State Posts Clips About Preparedness On YouTube

VDEM hopes to catch the attention of younger residents with YouTube clips on emergency preparedness, including one featuring Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, above. (Courtesy Of Department Of Emergency Management)

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Son: "I don't think we have a first-aid kit." (He also is smiling.)

Wife: "We have tuna fish. We have beans. We have, um, um, canned tomatoes, you know."

Husband: "True. That's true. But that's really not survival food -- tomato paste."

The clip ends with the words: "Is your plan any better? Make sure your family has a plan in case of an emergency." The state's emergency management Web site and phone number are offered.

Spieldenner said he has become a YouTube fan in recent months, trolling the site for disaster clips that can be posted on the new channel.

"When we have emergencies and disasters in Virginia, we want to capture activity with video cameras and put it up on our YouTube channel, even if the video was not shot by us," he said. "So if we find a video that somebody else has shot and posted on YouTube, we'll ask them if we can link to it."

Virginia might be for lovers, but it seems determined to also become a destination for YouTubers. Other Virginia government organizations that are building YouTube channels include the Tourism Authority, the Library of Virginia, Old Dominion University and the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

VDEM's channel can be found at http://www.youtube.com/user/VAEmergency.