NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2003
For More Information, Contact:
System Planning Corporation
James M. Kudla
703/351-8238
Cell: 571-217-3633
jkudla@sysplan.com
Governor Warner's Hurricane Isabel Assessment Team Meets, Outlines Agenda
Richmond -- Governor Mark R. Warner's panel of outside experts assessing state and local preparations and response to Hurricane Isabel met today for the first time to outline its agenda and timeline.
W. Robert Herbert, panel chair and retired City Manager of Roanoke indicated the review would move on a fast track.
"We will interview key state and chief administrative local government officials, and we will seek comment from volunteer organizations and the private sector as appropriate," Herbert said. "Our goal is to complete the assessment and have recommendations to the Governor by the end of November."
Claire A. Collins, County Administrator in Bath and former assistant to the Henrico County Manager, and Wm. B. Rowland, Jr., retired Deputy Director of the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget, join Herbert on the panel.
The panel began its work this week by developing questions and topics to cover with state and local officials. Next week, questionnaires will be mailed to state, county and municipal officials and the panel will begin interviews with officials at state agencies in Richmond. The assessment team then will travel around the state to interview and collect data from local officials, which they hope to complete by the end of the second week of November.
Assisting the panel in its work is Arlington-based System Planning Corporation (SPC) and its TriData division, which has extensive experience in emergency preparedness and response planning and assessment studies. SPC has performed studies and assessments for more than 250 state and local agencies across the country.
In appointing the Hurricane Isabel Assessment Team, Governor Warner said, "I expect this independent review to result in recommendations that will allow us to build on those things that went well, acknowledge and find solutions for things that did not, and continue to improve state and local government preparation for and response to emergencies."
-SPC-
