Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no use restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Disaster Files of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, 1995-2013. Accession 53599, State government records collection. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va.

Acquisition Information

Accession 53599 transferred by the Virginia Dept. of Emergency Management, 25 Apr 22.

Processing Information

This collection has been processed using minimal processing standards: the original arrangement has been maintained, the container list is brief and simple, and the records have not been refoldered and fasteners have not been removed.

Biographical/Historical Information

During the 1950s and 1960s, Virginia's civil defense plan was geared toward the protection of civilian lives in the event of war and restoration of communities and industrial facilities in the event of thermonuclear war. The Emergency Services and Disaster Act of 1973 shifted the agency's focus away from nuclear disaster and toward other types of natural and man-made disasters. It repealed the 1952 act and replaced the Office of Civil Defense with the Office of Emergency Services, led by a State Coordinator of Civil Defense appointed by the Governor. The purpose of the new Office was to "insure that preparations of the State and its political subdivisions will be adequate to deal with...emergencies, and generally to provide for the common defense and to protect the public peace, health and safety, and to preserve the lives and property and economic well-being of the people of the State." Some of the duties of the State Coordinator are: prepare and maintain a State Emergency Operations Plan relating to man-made and natural disasters; coordinate and administer preparedness programs with Federal, State and local government agencies;and provide guidance and assistance to local governments in designing local emergency programs and plans. During a declared emergency operational control of this agency reverts to the Governor.

The Dept. of Emergency Management has undergone several name changes since 1973. In 1974 the agency's name was changed to State Office of Emergency Services. On 14 March 1978, Governor John N. Dalton issued an executive order assigning the functions of the State Energy Office to the State Office of Emergency Services. The agency was renamed the State Office of Emergency and Energy Services. The name was changed to Department of Emergency Services in 1985 and to Department of Emergency Management in 2000.

Today, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management works closely with local government, state and federal agencies (such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency) and voluntary organizations to provide resources and expertise in the event of a disaster. They offer disaster guidance in four areas: preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation.

Responsibility for the 911 Services Board and the Virginia Geographic Information Network Advisory Board were transferred from the Virginia Information Technologies Agency to the Virginia Dept. of Emergency Management in 2020 (HB 1003, Chap. 423, approved March 23, 2020.

Scope and Content

Disaster files, 1969-2012, consist of 23 boxes and are arranged in original order. These records document the response, planning, and policies related to disasters in the Commonwealth, both natural and man made. Disasters include crop damage, drought, fires (forest, tire, etc.), flooding, hurricanes, oil spills, plane and train crashes, strikes, terrorism, winter storms (ice, snow), and other incidents. May include agreements, applications, briefs, budgets, correspondence, declarations, meeting records, plans, press releases, reports, and other general information.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the original order.