Snow Summit: Fairfax County Communications

Snow Communications
Winter 2010
Merni Fitzgerald, Director, Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
Barbara Hunter, Assistant Superintendant, Fairfax County Public Schools

Coordinated, Multichannel
Coordinated and multichannel public information efforts for February blizzards from Feb. 3 to Feb. 16

Coordinated
Countywide & county agency messages
State info: VDOT, VDEM, State Police
Board communications
Conference calls
Hotlines
School information (such as snow clearing volunteer day)

Multichannel
County Web Site
GIS Maps
CEAN Alerts
Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube)
Media Relations
HOA Outreach
Employee Communications

Status Updates

Safety Messages, Tips, News Releases

Facebook Messages 
Facebook Q&A with Residents 

Facebook Messages and Community Interaction

Facebook Metrics
# of “Fans”
Feb. 3: 2,992
Feb. 16: 3,911
# of Facebook Interactions
Feb. 3-16: 585

Twitter

YouTube

Media Relations

HOA Outreach

Employee Communications

Fairfax County Public Schools
Used Multiple Channels of Communication
Web (www.fcps.edu) (average 218,164 visits daily)
Channel 21 crawl
Keep in Touch emergency notification system
(191,300 e-mails; 10,000 text messages)
Facebook (13,100 fans)
Twitter (2,200 followers)
Local television, radio stations
Frequency of Messages
Daily from February 2 to February 16, 2010

Message #1: Snow Closures

Message #2: Reopening schools to parents
Superintendent communications: Letter sent via Keep in Touch, posted on home page, and recorded voice mail to homes
Dear Parents or Guardians:

… Barring any significant additional snow accumulations, we do anticipate opening on Tuesday, February 16, with a two-hour delay to ensure that rush hour traffic has subsided and our children can walk safely to their bus stops or to school. However, we will continue to need your assistance when school re-opens to ensure that our students remain safe. … I personally want to thank you for your patience and understanding in knowing that student safety is our top priority.

Jack D. Dale Superintendent Fairfax County Public Schools

Message #2: Reopening schools to community

Message #3: Snow makeup options

Parklawn Elementary School staff express their sentiments during the blizzard

Public Feedback for Snow Summit
March 3-15
111 E-mails
69 Ideas, 120 Comments, 1,486 Votes
5 Phone Messages

Snow Summit: Fairfax County Communications

by Fairfax County on Mar 16, 2010

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