Office of Emergency Management | ARLnow.com

County, VDOT Officials Monitoring Path of Hurricane Sandy

Published October 25, 2012 at 5:10PM | Updated October 26, 2012 at 3:36PM

Sandy, which is currently churning in the Atlantic Ocean near the Bahamas, is expected to make its way north and threaten the D.C. area. Forecasters from the Capital Weather Gang say there’s a 75 percent chance of a direct or indirect hit from Sandy, which could bring 2 to 8 inches of rain and wind gusts from 50 to over 75 miles per hour.

In a phone interview, Arlington’s acting Deputy Director of Emergency Management, Bonnie Regan, said an email was sent Thursday to emergency support personnel in various county departments, asking them to check generators, fuel supplies, and weekend staff availability.

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Video: Be Prepared Week in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published September 21, 2012 at 3:15PM

Arlington County has declared Sept. 23-29 “Be Prepared Week.”

News

Lessons Learned from Derecho 911 Problems

By ARLnow.com

Published August 20, 2012 at 11:30AM

In the days following the storm, which left 1 million customers without power in Virginia, Arlington and Fairfax counties experienced numerous problems with its 911 service, which made 911 unreachable for many emergency callers; some callers got a busy signal after calling 911, others heard nothing.

The problems were traced back to Verizon’s local communications backbone. In a report released last week, Verizon said the 911 problems started as a result of power outages.

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Arlington Tests Outdoor Warning System

By ARLnow.com

Published August 16, 2012 at 4:50PM

The county conducts an audible test of the warning system once or twice per year, according to Arlington Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Director Jack Brown. Residents in some of Arlington’s more urban areas would have heard a beep or series of beeps during the test, he said.

Arlington’s outdoor warning system was first installed in 2007, using $400,000 in funding from the Department of Homeland Security. The system includes six warning speakers: two in Rosslyn, one in Clarendon, one in Courthouse, and two in Pentagon City. The speakers are controlled by a line-of-sight radio signal.

News

Arlington Seeks FEMA Funds for Derecho Clean Up

By Katie Pyzyk

Published July 24, 2012 at 3:00PM | Updated July 24, 2012 at 4:42PM

County Manager Barbara Donnellan got the ball rolling by declaring a local emergency on June 30. Nearly 50 other Virginia localities did the same. Yesterday, Governor Bob McDonnell formally requested assistance for the state from the the Federal Emergency Management Agency, estimated at $27.5 million. Now it’s up to President Obama to either approve or deny the disaster funding.

Jack Brown, Director of the Arlington County Office of Emergency Management, explains that to be eligible for federal funds, the county must incur more than around $700,000 in expenses. So far, the bill from the June storm adds up to approximately $802,000, which includes costs for personnel, equipment and debris removal. The total could increase as more numbers are finalized.

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County: Storm Recovery is ‘Slow and Steady’

By ARLnow.com

Published July 2, 2012 at 1:30PM | Updated July 2, 2012 at 2:57PM

At a press conference today, OEM Director Jack Brown told reporters that Dominion is making “yeoman strides” to restore power to tens of thousands of Arlington residents. Despite the widespread power outages — 26,997 Dominion customers were without power as of 12:45 p.m., down from 68,000 Friday night — Brown said there has so far been no loss of life as a result of heat following the storm.

Dominion expects to restore power to 80-85 percent of customers by Tuesday night, and 90-95 percent of customers by Thursday night. Restoration works is being focused on high-density areas.

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Video: Preparing for Emergencies in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published June 7, 2012 at 2:55PM

Arlington County has been working on various ways to help residents prepare for an emergency, to get information during an emergency, and to evacuate in the event of a major emergency.

Weather

Tornado Watch Issued for Region

By ARLnow.com

Published June 1, 2012 at 1:57PM

The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch for Arlington and the rest of the D.C. region. The watch is in effect through 9:00 p.m.

The Arlington Office of Emergency Management issued the following statement about the impending severe weather earlier today:

News

Mobile App Encourages Preparedness in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published November 22, 2011 at 3:50PM

The free app, which can be downloaded from the Android Marketplace and the Apple App Store, gives residents tips on what to do in the event of specific emergencies, provides a feed of Arlington’s emergency alerts, offers a checklist of emergency supplies and lists information about several emergency-related volunteer opportunities in Arlington.

Among the 10 emergencies covered in the “What Do I Do?” section are tornadoes (“if you are inside, seek a place of refuge such as a basement”), earthquakes (“many of the 120 fatalities from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake occurred when people ran outside of buildings only to be killed by falling debris”), and chemical attacks (“immediately strip and wash… look for a hose, fountain or any source of water”).

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Arlington County Prepares for Hurricane Irene

By ARLnow.com

Published August 25, 2011 at 11:39AM | Updated August 25, 2011 at 11:58AM

Arlington County is bracing for impacts from Hurricane Irene.

Irene, which is expected to be the strongest hurricane to hit the Northeast in decades, could bring torrential rains and high winds to the Mid-Atlantic region Saturday night and throughout the day on Sunday. In anticipation of the storm, the county is “mobilizing both people and equipment,” according to Jack Brown, Director of Emergency Management for Arlington County.