In accordance with state law, the Lancaster County Board of Supervisors has adopted an Emergency Operations Plan which establishes the legal and organizational basis for operations in response to any type of disaster or large scale emergency situation. The Plan assigns broad responsibilities to local government agencies and support organizations for disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. These responsibilities are generally extensions of normal day-to-day functions involving the same personnel and material resources.

The types of disasters which are most likely to affect Lancaster County are weather-related occurrences such as hurricanes, coastal flooding, tornadoes and severe thunderstorms which produce high winds and large rainfall amounts. The Emergency Operations Plan also provides guidance to local officials for responding to situations involving hazardous materials.

Current Emergency Services Status - Normal

At this time, there are no emergencies affecting Lancaster County. However, in the event of an actual emergency, this section would contain information on Lancaster County's emergency preparedness activities, the potential threats to the county and its citizens, recommendations for evacuations and other precautionary measures and information on Emergency Shelters.

Code Red Community Notification System

Lancaster County has contracted with Emergency Communications Network to provide emergency alerts to its citizens in the form of recorded telephone messages through a product known as CodeRED. The system was put in place prior to Hurricane Irene and was used to provide evacuation and shelter information during the event.

The CodeRED database used during Irene consisted of published telephone numbers only. Efforts to improve the CodeRED database to include unlisted numbers and cell phone numbers are ongoing. Lancaster County citizens can assist this endeavor by navigating to the CodeRED web site and reviewing/updating their contact information.

This press release provides more information on the service.

Hurricane Preparedness Resources

• Hurricane and Storm Surge Preparedness Video on VDEM's YouTube Channel
• ReadyVirginia.Gov - VDEM's Emergency Preparedness Web Site

Lancaster County will utilize the following media outlets to release public information pertaining to hurricanes and other severe weather threats:

Radio Stations

• WKWI - 101.7 FM Kilmarnock
• WIGO - 104.9 FM Kilmarnock
• WRAR - 105.5 FM Tappahannock
• WNNT - 107.5 FM Warsaw
• WCNV - 98.1 FM Richmond/Heathsville

TV Stations

• WTVR - Channel 6 Richmond
• WRIC - Channel 8 Richmond
• WWBT - Channel 12 Richmond
• Metrocast Cable - Channel 7 Saluda

Storm Surge Inundation Maps

The following links point to maps which indicate the areas of Lancaster County that would most likely flood in the event of a hurricane. The map is color coded according to storm severity with category 1 being the least severe storm and category 5 being the most severe storm.

Lancaster County Storm Surge Map
Virginia Department of Emergency Management Storm Surge Page

Homeland Security Advisory System

Current Threat Level - Elevated/Yellow

More information on the Threat Advisory System is available from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.

Emergency Management Links

• Chimney and Smoke Alarm Information from Ready Virginia
• Fire and Drought Information from Ready Virginia
• Centers for Disease Control: How to Handle Anthrax...
• Power Point Presentation: "How to Repond to an Anthrax Threat" - Requires Power Point Viewer
• Home Guide to Emergency Preparedness

Information on disasters affecting other parts of the Commonwealth is available from the Virginia Department of Emergency Services.

Weather Information Links

• NOAA Weather Radio - Alternate source for NOAA weather radio feed. Useful if transmitter is down for repairs or maintenance.
• The National Weather Service - Forecast information, current conditions, weather radars and severe weather statements from the National Weather Service field office in Wakefield, Virginia.
• The National Hurricane Center
• The Weather Underground - Single-page summary provides a local seven-day weather forecast with radars, current condions, severe weather statements and a link to tropical weather information.