How to Build a City Joint Information System

Brandon and I don’t talk a whole about it on the blog but I think most readers know we have “day jobs” providing, “crisis communication strategies to the energy, maritime and government sectors that can be implemented immediately for response to any critical incident, that are compliant with any government-led response, and that are compatible […]

Recovering from Disaster: 5 Communication Strategies

Brandon and I spent decades preparing for and responding to all manner of critical incidents and disasters as federal public information officers. When we weren’t preparing or responding, we were teaching others to prepare and respond. When we weren’t preparing or responding or teaching others to prepare and respond, we were getting phone calls, emails […]

11 Preparedness Tips for Atlantic Hurricane Season

Atlantic hurricane season started today and lasts through November 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting that there is a 70 percent chance for 10-16 named storms this year, with 1-4 of them being major hurricanes. If you live and work near the U.S. east or gulf coasts, or in the Caribbean, you should […]

How to Build a Virtual Toolbox for Disaster Response

If the blog had a “Free Bird” or – I dunno – “Margaritaville?” this year, it was this piece, coming in at #1 in our countdown of the Top 10 Most Read Pieces of 2015. Not necessarily a “one-hit wonder” kind of thing – more of a “show closer.” I wrote a slightly different version of […]

How to Build a Virtual Toolbox for Disaster Response

Being a public information officer for an organization with a diverse array of nearly a dozen distinct missions made every day exciting. On any given day, I might be talking to the media and stakeholders about maritime search and rescue and law enforcement, chemical and petroleum environmental pollution response or how icebergs in the North […]

10 Crisis Comms Planning Tips for Hurricane Season

Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1 (apparently, Ana didn’t get the memo), and U.S. National Hurricane Preparedness Week is May 24-30. If you live and work near the U.S. east or gulf coasts, or in the Caribbean, preparedness week is a good time not only to make sure that you’re prepared in general, but also that you’re prepared […]