Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)

Virginia is continuously threatened by emergency and disaster situations such as flash flooding, hurricanes, hazardous materials incidents and resource shortages. The Virginia Emergency Services and Disaster Laws of 2000 requires that the state, and each county and city within the state, develop and maintain a current Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) which addresses their planned response to such extraordinary emergency situations. It is imperative that this plan mirror the National Response Framework, the Virginia Emergency Operations Plan, and other localities to ensure interoperability during large-scale disasters. This plan meets and exceeds all Department of Homeland Security National Incident Management System (NIMS) compliance mandates. It is designed to meet this responsibility and to include the city in the mutually supportive statewide emergency management system.

Parts of the Plan
The City of Roanoke Emergency Operations Plan actually consists of several parts. The development and maintenance of these plans is the basis of the local emergency management program.

• The Basic Plan describes the concept of emergency operations and assigns duties and responsibilities to agency heads or organizations which are either part of, or will serve in support of, local government in time of emergency. It becomes the organizational and legal basis for emergency operations. The emergency support functions (ESF), support annexes, and incident-specific annexes to the Basic Plan provide additional guidance and set forth detailed procedures as needed to assure an appropriate level of emergency preparedness.
• The separately published Roanoke Valley Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Plan (available) was developed by the Roanoke Valley Emergency Planning Committee according to the Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act of 1986. This plan provides for emergency planning, response, mitigation and recovery specifically for hazardous materials in fixed facilities and transportation incidents in the Roanoke Valley.
• The separately published Roanoke Regional Airport Emergency Operations Plan (available) provides guidance for response and recovery from an aircraft emergency.
• To ensure that telephone and resource listings are current, a separate EOP Telephone and Resource Directory has been developed as an adjunct to the EOP and will be updated every 6 months. Because it contains confidential home, cellular and pager numbers, the directory must be strictly controlled and its distribution limited.
• There are 2 Support Annexes that, at date of adoption, will not be completed. They are Evacuation and Animal Care and Support. The Evacuation Plan is a 2-part plan addressing general evacuation procedures and routes around Roanoke. The second part will address the specific evacuation of the Downtown Market District. Both parts are being written with the support of the Roanoke Valley-Allegheny Regional Commission. The Animal Care and Control Plan is in development and being supported by the Roanoke Chapter of the Virginia State Animal Response Team.