Three inmates escaped from a Northwest Missouri jail on Sunday by crawling under a fence. It was reported that the men were being watched by three guards in the recreation area when they escaped. The small community where the jail was located was locked down, but the men have not been found.
This crisis can be considered intentional and preventable. I would think that because this is a jail full of men who do not want to be there, there would be a crisis plan. But, there does not appear to be one. According to the article, the Daviess County Sheriff's Department issued a news release about the incident, but it did not say how the men managed to slip under a fence while being guarded without being caught. The Sheriff's Department was contacted, but the Sheriff would not comment. An attorney who handled the case of one of the inmates would not comment either.
One of the first things I learned in my crisis communications class is whether you have answers or not, a holding statement always needs to be released. Any truthful comment is better than no comment because silence makes people think you are guilty. The Sheriff should have talked to the reporter and said the department is investigating the escape and that they are doing everything possible to find the men.
Read the full story here.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Going Postal Again?
I believe that most people have heard the expression, "going postal." When someone uses that phrase it means that they are not happy at work and are going to snap, just like two U.S. Postal Service employees did in the 80s. In both of those instances, the employee came to work with firearm and shot and killed their managers and other employees. USPS had a major crisis on their hand then and never quite recovered from it because the slang term "going postal" is still used.
Now the USPS is back in the news for employees being shot and killed on the job. In a rural Tennessee town on Monday, two female employees were shot while being robbed. The crime is being investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation U.S. Postal Inspection Service and so far no arrests have been made.
A spokesperson for USPS said that post offices are not immune to crime, but robbery is rare. USPS also released a statement saying they are investigating possible motives and are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.
I think that USPS is using good strategies to handle this crisis. They are not confirming or denying that a robbery is what really happened because they do not know. They are just saying that they are investigating. This is smart because they will not have to go back on their statement if this incident turns out not to be a robbery. I think that by offering a reward for information they are showing they care for the lives of the employees that were lost and they are committed to finding the people who did this.
In the article that I read, there was no mention of previous violent crimes at post offices, but I think that before news coverage of this incident is completed, there will be mention of the killings by USPS employees. I think the USPS incident shows that a crisis can be handled correctly but it may never go away completely.
Now the USPS is back in the news for employees being shot and killed on the job. In a rural Tennessee town on Monday, two female employees were shot while being robbed. The crime is being investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation U.S. Postal Inspection Service and so far no arrests have been made.
A spokesperson for USPS said that post offices are not immune to crime, but robbery is rare. USPS also released a statement saying they are investigating possible motives and are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.
I think that USPS is using good strategies to handle this crisis. They are not confirming or denying that a robbery is what really happened because they do not know. They are just saying that they are investigating. This is smart because they will not have to go back on their statement if this incident turns out not to be a robbery. I think that by offering a reward for information they are showing they care for the lives of the employees that were lost and they are committed to finding the people who did this.
In the article that I read, there was no mention of previous violent crimes at post offices, but I think that before news coverage of this incident is completed, there will be mention of the killings by USPS employees. I think the USPS incident shows that a crisis can be handled correctly but it may never go away completely.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Hurricane Paula
After destroying homes in Honduras, Hurricane Paula is heading towards the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico traveling at 10 mph. Paula started out as a Category 1 storm today and has moved up to Category 2 this afternoon. Winds up to 75 mph have been reported. Paula is the tenth hurricane of the 2010 season. The government of Mexico has issued a hurricane warning for the Caribbean coast ranging from Punta Gruesa to Cabo Catoche and includes the island of Cozumel.
There are different types of crises. Acts of Nature are one of them. A crisis can be defined as intentional and unintentional. A hurricane is unintentional because it cannot be prevented. A storm can be prepared for but never prevented. Crises are also defined as violent and non violent based on loss of life and property damage. Based on the reported 19 homes damaged and no lives lost so far from Hurricane Paula, I would define this crisis as unintentional and non violent. This definition can change depending on how much damage Paula inflicts on Mexico.
Even though hurricanes are unintentional crises, they can still ruin an organizations reputation after the fact. After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, FEMA and George Bush were both heavily criticized for how slowly they responded to the crisis. Even 5 years later, FEMA is still talked about negatively in regards to Hurricane Katrina. So, by knowing this the governments of Honduras and Mexico should be preparing for the worst so they can quickly help any victims of Hurricane Paula in their countries.
Read the full article here.
There are different types of crises. Acts of Nature are one of them. A crisis can be defined as intentional and unintentional. A hurricane is unintentional because it cannot be prevented. A storm can be prepared for but never prevented. Crises are also defined as violent and non violent based on loss of life and property damage. Based on the reported 19 homes damaged and no lives lost so far from Hurricane Paula, I would define this crisis as unintentional and non violent. This definition can change depending on how much damage Paula inflicts on Mexico.
Even though hurricanes are unintentional crises, they can still ruin an organizations reputation after the fact. After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, FEMA and George Bush were both heavily criticized for how slowly they responded to the crisis. Even 5 years later, FEMA is still talked about negatively in regards to Hurricane Katrina. So, by knowing this the governments of Honduras and Mexico should be preparing for the worst so they can quickly help any victims of Hurricane Paula in their countries.
Read the full article here.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Toxic Sludge in Hungary
Monday a toxic sludge burst out of its containment pond and poured through three villages, killing three people and injuring 120. The sludge is a waste product in aluminum production and is toxic if ingested. It also causes severe burns. So far, 35.3 million cubic feet of sludge has leaked from the pond affecting an area of 15.4 square miles.
The definition of a crisis is an untimely but predictable event that has actual or potential consequences for stakeholders' interest as well as the organization's reputation. What I want to focus on is the word predictable. Most crises, with the exception of natural disasters, can be predicted and prevented. This is no exception. Since 2003 local environmentalists have been calling the government's attention to the risk of the sludge. If the government had taken the environmentalists seriously and tried to do something to reduce the amount of sludge in the containment pond, Hungary wouldn't be in a state of emergency now. Even if the government couldn't reduce the amount of toxic waste the aluminum company was producing, they could have made them take the waste to another location where there weren't so many villages around. I think that the government and the aluminum company is going to have to work very hard to gain the trust of the people back.
I think that one thing the government can do to start getting trust back is to set up a fund to provide the people whose homes and jobs were destroyed with housing and money equal to their income. They should also pay for the hospital bills of those who were injured and for the funeral arrangements of those who were killed.
The definition of a crisis is an untimely but predictable event that has actual or potential consequences for stakeholders' interest as well as the organization's reputation. What I want to focus on is the word predictable. Most crises, with the exception of natural disasters, can be predicted and prevented. This is no exception. Since 2003 local environmentalists have been calling the government's attention to the risk of the sludge. If the government had taken the environmentalists seriously and tried to do something to reduce the amount of sludge in the containment pond, Hungary wouldn't be in a state of emergency now. Even if the government couldn't reduce the amount of toxic waste the aluminum company was producing, they could have made them take the waste to another location where there weren't so many villages around. I think that the government and the aluminum company is going to have to work very hard to gain the trust of the people back.
I think that one thing the government can do to start getting trust back is to set up a fund to provide the people whose homes and jobs were destroyed with housing and money equal to their income. They should also pay for the hospital bills of those who were injured and for the funeral arrangements of those who were killed.
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