Posted Feb. 20, 2025

City of Richmond buildings will operate on a normal schedule tomorrow, Feb. 21. While inclement weather has ended and most roads are clear, residents are encouraged to use caution during the morning commute.

Visit rva.gov and follow the City of Richmond's social media channels for future updates on City operations.

Richmond Ready Alerts

Residents are encouraged to sign up for the new Richmond Ready Alerts system that can send information to users via text, e-mail, phone, or through an app about severe weather, fires, floods, missing persons, power outages, and other crucial public safety updates. Learn more: rva.gov/richmondreadyalerts .

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Feb. 19, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT:
Taylor Fuqua
Public Information Officer
804-646-3542 (office)
804-709-4418 (mobile)
Taylor.fuqua@rva.gov

Richmond, VA — Due to the continued impact of severe weather conditions, all City of Richmond offices and courts will be closed on Thursday, Feb. 20. Some City services will be available virtually. The City is also urging the public to stay off the roads tonight to allow the Department of Public Works to continue treating and clearing city streets.

Residents should visit rva.gov and follow the City of Richmond’s social media channels for updates on City operations. For weather updates, please monitor reliable sources of information such as the National Weather Service.  

Inclement Weather Shelters 

To protect and shelter Richmond’s most vulnerable residents, the City’s Inclement Weather Shelter, located at 1900 Chamberlayne Avenue and operated by the Salvation Army, will continue operations based on the weather.  

Additionally, a temporary inclement weather overflow shelter will be activated during this inclement weather event and will continue to operate as needed:     

• Marshall Plaza, 900 E. Marshall Street (single adult men and women/families)     

This location will serve in an overflow capacity only. Single adult men and women in need should prioritize sheltering at the Inclement Weather Shelter located at 1900 Chamberlayne Avenue. Meals will be provided at all sites. 

Richmond Ready Alerts 

Residents are encouraged to sign up for the new Richmond Ready Alerts system that can send information to users via text, e-mail, phone, or through an app about severe weather, fires, floods, missing persons, utility outages, and other crucial public safety updates. Learn more: rva.gov/richmondreadyalerts. 

###

The city of Richmond’s Department of Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response sustains citizen trust by providing reliable emergency preparedness management and communications services in a timely and efficient manner. DECPR is designated as the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for the City of Richmond’s E-911 telephone system and is charged with the appropriate routing of all E-911 and non-emergency calls for service. The department is also responsible for the coordination of all emergency radio and telephone communications for public safety agencies in the City of Richmond.

Feb. 18, 2025

Ahead of severe weather conditions, all City of Richmond buildings will be closed on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Some City services will be available virtually.

Residents should visit rva.gov and follow the City of Richmond's social media channels for updates on City operations. For weather updates, please monitor reliable sources of information such as the National Weather Service. 

Inclement Weather Shelters

To protect and shelter Richmond's most vulnerable residents, the City's Inclement Weather Shelter, located at 1900 Chamberlayne Avenue and operated by the Salvation Army, will continue operations based on the weather.

Additionally, a temporary inclement weather overflow shelter will be activated during this inclement weather event and will continue to operate as needed:   

• Marshall Plaza, 900 E. Marshall Street (single adult men and women/families)   

This location will serve in an overflow capacity only. Single adult men and women in need should prioritize sheltering at the Inclement Weather Shelter located at 1900 Chamberlayne Avenue. Meals will be provided at all sites.

Richmond Ready Alerts

Residents are encouraged to sign up for the new Richmond Ready Alerts system that can send information to users via text, e-mail, phone, or through an app about severe weather, fires, floods, missing persons, utility outages, and other crucial public safety updates. Learn more: rva.gov/richmondreadyalerts .

Posted Feb. 17, 2025

Some City parks closed, and residents encouraged to sign up for Richmond Ready Alerts to stay informed.

The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities will activate the Dock Street floodwall as a cautionary measure due to the recent heavy rainfall. Dock Street will be closed between 17th and 21st Streets while the floodwall is activated, with detours in place. The floodwall and impacted streets will re-open once the water recedes.

