VDOT and Emergency Response

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is a public safety agency. We respond to various emergencies on the roads to keep the public safe and to keep Virginia moving.

It is critically important to be ready in case of bad weather, natural disaster or other emergency situation. For more on what you and your family or business can do to prepare, visit ReadyVirginia.gov.

VDOT released its long-term action plan to improve emergency response and to refocus on its critical emergency response mission.

The plan outlines 13 action steps detailing VDOT’s commitment to focus on its vital role as an emergency response agency.

“We commit to the citizens of Virginia that we will live up to their expectations that VDOT, like fire departments and law-enforcement agencies, will provide critical emergency services during all unforeseen events,” said Commissioner David S. Ekern. “Our core mission includes keeping Virginians safe during inclement weather and other emergency events, and we will deliver on that responsibility.”

PDFs

• Emergency response action plan (1.2 MB) 
• Presentation to Commonwealth Transportation Board (3.3 MB)

Here's how VDOT keeps the commonwealth's transportation system operating, and how you can stay safe and be prepared:

Hurricanes and Floods

• Hurricane evacuation preparation
• 2008 Interstate 64 lane-reversal drill (2.5 MB, 1:32)
• Repairing roads after floods (3.5 MB, 1:03), transcript (PDF, 95 KB)
• Driving in the rain (2 MB, :54), transcript (PDF, 95 KB)

Also:

• I-64 lane-reversal exercise, May 11, 2008
• All about hurricane evacuation
• VDOT's hurricane evacuation guide: English (PDF, 2.1 MB) , Español (PDF, 3.8 MB)

Snow and Ice

• How VDOT clears snow (3 MB, 1:41), transcript (PDF, 96 KB)
• How VDOT deals with ice (3.7 MB, 1:12), transcript (PDF, 96 KB)
• Clearing roads in 48 hours (1 MB, :30)
• Interstates and primary roads first (1 MB, :30)
• Keeping Virginia moving (1.75 MB, :60), transcripts (PDF, 10 KB)
• Driving in snow (2.5 MB, :54), transcript (PDF, 95 KB)
• Driving on ice (3.6 MB, 1:08), transcript (PDF, 95 KB)
  

Potholes

• The Pothole Killer (3.3 MB, :60), transcript (PDF, 87 KB)  
• How to get a pothole fixed (5 MB, 1:40), transcript (PDF, 87 KB)

Also

• Pothole Killer slide show 
• Pothole FAQs
• Report a pothole or other road problem

Help on the Highways

• Safety Service Patrol (2.3 MB, 1:01), transcript (PDF, 98 KB)
• Incident response (3.6 MB, 1:01), transcript (PDF, 100 KB)

Web pages

• Safety Service Patrol
• Traffic Operations Centers
• In an accident? Move it!

Videos require the free Windows Media Player. Download it here. Transcripts and some other files are PDFs.

  For information about how to prepare for all types of emergencies, visit ReadyVirginia.gov.