One Community

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One Communitys Response to Community
Traumalessons learnedplan ahead!
Jeanne Oliver Chief Communications Development
Officer Jefferson Center for Mental
Health www.jcmh.org
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April 20, 1999
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• we weren't prepared for
• the magnitude of the response that was required
  the ripple effect and the emotional impact on
  over 12,000 people
• the overwhelming number of people wanting to
  volunteer
• the ongoing infrastructure that we needed to help
  a community heal
• vicarious trauma, secondary trauma and the havoc
  it can wreck
• the research we would need to do and how fast we
  would need to learn
• and what a toll it would take on us individually
  and on our organization.

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Developing strong relationships ahead of time is
key.

• Our community was fortunate.
• Long history of agency collaboration and working
  together and community leaders knew each other
  well through a local group called MasterPlanning.
  
• heads of key human service agencies, law
  enforcement and the schools who met monthly to
  help improve services for kids and families.
• So, when the call came in that tragedy had struck
  Columbine High School, we knew who to call and
  how to work in partnership. We had already
  established trust and this eliminated turf
  battles, saved time, and increased the
  effectiveness of the crisis response.

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Communicating During A Crisis

• Is your Crisis Communications Plan up to date?
  
• Who will coordinate who is your
  spokesperson(S)? Who will be on-site?
• Who can you deputize? You cant do it all
  yourself---make sure you give them the
  information and training (usually in 30 seconds
  or less)!!
• WARNING
• Keep watch -- your communications staff will be
  impacted for a very long time.

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Crisis CommunicationsPublic InformationPublic
Education Everyone wantsand needs information
at once, at the same time!!!Do
you have it? Do you know how to get it out?
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Establish a command centerwithin 30 minutes
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• How will you decide who needs to know what
  information and in what order? Who will decide?
• Do you have a current list of all key staff
  phone numbers, cells and pagers? Board members?
  Other agencies key staff?
• Do you know who to contact at the media? Have
  their phone, fax and e-mails?
• Do you have printed materials, articles, web
  links ready to go?
• Can you get information on your website within
  the hour?

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the media camps out

• Can serve as an educational conduit
• to inform the public
• But
• Can also cause harm and further traumatize

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Top 5 Media Interview Tips

• NEVER go off the record--there is no such
  thing!
• Be SELECTIVE about responding, prioritize and
  conserve your energy.
• Stand up during a phone interviewyour response
  will be more formal and your energy will be
  higher (you can think better!)
• Keep responses direct and brief. Talk in sound
  bites. Dont use technical jargon. Never
  repeat verbatim what a reporter asks you.
• Assume that television cameras and microphones
  are always on and recording your words and
  actions.

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• When the initial crisis is over, the public
  information staffs work has really just begun.

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Keeping In Touch
20 flyers the first weekdistributed 50,000 7,000
hits to website
Monthly Newsletters 3,700 to parents 1,100 to
faculty
100,000 printed Parent Resource Guide
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September 11th 1156 a.m. At this time I know
we are all reeling from the tragic events
unfolding before our eyes. This is a disaster of
unprecedented magnitude that impacts us all
personally and professionallyI want to encourage
everyone to limit your exposure to TV and radio
broadcastswe do know we have the knowledge,
skill, experience and compassion to help each
otherand our communityget through this.
September 11th 501 p.m. With the work day
coming to an end, and the import of todays
tragic events just beginning to impact usit is
important that we each take some time out to make
sure we are doing what need to take care of
ourselvesonly when weve taken care of ourselves
can we then reach out to those we love and those
we work with
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October 5th 858 a.m. It has now been 24 days
since our lives were turned upside downmany of
us are continuing to deal with the impact of the
sub-acute traumatired, impatient, irritated,
apprehensive,depressedI find that what I used to
experience as challenging, I now find as
overwhelming. Yesterday I couldnt remember my
daughter's phone number.
October 17th 943 a.m. It has now been 5
weeksour world has changedI find myself feeling
easily tired and it is tough to find the words to
writethe stories of recovery have receded into
the background and now we are bombarded with
accounts of new threatsthese continuing worries
take their tollrecreation, fun and meaning can
help us stay focused on the positive aspects of
lifedont isolate make time to be with others
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Personalize Your Contact Information

• First, make a copy of your organizations
  disaster plan and crisis communications and file
  it in this section.
• Then, use this form to personalize your contact
  information for quick reference during times of
  crisis. During a crisis you do not want to have
  to hunt for helpful contact information. You
  want it at your fingertips.
• Step 1 Look through this book and find your
  local information (some information is not
  included, such as schools and city managers.)
• Step 2 Write down the contact information on
  this sheet. This document is also provided in a
  Word format on the CD version of the Red Pages so
  you can tailor the form

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• Immediate Action
• Notify 1    Disaster Coordinator 1    Executive
  Management
• 1    Public Information Officer 
• Quick Reference Is this a?
• 1   Aircraft Crash Page 4
• 1   Biochemical Exposure Page 5
• 1   Chemical/Toxic Exposure Page 7
• 1   Gather Information Quickly
• 1    What happened? _____________________________
  _______
• 1     When? Where? Who? _________________________
  ______________________________________
• 1    Is it over or still in progress?
  _________________________________________
• 1    Who is the target victim group?
  _____________________________________
• 1    What is the estimate of of people who are
  seriously injured and/or with high exposure to
  trauma? __________________________________________
  _____
• 1    Vulnerable populations involved (e.g.
  children, disabled, etc.)_________________________
  __________________________________
• How bad is it? _________

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thank you