Page 148 - Crisis Communication Practical PR Strategies

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Negative Press and How to Deal with It 129
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whereas the floods were in January and February. Amsterdam
was not affected, not even threatened, since it was too far from
the affected areas. Rembrandt’s Night Watch still had dry feet
and Van Gogh’s sunflowers had not been washed away. Trains
were running, planes took off and landed at Amsterdam’s
Schiphol Airport, although it was four metres below sea level;
and normal life in The Netherlands continued and it was more
or less ‘business as usual’.
An information network set in place
As soon as the communication department at the Dutch NBT
headquarters became aware of the damage the media were
creating with their take on the floods, a proactive communica-
tion strategy was designed, aimed at supplying the right infor-
mation about the situation as quickly as possible to all its offices.
A network of the most important information suppliers was set
up and the communications department kept in close contact
with them as long as necessary.
They asked for the weather forecast for the next few days from
the national weather agency, KNMI. From Rijkswaterstaat, the
governmental body for national infrastructure (roads and water-
ways), they requested forecasts for the amount of water flowing
into Holland from France and Germany and the effect this could
have on the threatened areas. They kept in touch with the
national police force (KLPD) to get an accurate picture of traffic
and the accessibility of roads and cities. The Dutch Railways (NS)
informed them about the changes in their schedule and any
train cancellations.
Each day – and at the start of the inundation, several times a
day – colleagues in all 12 foreign offices of the NBT were
updated, without exception. Detailed information was conveyed
to them by phone and fax (e-mail not being current at that time),
so they could inform their media contacts and the worried public
around the world. The feedback from the offices was very posi-
tive, especially as this was the first time that communication on
such an important topic had been designed and implemented.
With this proactive strategy the damage to the image of The
Netherlands as a safe holiday destination could be limited and
corrected in a positive way.
Tourists appreciated the accurate information and, after a
couple of weeks, bookings started to rise again. By the end of
1995 some 6.6 million foreign tourists had visited The