Damage Mitigation Through Crisis Management
Although many definitions of the term "crisis" exist, a widely accepted definition is "a significant disruption which exceeds the capacity of one's resources". Individuals and organizations can prepare for a crisis in advance, but they may not know when it will occur. Natural disasters are a unique type of crisis, as the crisis situation that results can evolve into different types. For example, the crisis situation faced by a Treasure Coast community may have initially begun as a result of a hurricane, but it can eventually become an economic crisis or cause transportation accidents. In addition, natural disasters are unique in that "the suddenness and magnitude of the occurrence renders the areas affected by natural disasters unable to respond effectively to the emergency because the devastation exceeds the capacity of the area's resources". Mitigation of such an event requires crisis management.
4 Steps To Help You Manage
Crisis management is made up of four components: prevention, preparation, performance, and learning. Prevention includes activities that can prevent the crisis all together. Preparation involves the crisis management plan, forecasting when and where a crisis may occur due to vulnerabilities, selecting and training a crisis management team and spokesperson to respond to crises, creating a crisis portfolio, and improving the crisis communication system. As a result of the preparation phase of crisis management, performance can be tested through the use of a simulated or real crisis. The fourth aspect of crisis management is learning, the phase in which an organization evaluates those actions taken during the performance phase in response to an actual or invented crisis.
Have A Plan
Although the crisis situations can vary greatly, it is possible for an organization to create a crisis plan, including a crisis communication plan, to allow the organization to lessen potentially negative consequences and reduce uncertainties in the event of a crisis. Because crisis situations require a quick response time, the crisis management plan is crucial, because it contains previously collected background information, responsibilities of crisis team members, and a blueprint for actions that must be taken by certain members once the crisis does occur.
The crisis management plan represents a general guideline and must be able to be adapted to the individual circumstances to be encounter. As a result, open communication within the organization is critical for the crisis management plan to succeed.
We Can Help!
One Call Property Services Inc. is here to help. We provide on-call emergency damage mitigation services 24/7. Locations served: Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties, including the cities of West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, Jupiter Island, Hobe Sound, Stuart and Jensen Beach. Make us part of your crisis management plan. Be pro-active; Contact us now and let us contribute to your preparation.
