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.