Charles County earned a 2026 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Award for an emergency communications campaign designed to help residents become active partners in the County’s response to severe winter weather.

The SnowSmart Campaign earned recognition in NACo’s Civic Education and Public Information category. Developed in December 2025 and launched ahead of a major January 2026 winter storm, the initiative shifted the County’s approach from simply sharing storm information to providing residents with clear, actionable guidance before, during, and after severe weather. The campaign combined traditional communications with interactive community engagement to explain snow removal operations and help residents understand how their own decisions could affect the County’s response.

Messaging encouraged behaviors such as staying off roads, parking appropriately to allow snow removal equipment to operate, and using 9-1-1 appropriately. Importantly, the campaign focused not only on what residents should do, but why those actions mattered to road safety and emergency operations.

By taking a proactive, behavior-based approach to emergency communications, Charles County reported safer conditions, reduced strain on services, lower operational costs, and faster reopening compared with neighboring jurisdictions.

This honor is part of 165 NACo Achievement Awards earned by Maryland counties this year, recognizing programs and services across nearly every area of local government.