VEMS2025: C4 - Hurricane Helene: Emergency Management in Action

Hear directly from local and regional emergency managers as they share their experiences in responding to Hurricane Helene. This presentation will dive into best practices, lessons learned, and the hard truths uncovered during the storm’s impact. From coordination challenges to resource allocation, speakers will highlight what worked, what didn’t, and the critical steps communities must take to be better prepared for future disasters. This session is a must-attend for emergency responders, local officials, and anyone involved in disaster planning and resilience.

General Session 1: Growing Emergency Management Leaders for the Future (Keynote) - Erin Sutton

In an era of increasing natural disasters, technological hazards, and complex emergencies, developing the next generation of emergency management leaders is more critical than ever. Drawing from real-world experiences and proven leadership development frameworks, we'll discuss how to build resilient, adaptable, and innovative leaders capable of navigating the evolving challenges of disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.

Erin Sutton is a Partner working with public sector clients. Before joining McChrystal Group, Erin was the Chief Deputy State Coordinator for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. She oversaw all daily operations of the agency and provided overall support to the State Coordinator during emergencies. Erin has worked in the field of emergency management and public health for the last 20 years. She served as the Director of the City of Virginia Beach Office of Emergency Management and has extensive experience managing large-scale disasters in Virginia. 

Is all preparedness the same? Does emergency management hold a monopoly on effective emergency preparedness? What are the differences and similarities between building a "culture of preparedness" and the prepper sub-culture? Is there a conflict between those goals? An exploration of the motivating factors behind preparedness, how to make it effective and long-lasting, and what we as emergency managers can do to help individuals in that goal.

Speaker: Nat Sellers, UVa Medical Center Emergency Coordinator

Breakout Session from March 23, 2022

The Virginia Emergency Management Symposium 2022 was the first in-person symposium held by VEMA since March 2019.  

Paving the Path for VDOT's COVID-19 Response:

Demonstration and discussion about how VDOT's Emergency Management Team uses ArcGIS in all phases of Emergency Management.

Speaker: Ryan Whytlaw

A review of the actions VDOT took immediately to address COVID-19 in the spring of 2020 and how those actions paved the way for the agency's continued response.

Speaker: Bryan Wade

This presentation was done on March 24, 2022

The Virginia Emergency Management Symposium 2022 was the first in-person symposium held by VEMA since March 2019.  Richmond, VA was the center of civil unrest throughout the summer of 2020. It started at the end of May and ran through September, garnering national headlines. Richmond Police were front and center for the entire summer, with multiple challenges to face beyond the tactical. This will detail how Emergency Management helped them to secure resources, make connections and get access to what they needed. It will also reveal some of the issues and challenges faced.

Hybrid Incidents, those with a significant cyber and physical component, are becoming more prevalent and impactful year after year. From Colonial Pipeline to JBS to civil unrest events, there is a growing need to establish a proper common operating picture not only inclusive of both cyber and physical security, but one that incorporates the preparedness and recovery philosophies of emergency management as well. This presentation will look at the growing impact of cybersecurity in the emergency management space, the roles emergency managers can play within cybersecurity incidents, and how we are driving towards a more unified and inclusive approach to cybersecurity in the Commonwealth.

Speaker: Christopher Cruz

Breakout Session from March 23, 2022

(same audio was enhanced to allow listeners to hear audience questions)

The Virginia Emergency Management Symposium 2022 was the first in-person symposium held by VEMA since March 2019.  Is your civilian Active Threat training inclusive of the needs of people with disabilities, access and functional needs? This presentation will review some guidance and offer some ideas for ensuring that training meets the needs of the Whole Community. 

Speaker: Anne-Marie McLaughlin

This General Session was held on March 24, 2022

This presentation discusses cultivating leadership and leadership skills from within an organization, developing upper-level management, developing middle managing, and developing emerging leaders.

Speaker: Jason Klink

This session was held on March 22, 2022

The Virginia Emergency Management Symposium 2022 was the first in-person symposium held by VEMA since March 2019. The events of 2020 and 2021 presented a myriad of unique communications challenges. This presentation will highlight strengths and gaps discovered during the events over the past two years. We will talk through lessons learned while providing helpful resources for both emergency managers and public information officers. 

Speakers: Virginia Department of Emergency Management Director of Communications Lauren Opett and Director of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Sable K Dyer

This General Session was held on March 22, 2022

The Virginia Emergency Management Symposium 2022 was the first in-person symposium held by VEMA since March 2019. VEMS 2022 General Session with Virginia Department of Emergency Management State Coordinator Shawn Talmadge and Deputy State Coordinator Erin Sutton talking about the current state of emergency management in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

At the end of the episode there is a Q&A time.  The questions couldn't be heard through the mic, but the answers have been left in because you can usually determine the question based on the answer.

This General Session was held on March 22, 2022