Roanoke County's Public Information Office received the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) 2011 Achievement Award in Communications at the September 13, 2011 Board of Supervisors Meeting. The office's submission, entitled "Crisis Management and Communication: Critical Steps Localities Need to Take During and In Advance of an Emergency," presents a model that all local governments can use in the event of an emergency.
The County's goal in entering the competition was to share with other localities the steps the Public Information staff took to communicate critical information to the public and media during the search for a missing Roanoke County child in December 2010.
VACo's Government Relations Liaison, Beau Blevins, attended the Board of Supervisors meeting to congratulate the Public Information Office staff and present Roanoke County with the award.
Roanoke County was one of twelve (12) winners in the VACo 2011 Achievement Awards Program. VACo will also recognize Roanoke County at the organization's 2011 Annual Conference in November. Teresa Hamilton Hall, Gray Craig, and Penny Lloyd prepared the award submission for the VACo competition and accepted the award at the Board of Supervisors meeting.