Agency
In July 1973, Virginia took measures to ensure that the Commonwealth and its residents would be protected from the effects of disasters, both natural and human-caused. Just 13 months after Hurricane Agnes caused record-breaking flooding, the Virginia Office of Emergency Services was created. The office was renamed the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) in 2000 (Va. Code Ann. § 44-146.18). Today, VDEM works with with local, state, tribal, and federal agencies and voluntary organizations to provide crucial resources during all hazard disasters.
Mission Statement
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s mission is to save lives through effective emergency management and homeland security programs by coordinating a whole of Commonwealth approach to any complex event or disaster including, but not limited to, any natural, man-made, acts of terrorism, or cyber-related incident or event. We achieve this mission through VDEM’s responsibilities across the emergency management continuum which includes activities to prevent, prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate threats to the Commonwealth with a diverse set of partners across local, state, tribal, and federal government agencies, the private sector, and non-profits.
Our goal is to build capacity and resiliency across Virginia using several processes and programs including maintaining a statewide All-Hazard Emergency Operations Plan, coordinating multiagency/statewide responses, supporting state agency continuity of operations/continuity of government planning and preparedness, managing numerous grant programs in support of our localities and state agencies, conducting strategic emergency preparedness planning, delivering a comprehensive training and exercise program, coordinating with private/DoD critical infrastructure, providing specialized emergency response capabilities, supporting local 911 Public Safety Answering Points, and maintaining strong relationships with numerous partners to enable effective response and recovery operations.
Responsibility
New threats and vulnerabilities arise constantly in our dynamic risk environment. From threats of terror to hurricanes, from cybersecurity breaches to flooding, today’s challenges are the focus at VDEM, in an agency that evolves to address them. While some threats strike with little to no warning, others provide time for VDEM to work jointly with federal and local partners to prepare, mitigate, and respond to the event.
VDEM continues to improve its readiness by planning for all hazards and improving our statewide response system. We accomplish this by providing training, equipping teams with the best technology, and exercising together as a team comprising local, state, and federal governments; private sector partners; and non-governmental organizations.