Nineteen hurricanes are coming, what's your crisis communication plan?

In a recent forecast, it was estimated that around 19 hurricanes are expected this hurricane season with four of these becoming Category 3 or higher that may bring winds that exceed 11mph. This may be all too familiar considering that the nation has had the same number of hurricanes for the past two years.

Once a storm is bearing down, there really is nothing to stop the potential devastation of this natural phenomenon. In disaster preparedness, communicators play a major role during crises as timely and accurate information is very crucial during these times. This is what a crisis communication plan does – helping us ensure that all communication needs are covered regardless of circumstances.

So, how do you plan your own crisis communication plan?

Crisis Communication Team

Create a Crisis Communications Team composed of key decision-makers and players in your organization. Everyone in the team must be capable of acting as the group’s spokesperson. Aside from hurricanes and other natural phenomena, the team must map and identify all of the possible risks that might affect the organization to give you a wider perspective on how to address these risks. The team must anchor their plan based on facts and valuable information about the crisis.

Notification and monitoring systems

Choose the notification and monitoring systems that work best for you and your stakeholders. Will you be sending automated text messages, setting up a voice mail that could be accessed for updates, preparing emergency lines, or maximizing the use of social media when phone lines are down? And, if you are planning to use certain systems during crises, what resources do you need to ensure that these are working efficiently and when are you going to use these systems? Make sure to test these systems every now and then. Do not wait for the actual crisis to happen before you try out these systems.

Stakeholders mapping

Know who should be in the loop, when to inform them, and how they must be informed. You would be surprised how your stakeholders can help you get your message across to a lot of people.

Holding statements and Key Messaging

Prepare holding statements that you can use for all possible crisis scenarios. In this way, you get your messages crafted faster and more efficiently. And, it is also easy to follow by other members of your team. Then develop a crisis-specific message that would satisfy what the stakeholders need to know about the situation.

Post-crisis evaluation

Once the crisis is done, the work of the Crisis Communications Team is not yet done. They must also look back on how they performed and implement the appropriate improvements.