Dillon Huffman, public information officer for Haywood County government, Allison Richmond, public information officer for Haywood County Emergency Services and Gina Zachary, public information officer for the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, will all share a first-place award for General Use on a Single Platform — Facebook — to keep the public updated during Hurricane Helene last fall.

“I think the biggest thing we did was, we spoke with one voice across government, the sheriff’s office, public health and emergency services,” said Huffman, a former television news anchor and reporter. “We had one singular message that we hoped would cut down on confusion and let people know the message was correct.” 

Another thing Huffman mentioned was that the team just never stopped — even as Helene destroyed telecommunications networks and power sources. Not knowing who had access to what forms of communication, the team continued its messaging to the benefit of the general public, the media and people outside the affected area who may have been concerned about loved ones.

The North Carolina City and County Communicators group fosters the exchange of ideas, supports career development and training and advocates for the essential role of communication in effective local government operations.