Flying into LA last Tuesday evening I saw what looked like erupting Volcanoes. The winds driving the fires tossed the A320 around, forcing the pilots to circle LAX and land from the opposite direction. In those few minutes, even from miles away, I could see the fires had grown.
As a part-time Southern California resident, I’ve been immersed non-stop in the disaster coverage. So far, family, friends and clients are all safe. But almost everyone knows someone who has lost their home or been forced to flee.
I’ve also watched the epic disaster from a professional perspective. First responders are being given the gratitude they so rightly deserve. As the fires enter a second week amid more potential windstorms, the word “hero” doesn’t do them justice.
There also are hundreds of government leaders and staff who are working tirelessly to communicate with the public and the media under the worst of conditions. They, too, are heroes, demonstrating remarkable acumen and skill.
- Virtually every spokesperson I’ve seen has communicated both empathy and information. Their level of concern for the people they serve has been authentic, giving them credibility.
- News conferences and public meetings have been well organized with speakers sharing understandable information relevant to the public. This has included sympathetic explanations of why unpopular actions have been taken.
- Elected and high-level appointed officials have successfully avoided fueling controversy, instead they have remained focused on efforts to control the fires and to help people affected by them. While important and legitimate questions posed by the media have remained unanswered, political bickering, name-calling and blaming does the public a disservice at this point in the crisis.
- Rather than speculate on potential causes or future events, communicators have limited their information to what they know at the time, while acknowledging what they don’t know.
- Misinformation, especially that which is being spread on social media, is being corrected.
Crisis communications is a messy business, even when the stakes are relatively low. Given the immense magnitude of this disaster and the vast number of government agencies involved, the communications efforts are nothing short of heroic.
As a personal note, thank you to the many clients, colleagues and friends who have reached out, asking if Janet and I are OK. We are, and very grateful to be in area away from the fires.