Page 74 - Crisis Communication Practical PR Strategies

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4 Calamities

Accidents happen – but

dealing with the results

needs planning

Jerry Hendin (United States),
Silvia Pendás de Cassina (Mexico)

and Jim Walsh (Ireland)

Introduction

While it is true that most crises are predictable, some happen with such
speed and intensity that those affected are unable to cope with the
enormity of the tragedy. In recent years we have seen natural calami-
ties such as the tsunami in South and Southeast Asia that killed more
than 200,000 people, Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi
in the United States and earthquakes in Iran and Pakistan.
Even in business where predictability is worshipped, there are some
industries – such as aviation – where, while one can predict what might
happen, one cannot predict when and where it will happen. And while
the world has enjoyed a remarkably solid record of safety among air-
lines in the past five years, when an accident does happen that results
in mass fatalities, it causes untold grief for hundreds of families and
grist for the media around the world.
Natural disasters and airline accidents are, for most people, one-off
events. How do companies sustain their business and their reputation
when they suffer multiple disasters? Those that succeed, such as those
in the case studies described in this chapter, do so by reacting quickly
and ensuring that they are communicating with all of their stake-
holders, all of the time.