The state of emergency issued by Gov. Tim Kaine Thursday has some parts of the Valley preparing for the worst case scenario.

The city of Waynesboro officials call it the Emergency Operations Plan, and while they hope to avoid using it, they say it covers just about all aspects of emergency preparedness.

Director of Emergency Management in Waynesboro, Gary Critzer, says the city's plan is being constantly updated to make sure they don't miss a thing when it comes to being ready for any situation.

He says, "We work very closely on a regional basis to make sure our citizens are taken care of."

Emergency plans are a federal mandate, but after years of experience, Critzer says Waynesboro's plan is custom-made for the city.

He adds, "For things like weather events, unfortunately you could say we have become fairly well versed at dealing with those issues. We have it down to a pretty straightforward process. Everyone knows what they are supposed to do."

While it's coordinated through Emergency Management, Critzer says it's a unified operation. They work with just about everybody in the area including schools, fire departments, and public works.

Supervisor of Streets at Public Works, Pete Fitzgerald, says, "We make sure all of our equipment is up and running, chainsaws are sharp and ready to go, and we have men on standby."

Supplying sandbags to the area is a big responsibility for public works. Fitzgerald says they have that covered.

He says, "Sand is just a phone call away. We can call our distributor and they can have it here in a matter of hours."

Public works say they have 9,000 sandbags on hand and a nearly endless supply of sand. They say, if needed, sand bags make a great defense against heavy winds.