VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — As the response following the Virginia Beach tornado enters its next phase, extra help has arrived.
The Hampton Roads Incident Management Team was in Virginia Beach Thursday morning, building shelters for support.
Just down the street from where the tornado tore through neighborhoods Sunday, four tents can be seen, giving city response teams in Virginia Beach a new space to work.
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This is just behind the Great Neck Recreation Center.
The Hampton Roads Incident Management Team is based in Chesapeake, but it’s made up of mostly public safety professionals from around the region.
Their job is to help respond to major events – sometimes planned, but often disasters like the tornado that came through a few days ago.
The program manager says the city of Virginia Beach called for support Monday.
According to the city – the tents will act as a communications base, replacing the police mobile command unit and providing space for city employees on site.
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“We’re very fortunate in this region. We do have great mutual aid. If one city needs something, no matter what it is, they’ll reach out and nine times out of ten, the help will be sent to them. It’s wonderful,” explained Skip Hibner with Hampton Roads Incident Management Team.
But the grant-funded team doesn’t just keep it here, it brings manpower and equipment to disaster sites in other states too.
We're told these tents could be up at the rec center for up to 30 days or even longer if need be – as the tornado cleanup continues.
