One of the best ways to build your disaster resilience AND become more powerful everyday is to become masterful at communicating. A great first step is to get a comprehensive list of the people you need to communicate with in an emergency. For most agencies, the list includes the following: staff, volunteers, emergency contacts of staff and volunteers, your clients or consumers, neighbors and immediate community, Board of Directors, community partners, sister agencies, funders and donors, media (traditional and social), suppliers and vendors (i.e. insurance, legal services), and of course, local emergency agencies.

Get your team brainstorming and add or remove groups from the list as necessary. With a complete list you’ll be better equipped to prioritize your resources and reach the right people, at the right time, with the right message.

Resource: How to build a phone tree

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February 1st, 2010 | Tags: communication, community, disaster, donors, partners, resilience | Category: 2010, STAT, STAT 5MM | Comments (1)

This time of year people of good cheer get together, raise glasses, give thanks, and make toasts! For safety aficionados, this is an opportunity to thank, acknowledge, and praise people whose efforts and support made your organization safer and more prepared.

Remember to be specific: if they checked every fire extinguisher, posted safety signage everywhere, placed hand sanitizer throughout your agency, and made safety fun and empowering for everyone – acknowledge those things. This shows that you noticed their efforts and everyone listening learns what it takes to make preparedness a reality. Share stories of amusing or funny things that happened along the preparedness path. The happy holiday setting is a perfect time for preparedness to be seen as a generous positive activity; undertaken not out of fear of disasters, but out of love, care, and appreciation for the people present.

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December 7th, 2009 | Tags: CARD, disaster, Preparedness, Safety | Category: 2009, STAT, STAT 5MM | Comments (1)

On March 24th, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker hit Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil. It devastated the local ecosystem and became one of the largest environmental disasters in US history. The eco-disaster lives on, as does the PR nightmare for Exxon — experts still use the company’s response to illustrate what not to do: disregard your own response plans; appear arrogant by ignoring local advocacy groups; fail to engage the media. Add media training to your disaster planning curriculum; either professional training or using case studies to learn from others’ successes and failures. Particularly if your agency is viewed as being at fault for something, your disaster communications can either fuel the flames of pain, anger and distrust, or it can facilitate hope and healing.

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March 24th, 2008 | Tags: disaster, Planning, response | Category: 2008, STAT | Leave a comment

October 11, 2006 is the United Nations’ International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. While governments are bound by borders and jurisdictions, and businesses are bound by their service areas, disasters recognize no such arbitrary restrictions. The size and scope of a disaster can impact people, economies, political relationships and the ways goods and services are spread. A pandemic flu is a good example of a disaster that will quickly move across the globe – making universal solutions and shared resources absolutely vital.

Avoid the trap of thinking “inside the boundaries” and include people in your planning or resource sharing who will be part of your experience no matter where they are.

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October 9th, 2006 | Tags: disaster, Flu, Planning | Category: 2006, STAT | Leave a comment

In honor of President’s Day, learn and share what it means to have a “Presidential Declaration” in a disaster. A Presidential Declaration activates numerous aid programs, which all have eligibility criteria. Programs include:

• Disaster unemployment insurance and loans
• Counseling, legal, medical and other support
• Rebuilding assistance and/or temporary housing
• Special tax consideration
• Small Business Loans

To learn more about the process and the results of a Declaration, and how it may impact you, visit FEMA: The Declaration Process

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February 22nd, 2006 | Tags: disaster | Category: 2006, STAT | Leave a comment

Begin a New Year of preparedness properly – write a personal or organizational Disaster Mission Statement. How you function day-to-day will likely change in an emergency. Writing this statement now will help guide all your other decisions in the planning process. Consider:

• Who are you committed to being for your clients and community when disaster strikes?
• Does your current mission statement encompass how you see yourself and/or your agency functioning in a disaster?

Think about your commitments and your resource limitations to create this disaster mission statement.

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January 1st, 2006 | Tags: disaster | Category: 2006, STAT | Leave a comment