Emergency and Risk Communication Margo Edmunds, Charles Fulwood, Shane Harris, and John Parker

1. Emergency and Risk CommunicationMargo Edmunds, Charles Fulwood, Shane Harris, and John Parker Emergency Management Communications Track: 3.07 National Emergency Management Summit, Washington, DC February 4, 2008

2. Affiliations and Disclosures • Margo Edmunds, Ph.D.: VP, The Lewin Group and JHU Communications Program • Charles Fulwood, Partner, MediaVision USA, and JHU Communications Program • Shane Harris, National Journal • John Parker, M.D., FACS, FCCP, Senior Vice President, Technical Fellow, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)

3. About Today’s Session • Interactive • Multi-disciplinary approach • Review national preparedness policy framework • Key principles of crisis communications • Rapid response: accuracy and credibility • Advance planning • Message development and framing: Know your audience • Practical tips on working with the media

4. Role of Government in Emergency Preparedness • DHS - National Response Framework • HHS • State • Local • Regional and online networks • National associations of government officials (NEMA, NGA, etc.)

5. Role of Private Sector • ESF: Industry/critical infrastructure • Hospitals and clinics • Schools • Employers • Voluntary response teams • Individuals and families • Communities

6. Role of the Media in Emergency Response • Get accurate info out fast • Help inform public about what is happening, what to expect • Inform the public about what to do, how, and when • Frequent updates of vital information to promote ongoing situational awareness • Role in recovery: learn what happened and how to fix it

7. Katrina Evacuees in Houston • Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation Survey, September 10-12, 2005 • 680 men and women in Houston shelter • 93% were African-American • 76% had children under 18 with them • 52% had been employed full time • 52% were uninsured • 43% were on a daily medication • 46% had a working cell phone

8. Katrina Evacuees cont’d • 38% were physically unable to leave or were caring for someone physically unable to leave • 34% were trapped in their homes and had to be rescued • 40% spent at least one day outside on freeway or underpass • 68% thought the government would have responded faster “if more of them had been wealthier and white”

9. A Case Study: Anthrax • The incident (summary) • The players • The facts • The communication • The execution • Continuity of Operation (COOP) (USG) • The autopsy of the incident • What went right • What went wrong • What we learned

10. The National Response Plan • The National Response – (Federal, State, Local) Framework • INTENT - Why it was developed? • IMPLICATION - Why it is important? • Sovereignty • Public sector coordination • Private sector coordination and organizational responsibilities • Where are we? – Where are we going? • WHY is communication important (CRITICAL)?

11. HSPD - 10 HSPD - 18 HSPD - 21 What are the themes of these Homeland Security Presidential Directives? Will they be effective? Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPD)Methods of Communication

12. Emergency and Risk Communications 2.0 • Rapid and accurate response • Frequent updates • Credible spokesperson (s) • Authoritative but empathetic • Contingencies and multiple channels of communications • Appropriate media for different audiences • One message, multiple vehicles • Trust among all parties

13. Communicating Risk with Diverse Communities • Mainstream media coverage • Role of ethnic media • Television • Radio • Print (weeklies) • Digital media • Language and cultural issues • Language-locked communities • Katrina: “refugees” or “evacuees”

14. A Case Study: NYC MTA • “If you see something, say something” campaign • Message success or message failure? • NYT, January 7, 2008: 1,944 calls to transit hotline • Number of arrests 18 • Number of terrorists 0 • Reports about people counting 11

15. What You Can Do • Build partnerships with ethnic media • Include ethnic media in distribution lists • Hold briefings • Meet with Editorial Boards, publishers • Develop editorial memoranda and policy updates • Include in public education campaigns

16. Working Journalist’s Perspective on Media • Media as primary source of information for the public during an emergency • Need for agencies and organizations to have a prescribed set of procedures for the press • Briefing locations • Contact information and preferred mode • Who’s in charge of on-site response

17. Building Relationships • Officials should cultivate relationships with journalists who will be covering emergencies • Good model: the military • Relationships help get good information out fast • Improves understanding of government roles and leads to better coverage

18. Feeding the Media • Important to provide as much information as possible • Correct mistakes promptly • Honest mistakes • Confusion is part of the nature of emergencies, especially in the beginning

19. Breaking News v. Longer Coverage • Officials focus on television journalists and print reporters for major dailies • Should also involve magazine writers • More in-depth coverage • Help provide context and shape understanding of the event • “Lessons learned” perspective

20. The Case for Now • Public trust: easy to lose, hard to keep • Trust between government and media: objectivity is priceless • Time between incidents is critical • Overcome daily deadline culture • Raise awareness that risks are real • Give people the right information and tools to prepare

21. References and Resources • Aspen Institute, 2006. First Informers in the Disaster Zone: The Lessons of Katrina. www.aspeninstitute.org/atf/cf • Neuman, W. In Response to M.T.A.’s “Say Something” Ads, a Glimpse of Modern Fears. The New York Times, January 7, 2008.

22. References and Resources • R. Morin and L. Rein. Some of the Uprooted Won’t Go Home Again. Washington Post, A1, Friday, September 16, 2005. • Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard University. Survey of Hurricane Katrina Evacuees. September 2005. www.kff.org/newsmedia/7401.cfm

23. Questions?

24. For More Information • Margo.Edmunds@lewin.com • Cfulwood@mediavisionusa.net • Sharris@nationaljournal.com • John.S.Parker@saic.com