• Lexington
  • Rockbridge
  • Buena Vista
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Regional
  • In-Depth Reporting
  • About Us
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Rockbridge Report
Rockbridge Report
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
  • Lexington
  • Rockbridge
  • Buena Vista
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Regional
  • In-Depth Reporting
  • About Us
Thursday, September 28
Rockbridge Report
Home»Buena Vista»Emergency planning grant awarded to Rockbridge area agencies

Emergency planning grant awarded to Rockbridge area agencies

March 8, 20182 Mins Read

By Abigail Summerville

Rockbridge County, Lexington and Buena Vista are upgrading the region’s Emergency Operations Plan to improve their response to widespread emergencies, such as a catastrophic flooding.

“One of our main challenges is that we have a high percentage of reoccurring flooding, we have a lot of large bodies of water here—the Maury, the James River…so we have flooding to be concerned with,” said Nathan Ramsey, the director of Rockbridge County Fire and Rescue.

He said planning ahead is important because most citizens don’t think about an emergency until it occurs.

Nathan Ramsey is the director of Rockbridge County Fire and Rescue. (Photo Credit: Nathan Ramsey)

“We have to be proactive and be prepared when an event happens, and these types [of emergencies] are not something like an everyday fire or a major crash on the interstate,” Ramsey said.

The region won an $18,000 grant in early February from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management to update the regional EOP. The upgrade needs to be completed by October because that is Virginia’s deadline for submitting new emergency plans. EOPs are required to be updated every four years.

The plan details the actions and responsibilities that emergency responders must conduct before, during and after a widespread emergency, said Trent Roberts, Lexington’s emergency management coordinator and fire marshal.

“The EOP addresses areas such as incident command, response, mitigation, damage assessment and recovery of a wide-spread emergency event,” he said. “Within those jobs are tasks such as mass sheltering, communications and agriculture recovery.”

Roberts said the plan is a “scalable document,” which means the department can pick and choose which sections to use, depending on the situation. He said that’s what local officials did in response to the Lee-Jackson Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day marches in January.

He said the three communities work together under the same EOP because big emergencies require a lot of people to pitch in and help.

“Our communities are close knit,” Roberts said. “A large emergency, which may only severely impact a few areas of our county, such as flooding, requires the cooperation and response from the entire community and beyond to successfully mitigate.”

Related

Apr. 6, 2023 Newscast
Apr. 4, 2023 News Update

rockbridgereport

The commonwealth’s attorney for Rockbridge Count The commonwealth’s attorney for Rockbridge County and Lexington said he wants victims of sexual assault at Washington and Lee University to seek help from police and prosecutors who can investigate and file criminal charges. 

In the past month, two former W&L students have faced sexual assault charges.

Read Ned Newton’s full story on our website, rockbridgereport.wlu.edu.
Lexington’s City Council has given the go-ahead Lexington’s City Council has given the go-ahead for a developer to begin drafting plans to build apartments off Spotswood Drive. 

The new permit approval comes after months of controversy about the design. 

Read Andrew Arnold’s full story on our website, rockbridgereport.wlu.edu.
A new, 24-hour EMS crew will help in providing bac A new, 24-hour EMS crew will help in providing backup services to Glasgow and other nearby cities and towns.

For more details on the new EMS crew, visit: https://youtu.be/k03HNBKB978.
Buddy, the horse, and Police Chief Angela Greene l Buddy, the horse, and Police Chief Angela Greene led the Lexington Christmas Parade. Buddy is one of the future Mounted Police Unit horses working with the Lexington police. 

Watch Buddy and the latest broadcast of the Rockbridge Report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDZ4A6xuk-4
A developer sought final city approval this week t A developer sought final city approval this week to build 62 apartment units on Lexington’s Spotswood Drive.

Echelon Resources went before the city’s planning commission Thursday to request a permit allowing the developer company to construct multi-family housing at the Spotswood site. The planning commission will offer a recommendation for approval or denial to the Lexington City Council. The city council will likely have a final vote on the permit in early January.

The proposal received some pushback from Lexington residents who fear the development will significantly increase traffic, impede the local hospital, or strain the city’s water and sewer systems. 

For more details on the Spotswood proposal visit: https://rockbridgereport.academic.wlu.edu/2022/12/08/spotswood-drive-apartment-complex-moves-forward/
Lexington’s city manager is searching for a full Lexington’s city manager is searching for a full-time city attorney. The previous city attorney, Jared Jenkins, no longer serves in the position following his split from Mann Legal Group.

Learn more by visiting the Rockbridge Report website: https://rockbridgereport.academic.wlu.edu/2022/12/08/lexington-replaces-city-attorney/
Two students at Virginia Military Institute and Wa Two students at Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University posted bomb threats on anonymous social media platforms last week.

After investigations, both posts proved to be false alarms. Disciplinary measures for the students are unclear. 

Read the full story here: https://rockbridgereport.academic.wlu.edu/2022/12/08/two-university-bomb-threats-posted-on-anonymous-social-media-proved-false/
Local nonprofits, like the Rockbridge Area Relief Local nonprofits, like the Rockbridge Area Relief Association (RARA) and Washington and Lee’s Campus Kitchen, will provide extra support for families facing food insecurity during the holidays.

Read more about this on the Rockbridge Report website: https://rockbridgereport.academic.wlu.edu/2022/12/08/community-groups-to-offer-food-to-students-and-their-families-during-holiday-break/
“Normal people can’t afford that." Lexington “Normal people can’t afford that."

Lexington is Stacey Dickerson-Suggs’ hometown, but the single mother can’t afford to live here. Virginia house prices are going up about 10% each year. In Lexington, the median price of a home has increased 27% in the past year.

Read more about this on the Rockbridge Report website: https://rockbridgereport.academic.wlu.edu/2022/12/08/lexington-renters-buyers-cant-find-affordable-housing/
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Twitter
My Tweets
Reporters
Producers
Supervisors

Kevin Finch

Toni Locy

Alecia Swasy

Michael Todd

Rockbridge Report
© 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Go to mobile version
 

Loading Comments...