An Agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Emergency Support Team (VEST) Status Green, Steady State

VEOC Activation Status: Green, Steady State

News

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This page serves as an archive for all official News Releases issued by VDEM. For media requests please contact the Communications Division.

On May 31, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) will host a Hurricane Season Kick Off at the Virginia Emergency Operations Center (VEOC) with Governor Glenn Youngkin for the beginning of hurricane season.

RICHMOND – The week of May 15-19, 2023, has been designated by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) as Hurricane Preparedness Week. The official start of the Atlantic Hurricane Season is June 1. However, VDEM officials want to let residents and visitors to the commonwealth recognize the importance of planning how to respond to the threat of a severe storm or hurricane.

RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) is pleased to announce that Governor Glenn Youngkin has appointed Sean Polster as Chief Deputy State Coordinator of Emergency Management for VDEM. Mr. Polster is an emergency management professional with over 30 years of operational readiness and crisis response for both career and volunteer organizations. He most recently served as emergency services/management coordinator for Rappahannock County.

RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) is pleased to honor telecommunicators across the commonwealth beginning Sunday, April 9, 2023. National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (NPSTW), observed every second week in April, has been set aside to recognize and celebrate the work of telecommunicators, who are the first and most critical link between the public and emergency services.

RICHMOND, VA – Effective today, February 1, 2023, those living within an approximate 10-mile radius of Dominion Energy’s North Anna Power Station (NAPS) and Surry Power Station (SPS), will no longer hear siren alerts in the event of an emergency. Dominion Energy has now transitioned to utilizing the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), which has two methods for alerting the public to an emergency at the nuclear power stations.

RICHMOND— The Virginia Department of Emergency Management encourages all Virginians and visitors to be prepared for this winter weather season and the arctic blast weather event that will impact the commonwealth beginning Thursday, December 22.

RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) would like to thank Chief Deputy State Coordinator, Erin Sutton, for her service to the agency and to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

RICHMOND – State officials led by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), in coordination with the local officials and Dominion Energy, will conduct a test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and the early warning siren system on Wednesday, December 14 at 11:10 a.m. for the Surry Power Station.

RICHMOND — State officials led by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), local officials, and Dominion Energy will conduct a quarterly test of the early warning siren system around the North Anna Power Station on Wednesday, November 16 at approximately 11:10 a.m., and the Emergency Alert System.