CSPDC - Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission

Programs > Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation

Bicycle & Pedestrian Planning	Environment & Natural Resources
Disaster Preparedness & Mitigation	GIS and Mapping
Economic Development	Housing & Community Development
Energy	Transportation

Program Administrator
Rebecca Joyce

Program Administrator’s E-mail
rebecca@cspdc.org

Program Overview

Since 1995, the CSPDC has been actively involved in disaster mitigation and preparedness throughout the Region.

CSPDC staff has helped communities within the Region that receive substantial and repetitive flooding secure federal, state, and local funding for flood mitigation projects. The CSPDC has also helped with grant administration of these projects which elevate, acquire, relocate, or floodproof structures.

Shenandoah Valley Project Impact (SVPI), the Region’s disaster mitigation and preparedness education program is also offered by the CSPDC. SVPI, which is the Citizen Corp Council for the Region, educates people of all ages on a variety of disaster preparedness and mitigation topics through many different activities including presentations to civic groups, displays at community events, training and workshops for organizations, and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training.

Since 2003, the CSPDC has been offering CERT. The goal of CERT is to train people in basic skills such as disaster preparedness, fire safety, first aid, disaster psychology, and terrorism awareness so that they will be able to better protect their families and help neighbors during an emergency or disaster. Over three hundred people across the Region have completed the CERT program.

All Hazards Mitigation Planning is also part of the CSPDC’s disaster mitigation and preparedness program. The CSPDC completed a Regional All Hazards Plan for the jurisdictions located within the Central Shenandoah Planning District. This plan, which is updated every five years, addresses the hazards, risks, and most vulnerable areas in the Region and includes strategies to reduce or eliminate risks and prioritizes potential mitigation projects. All Hazards Mitigation Plans are required by federal and state government in order for local governments to be eligible for disaster mitigation grant funds.

Services We Provide

A Speaker’s Bureau to educate groups on emergency and disaster preparedness topics. Presentations are tailored to the specific group’s needs, time restrictions, and topic of interest. All presentations are free of charge.
Training to local governments, human service organizations, and the business community on pertinent disaster mitigation and preparedness and emergency management topics.
Grant writing and administration and project implementation of local community mitigation projects.
Mitigation planning and emergency operations planning assistance to local jurisdictions in the Central Shenandoah Region.
Coordination and implementation of the CERT program in the Central Shenandoah Region.

List of Current/Previous Projects

Shenandoah Valley Project Impact Disaster Mitigation and Preparedness Education Program
- Shenandoah Valley Project Impact Quarterly Newsletter, Spring 2010
SVPI Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training
Central Shenandoah Valley All Hazards Mitigation Plan
City of Staunton Downtown Floodproofing Project
South River Flood Mitigation Project (Rockbridge County)
City of Buena Vista Residential Elevation and Acquisition Mitigation Project
Town of Glasgow Housing Relocation and Floodproofing Project
City of Staunton Emergency Operations Plan
Augusta County Emergency Operations Plan