Richmond spent over $4 million when responding to two winter storms, report shows

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- In response to two winter storms that hit Central Virginia in late January, the city of Richmond spent a total of over $4 million on personnel and operational costs, according to an after-action report.

On Wednesday, March 11, the city released an after-action report outlining how it responded to two winter storms that hit Central Virginia in late January.

The first winter storm hit the area from Jan. 23 through Jan. 26, and the second hit just days later -- from Jan. 31 to Feb. 1, according to the report.

Costs

The report outlined that across both winter storms, the city spent roughly $2.5 million on personnel costs and around $1.6 million on operating costs, for a total of roughly $4.1 million.

911 calls

Regarding the first winter storm, the Emergency Communications Center answered 2,424 911 calls from 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23, to 7 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 28, according to the report, with about 95.5% being answered within 20 seconds or less.

Of those, 154 reportedly related to vehicle crashes, followed by 101 disabled vehicle calls and 61 sand requests. Additional storm-related calls included seven for burst pipes, five for water main breaks and two for downed wires, the report showed.

The report said that regarding the second winter storm, the Emergency Communications Center answered 698 911 calls, with about 97% of those answered within 20 seconds or less.

Of those, 84 related to vehicle crashes, 29 were sand requests, 17 were for disabled vehicles, six were for water main breaks and one was for downed wires.

RVA311 service calls

RVA311 reportedly recorded 263 calls related to the two winter storms between Jan. 29 and early February.

The report said that during the response period to both winter storms, RVA311 received the following call volumes, including both storm-related and non-storm-related calls:

• Jan. 24 to Jan. 31: 3,697 calls
• Feb. 1 to Feb. 7: 4,782 calls

Areas of Improvement

Although the report considered the city's response to the two winter storms to have been "coordinated and effective," the report said that since they occurred back-to-back and had prolonged effects, it revealed certain areas need to improve.

One area of improvement cited in the report was regarding road treatment materials, as they became strained during sub-freezing temperatures, requiring the Department of Public Works to change mixture ratios to conserve.

Although the report said the ratio change was effective in keeping travel safe on priority roads, it said this change was not ideal.

The report said future improvements will focus on making sure contractors can deliver or offer road treatment materials during off-peak times, like holidays and weekends.

The report added that the city will reevaluate its fatigue management practices during extended response, and standardize the processes to document labor, equipment and cost tracking.

In addition, the report noted that a post-event survey conducted by the Office of Emergency Management found ways to improve these three areas:

• Gaps in equipment, staffing or communication
• Needed investments for strengthening future storm response
• Supporting community preparedness

Future considerations

For Finance (Risk Management)

Going forward, the report said the city's administration will consider formalizing early coordination between multiple departments to improve documentation and overall claim preparedness for weather-related events.

In addition, the administration will reportedly consider implementing standardized, storm-specific safety briefings before employees are sent into the field, with an emphasis on cold weather hazards, prevention of slips, trips and falls, vehicle safety and equipment operation to reduce employee injuries.

The report also said the city's administration will consider reinforcing supervisory expectations to report employee injuries and property damage incidents in a timely manner.

For the Department of Budget and Strategic Planning

Another consideration for the future is about possibly creating a policy or ordinance that could provide budget transfers in an emergency that avoid the need to be ratified afterward, all while maintaining transparency and being overseen by City Council.

For the Department of Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response

The report said the city will bring lessons learned from the winter storm into a quality improvement process led by the department and in coordination with other departments.

The city will also reportedly evaluate ways to improve the RVA311 system to properly categorize and assign service requests so they're not delayed or misrouted.

The report further outlined that the department will continue Emergency Operations Center training for essential staff.

Conclusion

Overall, the report concluded that the city's response to the winter storms demonstrated "strong interagency collaboration" and a "commitment to public safety."

The report added that the Office of Emergency Management will continue working with all departments to work on procedures and ensure the city is better prepared for future severe weather.

The after-action report is available in full below.