Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and the City of Charlottesville Wednesday declared states of emergency for the Commonwealth and the city to address the potential impacts of events in and around the City of Charlottesville and outside of Washington, D.C., on Aug. 10–12, 2018. Multiple events are planned to mark the anniversary of the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, which resulted in the deaths of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, and Virginia State Police Troopers Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen, III and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates.
According to Northam’s office, these state of emergency declarations will enhance planning and cooperative response efforts that have been in development since March. A state of emergency is an administrative tool that allows state agencies to perform actions outside the scope of normal operations in order to ensure that all necessary resources and assistance are provided as quickly as possible to local governments, and Virginia’s residents.
“Virginia continues to mourn the three Virginians who lost their lives in the course of the demonstrations a year ago. We hope the anniversary of those events passes peacefully,” Gov. Northam said in a statement.
