Nov. 18, 2009

Nor’easter hits Virginia
Gov. Tim Kaine has requested that FEMA send preliminary damage assessment teams to Virginia to help determine damage levels from recent severe weather. Results from the damage assessment will help determine whether Virginia is eligible for federal disaster assistance.

The assessments should be completed this week. The FEMA teams will be joined during their evaluations by representatives of the U. S. Small Business Administration and state and local officials. They will look at damage to public infrastructure as well as homes, apartments and businesses in the impacted areas.

A coastal storm impacted a majority of the Commonwealth over a 3-day period, bringing persistent high winds, coastal flooding and rainfall that caused road closures, rivers reaching flood stage, power outages and displaced citizens. Parts of Virginia received up to 9 inches of rain, and some coastal areas saw tides that exceeded the levels of Hurricane Isabel; in other areas, tide levels broke records. Gov. Kaine declared a state of emergency in the Commonwealth on Nov. 11.

At the peak of the storm, Dominion reported more than 350,000 customers without power. Local declarations of emergency occurred in 17 localities; 10 local shelters opened to shelter more than 250 people. Nearly 300 interstates, primary and secondary roads were under flood advisories, impacted by debris or impassable.

Situation reports and news releases are available at http://www.vaemergency.com.

Winter Preparedness Week begins Nov. 29
Gov. Tim Kaine has declared Nov. 29-Dec. 5 as Winter Preparedness Week in the Commonwealth. The week is an opportunity for Virginians to focus attention on getting ready for the potential impacts of severe winter weather, including power outages and blocked roads. Families and businesses should also be prepared for the novel H1N1 influenza virus. Several state agencies, local emergency management offices and the National Weather Service are joining to provide winter safety information to Virginia residents during Winter Preparedness Week and throughout the season.

Find winter-specific safety information and related links at www.ReadyVirginia.gov. For information about H1N1 flu, go to www.vdh.virginia.gov or call toll-free 1-877-ASK-VDH3.

Grant meetings scheduled for January
VDEM’s Regional Preparedness Advisory Committee/Homeland Security Grant meetings that usually occur in December will not occur until January. The delay is due to the late release of DHS grant guidance in mid-December.

VIPER earns international innovation award
VDEM’s Virginia Interoperability Picture for Emergency Response, or VIPER, earned second place in the International Association of Emergency Managers Global 2009 Awards Competition. VIPER place in Division 2: State/Regional National Government, International, or Non-Profit Organization, and the award recognizes the development of technology and innovation to improve emergency management operations. More information about the entire award program is available at http://www.iaem.com/pressroom/documents/IAEMAwardsNewsReleaseFINAL.pdf.

Bristol Ready '09 Drill
The city of Bristol conducted a multi-scenario, two-day drill to test local emergency response plans. Participants included 123 representatives from Bristol’s police, fire, public works and social service departments, the Bristol Life Saving Crew, and VDEM’s Bristol Regional HAZMAT Team, along with responders from the Bristol, Tenn. Police Department and Mt. Empire Chapter of the American Red Cross. Scenarios included weapons of mass destruction, illegal drug crimes and hostage situations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sponsored the drill and provided medial relations training to local fire and police departments prior to the drill. More information and pictures are available at http://www.epaosc.org/bristolready.

Coordinator’s Briefing presentations posted
The presentations used during the 2009 Coordinator’s Briefings are now available for download at http://www.vaemergency.com/library/2009coordbrief/index.cfm. The files, in Microsoft PowerPoint® format, include “State of the Commonwealth,” “NIMSCAST – Required Compliance Reporting,” and “Influenza Pandemic 2009 Novel H1N1.”

Center for Domestic Preparedness celebrates 500,000th graduate
Since it opened in 1998, the Center for Domestic Preparedness has exceeded the expectation to train 10,000 responders per year. In FY 2009, the CDP trained close to 99,000 responders from across the United States and its territories. The CDP offers interdisciplinary training in more than 40 classes and hosts the nation’s only toxic chemical training facility for emergency responders, called “COBRATF,” which stands for Chemical, Ordnance, Biological, and Radiological Training Facility.

In 2007, the CDP opened the Noble Training Facility, which serves as the only operational hospital in the nation dedicated to training.

Learn more about the CDP at http://cdp.dhs.gov.

Training...
Save the date: Emergency Management Procurement Conference
VDEM’s Procurement Office will host an Emergency Management Procurement Conference on May 2-4, 2010 to raise awareness about being better prepared to procure goods and services during emergencies. The conference will begin with an overview and tour of the Virginia Emergency Operations Center and continue with presentations and demonstrations that address Virginia Department of Minority Business Enterprises Small, Woman- and Minority-owned certification, legal issues, Small Purchase Charge Cards, prequalified contracts, ethics and more. Attendees will be able to network with state and local emergency procurement personnel from all over Virginia and to see a vendor trade show. Additional details and registration will be available soon.

Upcoming VDEM training courses
Due to budgetary constraints, VDEM must cancel a class if a minimum of 15 students have not enrolled two weeks before the class begins. Sign up early.

VDEM’s Learning Management System Knowledge Center provides information and registration for each class. Students must create an LMS account (a one-time process) in order to enroll. Step-by-step registration instructions are provided on the LMS login page at https://covkc.virginia.gov/vdem/external/. Assistance is available from VDEM’s Office of Training and Exercises at lmshelp@vdem.virginia.gov or (804) 897-6500, ext. 6557.

The table below lists VDEM courses for the next quarter.

Managing Floodplain Development through the National Flood Insurance Program
Christiansburg, Va., Dec. 7-11
This free Emergency Management Institute course is for local officials responsible for administering their local floodplain management ordinance. The course will focus on the NFIP and concepts of floodplain management, maps and studies, ordinance administration, and the relationship between floodplain management and flood insurance.

This class is eligible for 12 Certified Floodplain Manager continuing education credits through the Association of State Floodplain Managers. FEMA Region III will proctor the CFM exam at 1 p.m. on Dec. 11. The CFM is a certification program provided by ASFPM. Space is limited; preference will be given to community floodplain managers.

For more information and to register, contact Alison Mitchell at (804) 371-6137 or alison.mitchell@dcr.virginia.gov.

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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