Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
Contact: Merni Fitzgerald, Director of Public Affairs
703-324-3187, TTY 711, Fax 703-324-2010
Media Pager: 703-324-NEWS (6397)
publicaffairs@fairfaxcounty.gov
April 29, 2008
Northern Virginia Response Team Deploys to Suffolk
A team from Northern Virginia will deploy to Suffolk, Va., today to assist in recovery operations from the devastating tornadoes that swept through southeastern Virginia on Monday, April 28. The team will leave from the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax today, Tuesday, April 29, at approximately 2:30 p.m.
The five-member team will work in the Suffolk Emergency Operations Center providing operational support and relief for city personnel. The team is scheduled to be deployed to Suffolk for three days, returning Friday afternoon.
The team is composed of personnel from Arlington County, the city of
Fairfax and Fairfax County:
-
Jack Brown, deputy director, Arlington County Office of Emergency
Management
-
Lt. Terry Murray, Arlington County Police Department and Office of
Emergency Management
-
John Ahrens, captain, City of Fairfax Fire and Rescue
-
David McKernan, deputy chief, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue
- Mike Wood, acting coordinator, Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management
Gov. Timothy Kaine has declared a statewide emergency to coordinate the response to widespread damage in the wake of the storms. A declaration of emergency allows the governor to immediately deploy state personnel, equipment and other emergency response resources, and to coordinate state and local response to the event. Strong winds and possible tornadoes caused damage in multiple localities. The cities of Colonial Heights and Suffolk were two areas that were severely affected.
For more information about the county’s response and participation on the Northern Virginia Response Team, contact the Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs, at 703-324-3187, TTY 711.
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For more news and information, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news.