From our colleague, Jim McKay, editor of Emergency Management Magazine: In this feature, we look at three separate disasters through the lens of someone in command. All three of these emergencies were incredibly tragic and difficult or impossible to predict. Besides the tragedy, these emergency managers share lessons learned, some of which we discuss here. Frank […]
From Oxford Metrica: Extreme events provide an opportunity for investors to review their opinions about a firm and, more pertinently, about its management. Additional corporate information is forthcoming around such events that would not be available in more normal circumstances. This new information is received and digested by markets which form new estimates of future […]
The decision to issue a warning to the public is never an easy one. Crisis Manager Lucien Canton writes about one of the most common reasons for failing to issue timely warnings: the fear of creating public panic. He argues that fear, particularly one that is contradicted by social science research, is never an excuse for […]
Ohio Emergency Management Agency Ohio Public Private Partnership Conference Cleveland State University June 23, 2015 In an effort to increasingly serve Ohioans before, during and after a disaster, the Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS) relies on strong partnerships between citizens, government, and private business. To strengthen these partnerships across the state, ODPS created the Ohio Public […]
“We are entering a new era of ubiquitous live broadcasting,” writes Ben Popper in The Verge, an online publication. “I was browsing on Twitter when someone posted an image of a smoking building, fire trucks, and a message about a crazy explosion. Then I got a push notification on Periscope, the new live-streaming app from Twitter, about a […]
[by Howard Fencl, APR] The emerging horror of a suicidal pilot methodically guiding Germanwings Flight 9525 and all 150 souls on board to their demise thrust the CEO of the airlines’ parent company, Lufthansa, onto the world media stage. CEO Carsten Spohr is in full-blown crisis mode, with millions – especially critics – hanging on […]
It’s rarely a good idea to “strike back” at bloggers, flamers and trolls who defame and skewer others on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. The urge to attack may be overwhelming, but we advise against anything that will make a bad situation worse by drawing further attention to the original attacks. Former Red […]
[By Nora Jacobs] Our counsel to clients facing challenging situations requiring media interaction is to select one key spokesperson and train that person to use the messages the organization wants to convey. That’s because we’ve found having one spokesperson almost always improves the effectiveness of message delivery. In most cases, those messages focus on the […]
[By Bruce Hennes] I’m not necessarily a fan of NYC Mayor DiBlasio. But in the ramp-up to the blizzard set to hit New York City a few days ago, I think he was right on target. Based on the meteorological information on-hand at the time, New York City was set to get hit hard. One […]
In the most general terms, “risk communications” takes place before something actually happens. According to emergency management expert Dr. Jeff Rubin, “In the preparedness business, engaging the public is a necessity and a challenge. Effective risk communication includes identifying audiences and understanding how they perceive the messages we broadcast. With that in mind, with tongue […]