Welcome to the Office of Emergency Management webpage. Our mission is to reduce the loss of life and property from all types of hazards through a comprehensive program of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

Every year, the citizens of Rockbridge County face potential disasters and emergencies and their consequences. We do not always know when emergencies of disasters will occur but if we plan ahead and know what to do before they happen, we will be better prepared to face them. Disasters can be acts of nature such as tornadoes, floods and winter storms, or man-made events such as a hazardous materials spill, failure of the utility system or an act of terrorism.

The Office of Emergency Management is responsible for providing community outreach in disaster preparedness. Other responsibilities include:

• coordinating countywide response to a disaster situation;

• ensuring disaster assistance is available to all government agencies, business and citizens of Rockbridge; and

• providing assistance to managers of various county agencies playing key roles in disaster response and recovery operations.