Loans available for Ernesto damage
The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced that low-interest disaster loans are available to Virginia residents affected by Tropical Depression Ernesto. The declaration covers the cities of Hampton, Newport News and Richmond and the counties of Gloucester and Northumberland. Residents in 11 adjacent localities are also eligible: the counties of Chesterfield, Henrico, James City, King and Queen, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Richmond, Westmoreland and York and the city of Poquoson.

To assist disaster victims, SBA is opening four Disaster Loan Assistance Centers. Individuals and businesses unable to visit the centers in person may obtain information and loan applications by calling toll free (800) 659-2955. Hearing impaired individuals may call (800) 877-8339. The filing deadline to return applications for property damage is Dec. 15, 2006. The deadline to return economic injury applications is July 16, 2007.

In addition, the counties of Greensville, King and Queen and Lunenburg are now eligible for public infrastructure assistance associated with Tropical Depression Ernesto.

SBA assistance approved for Franklin
The U.S. Small Business Administration granted Gov. Tim Kaine’s request to make emergency low-interest loans available to homeowners, renters and businesses in Franklin, Va. who had major damage from recent severe thunderstorms and flooding.

The governor requested SBA assistance instead of asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a federal disaster declaration because the extent of the damage did not appear sufficient to qualify for FEMA assistance. FEMA denied Virginia’s request for federal assistance after Tropical Depression Ernesto, which resulted in more than twice the amount of damage than occurred in Franklin. In addition, the estimated public infrastructure damage of approximately $3 million does not qualify for FEMA Public Assistance for localities.

The adjacent localities, Isle of Wight and Southampton counties, are automatically eligible to apply for these loans as well.

Portsmouth evacuation plan
The city of Portsmouth has developed a plan to evacuate those with transportation needs during a disaster. The city has designated and marked 26 evacuation pick-up points and trained 15 firefighters to operate city school buses during an emergency. Local deputy sheriffs will provide security onboard the buses, each of which has a pre-determined shelter destination. To create the plan, Portsmouth emergency managers created a steering committee that included behavioral health care workers, social services, the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority, school administrators, the U.S. Coast Guard, city administrators, faith-based groups, the local American Red Cross chapter, law enforcement and Community Emergency Response Team members. Though public education about the plan continues, the city has reached out to key communities by disseminating information through soup kitchens and kits delivered to residents in low-income neighborhoods. The state’s all-hazard evacuation and sheltering plan will incorporate Portsmouth’s plan, along with other jurisdictional and local evacuation plans.

Media preparedness in Charlottesville
Emergency managers in Charlottesville have tuned in to media preparedness by meeting with media representatives to ensure that essential information gets to the public during a disaster. The effort will prevent gaps in information that often happen during off-hours, when a local media outlet broadcasts a national feed or when no one is available at the studio until the immediate need for information has passed. For the short term, emergency managers now have 24-hour contact information for each media outlet. Long-term plans include, among other things:

• Designating a central location where representatives from all local media can work together, sharing power and transmitters.
• Disseminating a cell phone/text emergency message for media outlets.
• Ensuring that local emergency operations centers can meet media needs.
• Creating an emergency information Web site for the media.

Floodsmart.gov
Virginia has received 28 federal disaster declarations for flooding over the past 37 years, resulting in nearly half a billion dollars in damage since 1978, according to the National Flood Insurance Program. Because floods are the most common type of natural disaster nationwide, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has developed an online tool for homeowners and businesses to assess their risk of flood, estimate flood insurance premiums and find local agents who sell flood insurance. The site, www.floodsmart.gov, is the official Web site of the NFIP.

Region 2 moves to Culpeper
VDEM’s Region 2 office has relocated to Culpeper. The primary telephone line is (540) 829-7371 and the fax line is (540) 829-7655. The mailing address remains P.O. Box 1386, Culpeper, VA 22701.

Training...
Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings
The Terrorism Training Program staff is offering two 4-hour sessions of the New Mexico Tech “Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings" program at VDEM’s Trade Court Facility on Monday, Nov. 13. This program offers a basic overview of explosive weapons and information on threats and self-protective measures. Similar sessions are being scheduled for all other regions of Virginia.

The Terrorism Training staff offers a variety of courses ranging from awareness to management level, available throughout the year and across the state. Each course can be tailored to the specific needs of students. Continuing education credits for EMS and law enforcement are offered for these programs. Contact Ken Clark at (804) 897-6500, ext. 6572 to host or attend a class.

Conferences...
Local Challenges. Regional Solutions.
VDEM and Virginia Citizen Corps are co-sponsoring the 2006 Virginia Public Safety Outreach Conference in Williamsburg, Nov. 15-17. The theme of this year's conference is "Local Challenges. Regional Solutions." Speakers and classes will focus on how government, nonprofit, for-profit and volunteer resources in geographic proximity can partner to increase their overall effectiveness. The deadline to register is Nov. 3.

Produced by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management
10501 Trade Court, Richmond, Virginia 23236