The twin explosions in Boston yesterday serve to remind us of the vulnerability of an open society. Despite the best intentions of our government, we can never completely prevent attacks such as this. The initiative is always with the enemy. They choose the time, the place, the method, and the target. We can't stop all […]
Portland's Neighborhood Emergency Teams use cargo bikes Photo: Ethan Jewett Two things are always apparent in disasters. First, people are incredibly creative in dealing with crisis. Second, simple solutions work best. Case in point is the use of bicycles in disaster. I recently came across a blog by Hamzat Sani on the League of American […]
Kona surveys her world from the top of The Mound Occasionally the Recreation and Parks folks drop a mound of dirt in the middle of the dog park where my dog, Kona, and I spend most mornings. Nobody really knows why they do it but does create a certain variation in an otherwise flat landscape. […]
Few people will remember that today is the 34th anniversary of the disaster at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. Nevertheless, this was a focusing event that solidified resistance towards nuclear power in the United States and remains an example of how poor decision making and crisis communication can turn an emergency into a […]
Last week I wrote about the case of the hotel in Los Angeles where a decomposing body was found in the water cistern. I asked how you would craft your initial crisis communications. Since no one has stepped up to the challenge, I'll offer my own thoughts on the subject. Here's what I would advise […]
Download Persuasive Presentations March 2013
The Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles Photo: CNN Here's an interesting case study in crisis communications: You are the owner of a hotel. For several days you've been receiving complaints that the water tastes funny. Some guests have commented that the shower will run black for a few minutes then clear. Water pressure has been […]
A question came up recently on the Emergency Management Issues Facebook Page regarding the basis for the 72 hour preparedness model. It's always fun to see the reasons people come up with to explain it. I know – I've done it myself. The simple fact is that there really is no empirical basis for preparing for […]
There's an interesting article in this morning's San Francisco Chronicle that restates what experts like my colleague Johnathan Bernstein have been saying for years: social media has almost eliminated the time you have to react to a crisis. In the article, Chronicle writer Carla Marinucci describes how the proliferation of social media sites has created […]