This semester, Team Hunker Down from the New Media Institute partnered up with Grady County Emergency Management Agency to create a website that they can use to communicate with Grady County Citizens. Grady County EMA’s mission is to “educate and assist Grady County residents to be less vulnerable to the effects of natural and man-made hazards through mitigation sites.” Grady County EMA continuously updates their Facebook page with emergency alerts and resources but are often contacted by residents asking where they can find resources. Grady County EMA needed a platform of their own that citizens could easily find and navigate. Research conducted with Grady County residents showed that they are interested in using this website once it is launched.

Team Hunker Down’s idea is to create a one-stop-shop that users can go to for any emergency resources they might need. During an emergency, efficient, effective, and quick communication is integral. The website will be a more effective way for Grady County EMA to communicate with citizens before, during, and after an emergency. The website provides a News and Events section for any quick updates Grady County shares. In addition to emergency communication, the website now hosts a Resource Hub. The Resource Hub is home to all the resources that Grady County EMA provides and supports, which are now easily accessible to users. Using distinct categories and sub-categories, users will be able to find what they are looking for in one try, without the hassle of checking many pages. The website also has features such as translation to over ten languages, easy-to-read typography, and an intuitive menu to serve non-english speaking and elderly populations in Grady County.

Hunker Down has created a comprehensive marketing plan for Grady County EMA to use on their social media channels to create awareness of the new website. When interviewing Grady County residents they expressed that they want Grady County EMA’s social media accounts to stay up-to-date as a supplemental resource for the website. During the initial launch stages, it is important that Grady County EMA’s social media pages advertise the new website to encourage their followers to start using the website as their primary mode of communication with Grady County EMA. In order to expand marketing beyond the reach of Grady County’s social media channels, Hunker down has also prepared articles advertising the launch of the website to be included in the local newspaper.