CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — On a snowy day at Robious Landing Park, Pete Russell was out walking with his foster dog, Boy George, along the James River.
"I decided to come by here to let George walk a little bit before I went home," Russell said. "The main highways are pretty good. You just have to be careful when switching lanes."
Meanwhile, in the basement of the State Police Headquarters, Jason Elmore from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management talked about the importance of working together during bad weather.
"It's important to have all of our team members here together. That way, we can just walk across the room and get things done quickly," Elmore said.
Teams at the operations center have been busy keeping an eye on road conditions, power outages, and helping people since the winter weather struck last week.
They have worked for more than 4,600 hours.
"It has been a challenge, and we work very hard here at the VEST and in the Emergency Operations Center to allow people to have a day off in between," he said. "To really help with that mental health, that physical wellness as well. Because, it can be tiring to be in here for 12-16-hour shifts at times and we want to make sure that we're taking care of our people in that process. But, our job is to take care of the residents of the Commonwealth, and we have a united team here between all of our partners."
Among those partners are the Virginia National Guard, who, along with staff at the VEST/EOC, have 90 soldiers and airmen deployed around Virginia to respond to any places where state or local departments need help filling in the gaps of service.
Captain Rachel Morgan from the Virginia National Guard talked about how they help with important tasks.
“Whether it's removing debris or providing emergency water, we have teams ready to help with the flooding problems in the southwest area,” Capt. Morgan said.
And while the teams at the EOC remained focused on their mission, back at Robious Landing, Russell said he would likely be keeping George for a few extra days because of the snow but remained focused on his mission—finding George a forever home.
"He's basically a good dog and very friendly, loves other people," he added. "Very sweet dog. He's about 11. He's got a little arthritis, and he needs a home."
George is a part of Houlagans' Rest rescue in Powhatan County. Russell added that along with needing a home for George, the rescue itself is need of more volunteers.
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