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Henrico supervisors laud staff, ratify local emergency after Winter Storm Fern
Summary
Henrico County managers and supervisors recounted multiagency storm response efforts — from 300 DPW workers to shelters and meals — and the board approved a formal concurrence with the county manager’s Jan. 23 local emergency declaration to preserve procurement and response flexibility.
Henrico County’s Board of Supervisors on Jan. 27 credited dozens of county workers and first responders for their response to Winter Storm Fern and approved a resolution concurring in a county manager declaration of local emergency.
County Manager (speaking at the Jan. 27 meeting) told the board the county opened its emergency operations center on Jan. 23 to coordinate response across police, fire and 9-1-1 operations and that staff worked in shifts around the clock. He said the Department of Public Works deployed roughly 300 employees and 110 pieces of equipment, Recreation and Parks provided vehicles for deliveries to the 9-1-1 center, and the county prepared the Sports & Events Center with a generator, about 150 cots and thousands of meals should sheltering be needed. “Our emergency operations provided over 1,000 meals to public works equipment operators to minimize downtime for road crews,” he said.
The board unanimously added a late resolution (43-26) to the agenda and approved it by voice vote. The paper concurs with the county manager’s Jan. 23 declaration and gives staff flexibility during the emergency — including procurement flexibilities, the manager said. Vice Chair Misty Rountree noted the county’s advance planning and said the work of the EOC and other teams meant the county could act quickly if conditions worsened.
Board members repeatedly thanked public works, communications, first responders and the county’s mechanics for keeping equipment running amid ice and snow. The manager asked the board to lift the state of emergency later in the meeting via unanimous consent after the immediate actions were recorded.
What’s next: The board approved concurrence with the emergency declaration; the manager signaled staff will return with any required follow-ups and with a separate motion later to lift the state-of-emergency status when appropriate.
