Privacy Policy

Authorities

Virginia law

VDEM protects records in accordance with our obligations as defined by applicable Virginia statutes. Any personal information that is collected and retained is maintained in compliance with statute.

Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act

Governing the administration of systems including personal information and internet privacy policy.

§ 2.2-3800 and 2.2-3803

Virginia Freedom of Information Act

Virginia transparency laws.

§ 2.2-3700, et seq.

Definitions

Cookies: Small data files that may be stored on your device or exchanged with a server during your visit to a website.

Policy Overview

This document outlines the Website Privacy Policy and practices for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) website. It is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute a legal contract, either expressed or implied. VDEM reserves the right to update or modify this policy at any time without prior notice.

Please note: This policy applies only to pages within the www.VAEmergency.gov domain. Our website may contain links to external sites operated by other government agencies, nonprofit organizations, or private entities. Once you navigate to an external site, this privacy policy no longer applies.

Policy

Information we collect

We collect only the minimum amount of information needed to provide services. If you do nothing during your visit to the www.VAEmergency.gov website but browse or download information, we automatically collect and store the following information about your visit:

The Internet domain and IP address from which you accessed our site;

The type of browser and operating system you used;

The date and time you visited this site;

The pages visited; and

If you arrived from another website, the address of that website.

The information in our web logs is not personally identifiable, and no attempt is made to link it with the individuals that browse our website.

If, during your visit, you send VDEM an e-mail message, we will collect the e-mail address and contents of the message, including audio, video and graphic information included with the message. This may be to respond to you, to address issues you identify, to further improve our website or to forward your message to another agency for appropriate action.

Protection of information via established security procedures

We implement and maintain rigorous security standards and procedures to:

These safeguards also protect against unauthorized data storage, transmission, and access.

Any attempt to modify website content, bypass security controls, or use this system for purposes other than its intended function is strictly prohibited and may result in criminal prosecution. All such activities are monitored, and any suspected or confirmed attempts to compromise system security will be traced and reported to the appropriate law enforcement authorities, such as the Virginia State Police, for investigation.

We do collect personal information directly from individuals who volunteer to complete forms or participate in surveys and training, in order to deliver the services requested. We only collect, retain and use personal information where we believe it is essential to administer our business and to provide products, services and other opportunities requested by our customers and citizens. Information is retained in accordance with the records retention schedules at the Library of Virginia.

How the information collected is used

We use your input to enhance the content and functionality of our web services and to better understand how visitors interact with our pages. Routing information is used to deliver requested web pages to your device, while transaction data is primarily analyzed in aggregate to evaluate content effectiveness and server performance. When appropriate, we may share this summary data with business partners.

Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, records in our possession at the time of a FOIA request may be subject to public inspection or disclosure. However, any personally identifiable information will be removed in accordance with FOIA guidelines before such records are released.

Restrictions on the disclosure of customer information

We do not sell or rent subscriber information to any external company or organization. We also do not disclose personally identifiable information or specific user data to unaffiliated third parties for their independent use—except as required by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or other applicable laws.

Cookies

In certain applications, user-specific information is saved in cookies and returned to your device to enhance your browsing experience.

Some sections of our website use cookies to:

These cookies do not collect personally identifiable information and are used solely to improve the functionality and user experience of our website.

Copyright

The copyright to the www.VAEmergency.gov website is owned by the Commonwealth of Virginia and pages are marked with the notice “© Virginia Department of Emergency Management.” Permission is granted to website visitors to make fair use of the contents. If you are in doubt about whether your use constitutes fair use, please send a request for explicit permission to copy the contents by mailing webmaster@vdem.virginia.gov.

Linking Policy

This website may include links to external websites and pages maintained by public or private organizations. These links are provided for informational purposes only. Their inclusion does not constitute an endorsement by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management of the content, services, products, or viewpoints expressed on those external sites.

VDEM is not responsible for the accuracy, relevance, or accessibility of content on external websites. Links may be added, removed, or replaced at any time without prior notice.