Virginia steps up security in response to latest terror warning

At the order of Governor Mark Warner, Virginia has taken several security steps in response to the increased threat level to financial institutions in New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently raised the threat level for financial institutions to "orange" because of intelligence that indicated a possible attack. The threat level will not be raised in Virginia because of the specificity of the threat information. Governor Warner has directed the Virginia State Police to coordinate security strategies with local law enforcement agencies and organizations, particularly the financial services sector. In addition, Governor Warner has directed the Virginia Emergency Operations Center to disseminate information to all cities and counties on steps that should be taken by non-law enforcement agencies. Federal officials noted the primary concern is with large high profile financial service centers and not individual bank branches, but encouraged increased vigilance across the entire sector.

Today, Virginia begins hosting Determined Promise '04, a major counter-terrorism exercise that will allow local, state and federal agencies to rehearse crisis response and recovery activities under a variety of situations. The federally sponsored exercise, which ends Aug. 10, is part of a regular series conducted by the United States Department of Defense's Northern Command (NORTHCOM), and will involve nearly 4,200 local, state and federal personnel nationwide. Planning for the exercise began more than 18 months ago and has involved a team effort between civilian and military officials. Seven fictitious scenarios will drive local and state agencies in Central and Southeastern Virginia to drill on crisis response actions. Portions of the drill will involve field responses for law enforcement, fire, public health, and transportation agencies, while others will support "tabletop" discussions among local, state, and federal emergency management decision makers.

Dog teams train for crisis response

A lick on the face and a warm embrace is often a welcome comfort for weary emergency responders and victims of trauma. Animal assisted crisis responders are frequently called upon to provide comfort and emotional support to first responders and disaster victims through certified, trained therapy dogs. HOPE Animal Assisted Crisis Response (AACR), a national non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon, recently held a three-day training workshop at the National Guard Armory in Powhatan. Three Richmond-based dog/handler teams completed the training, giving Virginia a total of five teams available for deployment to anywhere in the country. VDEM Public Affairs Coordinator, Dawn Eischen, and her dog Ginger were among the recent team members to join HOPE AACR. For more information or to activate a HOPE Animal Assisted Crisis Response team to an emergency in your area, contact Jill Cucaz at (804) 598-5380 or jmcucaz@aol.com.

State gets high grades for North Anna exercise

FEMA evaluators praised the performance of state and local governments in the Virginia Operations Plan Exercise (VOPEX) conducted July 20. The exercise tested the ability of the North Anna Nuclear Power station and state and local governments to respond to an emergency. A total of 49 FEMA evaluators graded state and local emergency management officials on 222 separate criteria. Evaluators identified only one minor issue and four past issues were resolved. FEMA will release a final report in October. For more information, contact Amy Ettinger, VDEM radiological training and exercise coordinator, at (804) 897-6500, ext. 6585, or by e-mail at aettinger@vdem.state.va.us.

Senior citizen outreach opportunity

Virginia Area Agencies on Aging are eager to help senior citizens prepare for disasters. At a recent meeting, agency members indicated that many seniors were not adequately prepared for Hurricane Isabel and, as a result, had difficulty living without power. The agency is organized in Virginia on a regional or local basis and is responsible for many important senior programs such as meals-on-wheels. Some Area Agencies on Aging have partnered with their local Citizen Corps and/or emergency management to educate seniors on ways they can prepare for the next emergency. Other area offices are eager to do the same and are willing to provide resources to aid in outreach to seniors.

For more information on Virginia Area Agencies on Aging offices and contacts for partnering opportunities visit http://www.vaaaa.org/agencies.html.

9/11 commission releases final report

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9/11 Commission) recently released its final report to the public. The Commission issued 37 recommendations to help prevent future terrorist attacks. While much of the report focuses on global issues, there is still valuable information for state and local emergency management officials including an analysis of the World Trade Center and Pentagon responses. The report strongly supports the Incident Command System and calls for increased regional cooperation.

Read more about the report at http://www.9-11commission.gov/.

VDEM graduates first CERT class

Last month, seven VDEM employees were the first to complete the agency's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. VDEM is the second Virginia state agency to offer the team preparedness training to its staff. Two more training sessions are scheduled for 2004. The CERT program educates employees about disaster preparedness, training them in basic disaster response skills. VDEM CERT graduates were trained in basic first aid, light search and rescue, fire suppression, and disaster organization skills. Team members are now ready to take an active community role, providing assistance to their neighbors, co-workers and local first responders in the event of a disaster.

For information about CERT visit http://www.virginiacorps.org.

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10501 Trade Court, Richmond, Virginia 23236

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