Over the past 50 years, the Central Shenandoah Region has experienced natural disasters ranging from tropical systems, winter storms, tornadoes, and derechoes but instead of succumbing to its vulnerabilities, has decided with the assistance of the CSPDC to forge a path of resilience.

The year 1969 was a year of historical events; a man walked on the moon, the Woodstock music festival occurred, the CSPDC was established, and Hurricane Camille made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane. By the time Camille reached Virginia, it combined with other weather factors to cause cataclysmic rainfall; 31 inches in Nelson County and 8 inches in Rockbridge County. I n Virginia 153 people died, including 23 people in Rockbridge County. Hurricane Camille was the start of flooding that, over the next 30 years, would devastate communities in the Central Shenandoah Region, including Agnes in 1972, the Election Day Flood in 1985, June Floods in 1995, Hurricane Fran in 1996, and Hurricane Isabel in 2003.

To end the cycle of damage and repair, the CSPDC stepped in after the 1995 floods to help localities with numerous flood mitigation projects designed to protect people and property through elevation, relocation, and acquisition of homes, and floodproofing of businesses. In 2000, the Shenandoah Valley Project Impact was formed to educate people on how to prepare for severe weather, emergencies, and disasters and to put in place mitigation measures that reduce damages. This was followed by starting the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program in 2003.  For over 15 years, the CSPDC has been assisting the communities in our region with Emergency Operations Plans, Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Plans, and Community Wildfire Protection Plans. The CSPDC also maintains the Central Shenandoah Hazard Mitigation Plan.

The Census will occur on April 1, 2020 and for the first time, will allow responses to be collected online, in addition to by phone and by mail. This will insure that every household has the opportunity to respond and provide important population measures. The Census results, collected once a decade, help determine how more than $675 billion in federal funding is distributed to states and communities every year. Businesses use Census data to decide where to build factories, offices and stores. Residents use the Census to support community initiatives involving legislation, quality-of-life and consumer advocacy.

As the Census date approaches, communities are forming Complete Count Committees (CCCs) that will create strategies and work with nonprofit and civic organizations that serve hard to count populations. The City of Harrisonburg is hosting a Census workshop to address collection challenges and solutions on Monday, June 24, at 5:30 pm in Hart Classroom 255 at Hotel Madison. These collaborative efforts will help insure that the most accurate data possible is collected. Visit the 2020 Census website for more information.

Over the past 16 years, the Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro Emergency Response Team (CERT) has been focused on community education, preparedness, and safety. At the foundation of the program is a seven-week training course, offered in the fall and spring, to prepare volunteers on how to assist with community emergencies and mitigation education. The most recent training course was completed on May 23rd. Today, CERT has trained over 1,000 volunteers in our region.

This year, CERT volunteers assisted Augusta County Fire-Rescue install free smoke alarms in mobile homes and at mobile home parks throughout Augusta County. CERT volunteers also promoted the program and its safety precautions at the “Touch-a-Truck” event sponsored by Augusta County Fire-Rescue, the Dooms Fire Department’s Kids Fun Day, and the Green Valley Book Fair’s Safety Day. To learn more about how to get involved with this active volunteer team and gain helpful emergency response insights, subscribe to the Resiliency Newsletter or contact the CSPDC.

In 1972, the CSPDC undertook a regional water, sewer, and solid waste inventory and plan that revealed various levels of inadequacies in the present and future abilities of jurisdictions in the region to provide services. Many of the jurisdictions lacked the financial resources to upgrade existing systems and provide for future needs. Also, in 1972, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) required a detailed Water Quality Management Plan which resulted in even more comprehensive analysis and planning for the District. These early planning efforts by the CSPDC helped our jurisdictions with decision-making tools and identification of resources to protect and preserve and shape the development of the region. Since then, the CSPDC has continued to provide environmental planning services to the region to improve the quality of life for its citizens.

During Fiscal Year 1997, the CSPDC was involved with two significant regional environmental projects which encouraged local participation. The first project was the Wellhead Protection Program, where the CSPDC received a grant from the EPA through the VA Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to develop the program, evaluate regional groundwater assets and vulnerability, provide models for wellhead protection strategies, and more.

The second project was the Potomac Tributary Strategy for the Southern Shenandoah Region, where the CSPDC facilitated a regional response to the Virginia Nutrient Reduction Strategy for the Southern Shenandoah Basin. The strategy was developed as a result of the 1987 Chesapeake Bay Act which included a commitment to reduce loads of phosphorus and nitrogen entering the Bay by 40% by 2000.

In 2018, DEQ began phase III of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP III). Virginia is required to submit a plan to EPA that ensures pollution control measures needed to fully restore the Bay are in place no later than 2025. DEQ contracted with the CSPDC, and other Bay PDCs across the state, to work with localities and stakeholders in the region with identifying Best Management Practices (BMPs) and programmatic actions, and explore ways to implement BMPs.