Virginia's Hurricane plan: Chesterfield, Richmond to help shelter Hampton Roads' evacuees.

Byline: Michael Martz

Aug. 17--Chesterfield County knows it could be swamped by people evacuating Hampton Roads before a big hurricane. The county's planning for it, along with other localities south of the James River.

"They're going to be here, whether they want them or not," said Lynda F. Price, Chesterfield's emergency management coordinator. "We want to help them."

Local governments throughout the Richmond region are making plans for helping others in a mass evacuation during a catastrophe, such as a Category 3 hurricane or a major terrorist attack.

Chesterfield and other localities have informal agreements for sheltering thousands of people who would evacuate the vulnerable Hampton Roads region.

Richmond has taken the lead on …