Virginia Beach emergency management warns one storm could cause major damage despite below‑normal outlook

David Topsinski, the city’s emergency management director, told the Virginia Beach City Council on June 9 that the National Hurricane Center has about a 70% confidence in a below‑normal Atlantic hurricane season but cautioned that ‘‘it only takes one goal to go in to win in overtime,’’ meaning a single storm could still cause serious local impacts.

The warning came during the council’s special formal session, where Topsinski summarized the season outlook (8–14 named storms, 3–6 of which could become hurricanes and 1–3 that could reach major‑hurricane strength) and outlined preparedness steps the city is taking and urging residents to take.

Topsinski said El Niño conditions are suppressing Atlantic development this year but stressed that remnants, nor’easters and tropical systems can still cause flooding, power outages and damage to homes and roadways. He urged residents to check insurance and flood coverage, plan evacuation and shelter alternatives, gather emergency supplies and enroll in the city’s BB Alert notification system.

City staff described year‑round preparedness efforts, including more than 300 hours of regional training and exercises last year, a National Weather Service recertification that recognized the city as a StormReady community and a FEMA review that the presentation said the city ‘‘far exceeded’’ in its ability to issue alerts and warnings. Staff also described a new disaster recovery plan intended to guide longer‑term recovery after a major event.

Officials detailed upgraded capabilities at the Emergency Operations Center, including a field EOC capability that can be deployed to parking lots or other facilities and a new disaster management application (identified in the presentation as through ‘‘EZRI’’ and ‘‘RGIS’’) to monitor city resources and share real‑time situational awareness. Topsinski said the city also expanded watch‑desk capabilities to identify growing incidents earlier.

Staff flagged operational thresholds the city uses to escalate response and public messaging—typically beginning intensified planning and public messaging roughly 24–72 hours before expected impacts—and said that as forecast confidence rises the city may consider evacuation orders, opening evacuation centers, requesting outside resources, activating disaster contracts and declaring emergencies.

Topsinski said the city will exercise these capabilities in July with Virginia Task Force 2 (urban search and rescue) and regional partners, and reiterated that outreach to schools, senior centers and civic leagues is central to preparedness.

Council members praised the emergency staff’s recent responses and certifications. The presentation closed with a reminder from Topsinski that official city resources and the BB Alert remain the primary source for decision‑quality information during storms. The council recessed later in the meeting into a closed session on unrelated matters.