"We calm their anxiety down a little bit, and let them know that they’re not alone, and give them the information they need straight from the source."

 

Crisis Communications is both an art and a science.  In times of emergency there is a great amount of critically important information that needs to be exchanged, and there are likewise critically important considerations regarding how that information comes in and goes out.

Chatham County’s Public Information team is both trained and experienced in Crisis Communications.  Pre-established processes help them get messaging about life-threatening situations, such as hurricane or tornado warnings, out to our community within minutes of notification of such a threat.  Years of experience help them anticipate many of the needs, concerns, and dangers that can arise in severe weather conditions.  When duty calls, they activate to staff the Joint Information Center (JIC) in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), working long hours alongside CEMA and other specialized teams as emergency conditions evolve.

Chatham County Public Information Director Catherine Glasby, knows better than anyone the importance of being the always-on voice and ears for the county.  “Every day, even in ordinary days, the members of my team dedicate countless hours to making sure vital information reaches the public.  2024 has been what I would call a “hat trick,” a triple hurricane season for us (you can tell I’m a soccer fan – Go Gunners!)  My team and I worked over 1,000 hours collectively to communicate about the three storms we’ve staffed around the clock: Tropical Storm Debby, Hurricane Helene, and Hurricane Milton.”

In addition to making sure that information gets out to the community, her PIO team also makes sure that information can get in to the County from individuals in the community.  Team Chatham members from other departments are recruited to the JIC and trained in advance, so that when the EOC activates, Glasby’s PIO team has additional resources and reinforcements to augment their efforts.  Team members with relevant skills help create informative graphics and publish them; they help monitor social media to learn who has questions or where there are needs; they help compile concise points of information for midafternoon press conferences and for midnight phone crews.

The Phone Operations team is one of the most important pieces of the Crisis Communications big picture, and strikingly, Phone Ops are largely staffed by Team Chatham members from many different departments.  While the dedicated communications professionals of the PIO are proactively industrious, scrambling to keep the latest and most useful news going out to the masses, others who by day are perhaps financial, clerical, or judicial professionals sign up to be the voices of calm assistance and of critical information for Chatham County residents affected by the storm. They step up and stay up to wait by the phones, compassionately answering the calls of individuals who need help and aren't sure where to find it. 

Kizzy Moore is a Senior Records Clerk in the Administrative Services Department, but she’s also a rockstar in the EOC when needed.

“I asked my manager if I could represent our department and volunteer, because I’m always about helping and doing whatever needs to be done.  Hurricane Debby was my first rodeo, when I manned the front desk for everybody coming and going to work in the EOC.  Then Hurricane Helene came around, and this time they asked me if I’d like to be a supervisor in Phone Operations. I said you let me know what you need and you’ve got it!  It was actually fun in a way.  It was a great experience to be on the other side of things, knowing I could actually help others.” --Kizzy Moore, Administrative Services Senior Records Clerk

“Recently, someone asked me why I chose to work in local government, and without hesitation, I responded, "I love serving my community." My role centers around ensuring the people of Chatham County are informed about the services the County offers to both residents and visitors and about critical life safety information during natural disasters. As a director, my goal is to inspire my team to share that same passion, and they do. It’s not a job it’s a passion.” -- Catherine Glasby, Director of Public Information 

 

 

 

Read More In This Series : Snapshots of Service

A Storm of Calls, A Commitment to Respond