Disaster Management and Crisis Management by Jaishri Jethwaney as on 18/09/2013

"What is hidden is news, the rest is Public Relations"

Communication is a two way process, the channel can be interpersonal or through the use of mass media. 

Disaster is an adverse event/calamity that needs immediate addressing, disaster can be either natural or man made.  

You've 3 stages of Crisis Management;

Pre Crisis => Crisis => Post Crisis

Critical 

-> Enormity of the disaster/loss of human life.  

-> Perceived abettor and victim

-> Perceptions about the crisis

-> Action plan to deal with the crisis on hand

"Once a crisis has happened, it is futile to turn back time."

Two aspects from Disaster Manager's perspective:

• How do you respond to the victims?

• Are you communicating what you are doing? 

Media acquires the centre stage when it comes to Disaster Management. Sometimes offence is indeed the best defence. As a Disaster Manager you'll have to facilitate the commute of journalists as well.

Stereotypes for media and organisations in times of crisis, "they're going to conceal v/s the smell only bad", "what is hidden is news, the rent is public relations"

Anatomy of the medium: In an ideal situation, 'Media should speak for us'

- It is in the business of news

- It is in competition with others 

- It has certain certain corporate responsibilities

- It has reputation to guard and it's need for credibility

- Journalists have deadlines to meet

- Journalist have rational, emotional sides too

Anatomy of an Organisation

- Has a core competency in one or more areas

- Has worked hard on managing its reputations

- has many stakeholders to answer

- Disasters are most dreaded

- Often don't have a media policy 

- Despite a general preparedness, the slip often shows

- Organisation tend to be defensive in the face of crisis

- Avoid, evade, keep mum or pass on the buck

And the lessons that are to be learnt from the above are:

-> Develop a strategy based on Worst Case Scenario 

-> Vital importance of pre-thinking 

-> Initial critical few moments when a crisis breaks are very important

-> Be alert on graphics

-> Isolate the crisis team from the daily grind

-> Aim at containment and not suppression

-> Track journalists (over a period of time, for at least 6 months is highly recommended)

Failure of Crisis Management is mainly because of :

• Lack of openness

• Failure to pepare for the worst 

• Shortsightedness of organisation in putting off long term goods. 

"A crisis can be turned into an opportunity"