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Contact: Laurel Edwards 

October 5, 2021                                                                                                                                                

(202) 957-9848

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NC Emergency Management Director Ray and NCACC President Williams Meet, Discuss Improving NC Preparedness Efforts

Wake County, N.C. – North Carolina Division of Emergency Management Director Will Ray met with NCACC President Frank Williams late last week to discuss each organization’s efforts to bolster preparedness across the state. President Williams announced the focus of his presidential initiative – known as 100 Counties Prepared– when he was sworn in as President of the Association in August. The year-long initiative seeks to equip county commissioners with resources and tools to lead effectively during emergency situations.

President Williams shared, “We greatly appreciate Director Ray taking time to meet with us, learn more about the ‘100 Counties Prepared’ initiative, and discuss ways to improve preparedness throughout North Carolina. I’m excited about the opportunity to work together to further strengthen the already strong preparedness partnership between Counties and the State.”

Director Ray spoke about his agency’s focus on ensuring the state’s preparedness and coordinating needed staff and resources to support local responses to, and recovery from, all hazards and threats. He emphasized North Carolina Emergency Management’s priority to support county operations on the front lines of emergency response. President Williams and Director Ray discussed ways NCEM can support the 100 Counties Prepared initiative through sharing resources for best practices, education materials for elected officials, and opening communication channels between the local jurisdictions and the state. “It was great meeting with President Williams and NCACC leadership and hearing about the 100 Counties Prepared initiative, which is an important effort for counties across our state. Local efforts are the lifeline of emergency preparedness and response in our state and North Carolina Emergency Management stands ready to support President Williams and the task force as they work to support preparedness, response, and recovery efforts of our counties and ensure local officials have the tools they need.”

The 100 Counties Prepared Task Force will hold its first meeting next week, kicking off the work to explore a variety of disaster-related focus areas including crisis communications and partnership engagement and improving access to preparedness training and education resources for county commissioners. The Task Force will be led by two Co-Chairs, Kay Cashion, Guilford County Commissioner, and Randy Thompson, Chair of the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners.

September wraps up National Preparedness Month, an observance to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. Counties across the state passed resolutions declaring September “Preparedness Month,” including Brunswick, Burke, Davidson, Guilford, Orange and Transylvania.

About 100 Counties Prepared 

100 Counties Prepared aims to assist county commissioners in providing residents with accurate and authoritative information about critical local response and recovery activities such as debris removal, road reopening, and more. It will also focus on helping counties engage with key emergency management partners to foster strategic relationships. 100 Counties Prepared encompasses the full spectrum of emergencies that can occur anywhere in the state, including mudslides, earthquakes, tornados, flooding, hurricane, and pandemic response.

Click here to watch a video of President Williams describing his initiative. Visit 100countiesprepared.com to learn more.

About NCACC

The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) is the official voice of all 100 counties on issues considered by the General Assembly, Congress and federal and state agencies. The Association provides expertise to counties in the areas of advocacy, research, risk management and education and leadership training.

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