The Department of Public Utilities has and will continue to perform other measures to help lessen the impact caused by heavy rainfalls. Bosher's Dam has been closed, as have several of the floodwall's interior gates, with no impacts to the public. DPU actively cleans storm drains in areas prone to flooding and are always prepared to respond to flooded inlets or drain. Residents and businesses are also encouraged to assist by keeping drains free of debris such as trash, sediment, cigarette butts, leaves, and lawn clippings. Inlets that are full of trash have reduced capacity to take the stormwater away and can cause flooding, driving hazards, and property damage even during small rain events.

DPU will continue to monitor the river levels and take appropriate action to mitigate flooding impacts. For more information on the City's floodplain management, visit: https://www.rva.gov/public-utilities/stormwater-management.

City Parks closures

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilites has also closed the parking areas at Pony Pasture and Huguenot Flatwater through Tuesday. The Belle Isle service access road next to Hollywood Rapids has also been closed for safety reasons.

Inclement & overflow shelters

The Inclement Weather Shelter (IWS) will operate continuously from 8 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19 and close at noon on Saturday, Feb. 22 due to severe weather conditions. The IWS is located at 1900 Chamberlayne Parkway. The regular hours of operation are daily from 5 p.m. until 8 a.m. The IWS is for single men and women and can accommodate service animals. All guests will be provided a cot, dinner, snack, and breakfast. Admission is first come, first served. Due to a limited number of spaces (66 men and 44 women) you may call the Salvation Army for availability at 804-653-5707.

The Overflow Weather Shelter will open and operate continuously from 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19 and close at noon on Saturday Feb. 22. The Overflow Shelter is located at 900 E. Marshall Street. The Overflow Weather Shelter can accommodate 60 guests including families. Depending on weather conditions the days/hours of operation may be extended.

Richmond Ready Alerts

Richmond Ready Alerts Residents are encouraged to sign up for the new Richmond Ready Alerts system that can send information to users via text, e-mail, phone, or through an app about severe weather, fires, floods, missing persons, and other crucial public safety updates. Learn more: rva.gov/richmondreadyalerts. 

Posted Feb. 14, 2025

The City of Richmond is sharing the preliminary after-action report from the outside firm hired to conduct an independent investigation of the circumstances that led to water service disruption in early January. 

The findings in the preliminary after-action report produced by HNTB Corporation, an engineering and infrastructure development firm with more than 100 years of experience, affirm that a power outage resulting from a winter storm started a chain reaction that caused flooding at the water treatment plant, damaging equipment and hampering efforts to restore water service. 

The HNTB report summarizes the sequence of events following that early morning power outage. It also lays out a series of initial recommendations that serve as a blueprint for process enhancements and protocol changes to strengthen operations at the City’s water treatment plant. 

“The release of the summary findings from HNTB provide an overview of the events of January 6, 2025 at the City’s water treatment plant, including the timing of the power outage that led to flooding that damaged critical plant equipment and computer systems, the staff response, and the service restoration effort,” said Mayor Danny Avula. “Since water service was restored, the City has made a series of changes to plant operations and equipment. That includes millions of dollars in investments towards the recovery work, much of which has been spent on equipment upgrades and repairs — including new backup power systems. We have also made meaningful changes to plant procedures, consistent with several HNTB recommendations, as part of continuing efforts to make water treatment plant operations more resilient.” 

Added Department of Public Utilities (DPU) Interim Director Scott Morris, DBA: “Many of the water plant process improvement recommendations in the HNTB report align with steps that have already been taken to more effectively deploy staff, prepare them for emergency response situations, strengthen system redundancy, and enhance preparedness protocols through training and practice exercises. That includes readiness preparation for inclement weather events, as well as regular checks of facility equipment, fuel, chemicals, and systems to avert the potential for future impact on operational continuity and service delivery.” 

The release of HNTB’s preliminary findings is part of the City’s continuing commitment to better understand the events of January 6, 2025 and share that information with the public.  

A final report from HNTB is forthcoming. 

Download the preliminary after-action report: https://rva.gov/media/41406