This is the first of a several-part series.
With all the media and professional chatter about an unprepared and disengaged FEMA combined with the fact we are in hurricane season, my question is this: What will Virginia, and especially the Northern Neck, do in the event that a major hurricane inflicts significant damage?
The question is grounded in reality:
- It took the feds six weeks to respond to a request for assistance regarding the winter storms which wreaked havoc on western Virginia. On February 16, the governor requested an expedited major disaster declaration “to support the ongoing response and recovery efforts of communities impacted by the recent winter storms.” Six weeks later, President Trump approved the request, per a Youngkin release and a notice in the Federal Register.
- Major storms and flooding are not unheard of on the Northern Neck. Hurricanes, tornadoes, and other extreme weather on the Northern Neck provides examples of the damage caused by hurricanes, tornadoes, and nor’easters. Public and private, personal and business, and agricultural losses have been significant. For example, we wrote about post tropical cyclone Sandy, “The Virginia Department of Emergency Management reports total damages in the state, not including economic losses, came to $16.2 million and the number of homes destroyed or damaged, also across the state, was 245.”
- ICYMI: Emergencies and disasters on the Northern Neck, the series summarized offers specific examples and details about major storrm-related damage in Virginia and paricularly on the NNK. Included is a report on Hurricane Isabel; the damage is summarized below.
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