SYRACUSE – The City of Norwich has received a Governor’s Award for Excellence in Emergency Management.

John R. Gibb, chairman of the state Disaster Preparedness Commission (DPC) and acting commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (HSES) presented the New York State Disaster Preparedness Commission Governor’s Award to Norwich Emergency Management Director A. Wesley Jones Tuesday Nov. 9 during a dinner in Syracuse.

Gibb cited the Norwich Emergency Management Office in particular for its innovation in developing communication efforts for notifying and alerting residents about the importance of emergency preparedness and the potential for disasters through implementation of a new social media, Web 2.0.

“Mr. Jones is to be commended for using Facebook and Twitter in addition to conventional means to broadcast information to the people he serves,” Gibb said, noting it is “essential that public safety agencies have viable means of communicating with the public, especially in times of emergency.”