management Institute has added three new courses.
- Introduction to ArcGIS for HAZUS-Multi-Hazards Users (E190) provides the essential ArcGIS skills and knowledge to effectively use the HAZUS-MH software. The course combines lectures with hands-on exercises that present practical examples of how to use GIS for disaster mitigation and response. Oct. 20-23
- IS-802 Emergency Support Function #2 - Communications is the latest in a series of courses that provides an understanding of each ESF's role in the National Response Framework. Also available are ESF 3 (Public Works and Engineering), ESF 4 (Firefighting), ESF 8 (Public Health and Medical Services), ESF 9 (Search and Rescue) and ESF 12 (Energy).
- Fiscal Year 2010 Community-specific Integrated Emergency Management Course is an exercise-based course that place local emergency operations center personnel into realistic crisis situations within a structured learning environment. Each exercise is tailored specifically to the locality, from the locality's choice of scenario to the local organizations cited in the locality's emergency operations plan.
More information, applications and prerequisites are available at http://www.training.fema.gov/EMIGrams.
New FEMA class online
FEMA's National Preparedness Directorate has launched a new online class, "Prevention and Deterrence: An Overview for All Disciplines." The 85-minute class teaches emergency responders to prevent and deter terrorists act through vigilance, observation and reporting suspicious indicators. Participants should include local, state and federal government employees who could encounter activity that indicates a terrorist threat through the performance of their professional duties.
The class is available at http://train.ncbrt.lsu.edu.
EM Update is the best way to communicate best practices and to get a heads up on issues that might affect you. Articles include case studies, cost/resource-saving local programs, examples of partnerships and regional cooperation and recognition of emergency managers who receive awards and honors in the field.
Please don't hesitate to contact the editor whenever you have a project that might benefit localities or want to highlight an important issue concerning Virginia's emergency response community. Contact Jolie Shank at (804) 897-6510 or by e-mail at pio@vdem.virginia.gov.
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by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management
10501 Trade Court, Richmond, Virginia 23236