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Norfolk emergency officials urge residents to prepare as NOAA predicts above‑average 2025 hurricane season
Summary
Daniel Hudson, director of Norfolk’s Office of Emergency Management, told the City Council the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projects 13–19 named storms this season and outlined local readiness steps including a full‑scale shelter exercise on June 24, new communications tools and neighborhood outreach through churches.
Norfolk emergency management officials told the City Council on June 10 that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is forecasting a 60% chance of an above‑average 2025 Atlantic hurricane season and urged residents to prepare now.
Daniel Hudson, director of the Office of Emergency Management, said NOAA’s forecast calls for 13 to 19 named storms, 6 to 10 hurricanes and 3 to 5 major hurricanes, with a 70% confidence in the projection. “It only takes one storm to be a major impact in Norfolk,” Hudson said.
The warning matters because Norfolk’s location and infrastructure make it vulnerable to wind, flooding and storm surge. Hudson told council members the city has updated emergency plans, expanded outreach and is testing systems to keep community lifelines — safety and security; health and medical; food, water and shelter; energy; communications; transportation; and hazardous materials — functioning before, during and after storms.
Key steps the city reported taking or planning for the season include: - Buying two mobile Starlink dishes to provide emergency internet connectivity if cell or wired networks fail; - Installing two new weather stations to give the emergency operations center improved real‑time data; - Purchasing 10 pocket talk devices to enable multilingual, in‑field translation in more than 80 languages; - Finalizing a revised emergency operations handbook aligned with the Incident Command System and National Incident Management System; and - Scheduling a full‑scale shelter and evacuation exercise from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. June 24 at Norview High School to test shelter registration, medical triage, a 20‑bed setup, pet sheltering and STARLINK communications.
Hudson said the city has distributed evacuation‑zone magnets and will continue community engagement through civic leagues, businesses and a pilot partnership with First United Presbyterian Church to build neighborhood resilience. He encouraged residents to sign up for Norfolk Alert and use knowyourzoneva.org to confirm their evacuation zone.
Council members asked for additional operational detail. Councilor (Mr.) Smigiel asked whether drop‑off sites for storm debris are identified; Hudson said public works has identified locations and the city will coordinate debris messaging through the joint information center. Councilor (Mrs.) Johnson supported the church hub approach, saying it helps reach underserved neighborhoods.
Hudson described how the city uses Wireless Emergency Alerts and geo‑targeted messages, and said the city conducts monthly WEA tests and publishes all emergency plans at norfolk.gov/emergency. He also noted the city formally adopted its basic emergency operations plan and annexes in 2023 and reviews plans annually with a full adoption review every four years.
Hudson closed by asking council members to promote preparedness to their constituents and offering emergency management staff as a resource to civic leagues and neighborhood groups.
A June 24 shelter exercise and the ongoing purchases and exercises are steps the city said it has already scheduled or completed; council members did not take a formal vote on hurricane preparedness during the work session.
