Virginia’s Region 3 Coordination Center helps respond to Hurricane Debby

As Hurricane Debby swept into the Lynchburg area Aug. 8, Liberty University’s Emergency Management & Community Engagement (EMCE) department opened up Virginia’s Region 3 Coordination Center for the first time to prepare for any damages from the storm.

Liberty University’s Emergency Operation  Center  (EOC)  became Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s (VDEM) Region 3 Coordination Center back in April with aspirations to help prepare both the university and surrounding areas for emergency events.

Hurricane Debby provided the region coordination center the opportunity to test how all the state, city and university emergency departments could band together to serve their corresponding communities.

To combat the effects of the hurricane on Liberty’s campus, all four Office of Security & Public Safety’s (OSPS) departments (Liberty University Police Department, Emergency Management and Community Engagement, Environmental Health and Safety, and Access Control) and facilities management services united.

In addition to Liberty’s resources, Region 3’s chief coordinator, the Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Virginia Department of Social Services and the National Guard worked together within the EOC. Lynchburg City’s fire department and police department were also present in the facility.

“We were able to see the state’s response and how prepared Liberty was to have our operations center up and running about nine hours before the state came,” Associate Director of Emergency Management & Community Engagement Christopher Chambers said. Chambers said it was incredible to see how the Lord “used Liberty to host so many state partners.” 

According to Director of Emergency Management and Community Engagement Jeff Hurtak, most operation centers throughout the region went virtual because of the flooding. Since Liberty chose to be in full operation throughout the hurricane, the state departments chose to use Liberty’s Emergency Operations Center for all their check-in, coordination and providing aid meetings.

“Having this first time ever in this state partnership, especially when it comes to a state with a private organization that’s for higher education, I think it’s just really unique,” Hurtak said, “even though we had nothing — there was no tragic situation I heard of. …We were blessed that this partnership worked. This was our first test, and it was a pass on both sides.”

While the EMCE was primarily focused on the potential damages to Liberty’s Campus, the state was more focused on the region, according to Chambers. Chambers found it to be a “really neat opportunity” to look across the room and see the state making use of the facility Liberty provided.

Hurtak said the EMCE’s partnership with both the external and internal partners from within Liberty largely contributed to the university’s successful response to the hurricane. These partners included the custodial department, grounds, maintenance and transit services. Senior Emergency Management Planner Carl Wenzler was responsible for creating relationships with the external and internal partners in advance so that they may be called on in the event of an emergency.

“We talked to people out in the field; we talked to different department heads, different other directors, key players,” Wenzler said. “That way we have those points of contact before an emergency happens. That way, when we do call them during an emergency, they know we’re calling them for a valid reason.”

According to Senior Community Engagement Analyst John-Wesley Sloan, the primary damages seen at Liberty were flooded roads and leaks in buildings. Sloan said the OSPS identified and made plans to barricade roads more susceptible to flooding early in the day to prevent students, faculty or staff from getting in an accident.

He also said that LUPD officers and security officers “already established in main buildings on campus” were tasked with checking for leaks or pooling so that the environmental health and safety officers could analyze the damage, the custodial department could clean up any water and the facilities management could start repair work.

Region 3 Chief Coordinator Gene Stewart was pleased with Region 3’s response to Hurricane Debby. He said it was “the largest swift water rescue team deployment in over a decade” as teams were pre-deployed and staged in areas throughout the region.

“It’s neat to see how the Lord has prepared the Office of Security and Public Safety to try to really provide protection through service to our community,” Wenzler said.

Sturek is the on-campus news editor.