(Photo Courtesy of Michaele White, Governor's Photographer)
From Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell....
As this email goes out, Hurricane Sandy is moving closer to landfall in the Mid-Atlantic region. Here in Virginia, we’ve been feeling impacts from the storm for 24 hours already, and the worst conditions are still to come. Already we’ve had winds over 50mph in Hampton Roads, 7 inches of rain in Mathews County, and snow falling from Monterey to Wise. Now, the Commonwealth is bracing for sustained winds at tropical storm force, heavy rain, and more mountain snows, along with additional storm surge along our beaches and coastal erosion.
We are here at the Patrick Henry Building in Richmond working in close consultation with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the National Guard, the Virginia State Police, the National Weather Service, utility companies and local and federal authorities and officials. We are doing all we can to prepare the Commonwealth for this historic storm. But we know, with the current conditions we are witnessing, and the forecasts of what is to come, that there will be damage in our state. After this storm passes, and skies clear, the work will not be over. Many of our fellow Virginians will need your help to get back on their feet and recover from this event.
With that in mind, I want to encourage you to take advantage of an important way in which Virginians can help one another after the storm: The Virginia Disaster Relief Fund. We established this state-managed relief fund just last year in the wake of the devastating tornado outbreak that hit so many regions of the Commonwealth. Since we’ve established the fund, Virginians have embraced it, and donations have been used to help our fellow citizens as they’ve recovered from the Louisa earthquake and Hurricane Irene, among other events. Now, this is an opportunity to continue the goodwill and step in to help a neighbor as they recover from Hurricane Sandy.
If you have the means, and are so inclined, I highly encourage you to make a donation to the Fund.
To contribute, please CLICK HERE
For specific questions and answers about the Virginia Disaster Relief Fund, please CLICK HERE
Thank you for all that you continue to do for this wonderful Commonwealth. In the hours ahead, please take shelter, look after your neighbors, check in on friends and family and be safe. After the storm passes, I know we will do what Virginians do best: we will come together to help one another, get back on our feet, and continue to build this tremendous Commonwealth of Opportunity.
Sincerely,
Bob McDonnell
Governor of Virginia
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