The York County Office of Emergency Management is responsible for planning a comprehensive, whole community, threat, hazard and risk-based emergency management program that includes the implementation of mitigation and preparedness strategies, as well as for coordinating an efficient and effective unified response and recovery effort to all natural, technological and/or human-caused disasters and/or large-scale emergencies that occur within and/or affect York County.
Preparing for emergencies is not a new concept. You take steps to stay safe every day. For instance, you wear your seat belt in the car just in case you are in an accident. You make your children wear helmets when they ride their bicycles. You double check your iron to make sure it is unplugged. Your great-grandparents probably had extra supplies in their home: soap and shampoo in bathroom closets, onions and potatoes stored in the basement, and canned goods on pantry shelves. They understood the value and wisdom of having a little extra on hand for emergencies, too.
Disasters in York County
While gracefully beautiful and rich in history and natural resources, York County has experienced and/or is prone to its share of emergencies including natural, technological and/or human-caused emergencies and disasters, such as Droughts, Earthquakes, Fires, Floods, Hurricanes, Major medical incidents, Nor'easters
Nuclear/radiological incidents
Severe thunderstorms
Sink holes
Snow and ice storms
Terrorist acts
Tornadoes
Transportation incidents
Tropical storms
Wild fire power outages
Ready York County
York County launched the Ready York County, Virginia campaign and website to provide the whole community with information about out threats, hazards and risks to help everyone be better prepared.
Ready York County, Virginia is intended to provide York County citizens, businesses, employees and visitors (Whole Community) with current, usable and practical information, including important facts, valuable tips and critical reminders for developing emergency preparedness plans to help you, your family, and your pets to be ready for all types of emergencies/disasters. Develop a disaster plan and decide where you and your family will meet in the event of an emergency. Gather emergency supplies, some to keep in your home and others to keep in backpacks in case you must leave your home in a hurry. Finally, learn how to stay informed about the hazards you may face in York County, as well as where to get the latest preparedness, response and recovery information before, during and following a large scale emergency and/or disaster. Not all the information provided will apply to everyone. The best approach is to take the information that applies to you and develop an emergency plan that best fits your circumstances.
The Ready York County, Virginia campaign and materials were developed by the York County Department of Fire and Life Safety Office of Emergency Management in collaboration with the York County's Emergency Management and Mass Care partner agencies. The Ready York County, Virginia campaign is based, in part, on the Ready.gov campaign of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as well as the Ready Virginia campaign of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
StormReady
StormReady is a community preparedness program that encourages government entities and commercial gathering sites to prepare for severe storms. The program, sponsored by the National Weather Service, issues recognition to communities and sites across the country that demonstrate severe weather readiness. York County is a recognized NWS StormReady County.
