Office of Community Relations and Resilience

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

Hurricane Hermine was the most severe weather event to affect Leon County since Hurricane Kate in 1985. As is the case with any emergency event or disaster, Hurricane Hermine presented a unique set of challenges for residents and responders which required careful examination for improvements and refinements. Following Hurricane Hermine, Leon County conducted an extensive after-action review to build upon the County’s response and recovery capabilities, its partnerships with other responding agencies, and to identify areas for continuous improvement to enhance our capacity during future incidents. In early 2017, following the recommendations contained in the Hurricane Hermine After-Action Report, Leon County created a new Office of Community Relations and Resilience. This realignment positions Leon County Emergency Management, which previously was a function housed within the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, alongside the County’s public information and citizen outreach functions. Today, the Office of Community Relations and Resilience facilitates greater sharing of emergency-related information and resources with citizens and among all of our community’s emergency management stakeholders - not only during future emergency events, but on a year-round basis as well.