Crisis, craziness, unexpected, unforgettable, oh god no!, what the *@#$!

Flood Recovery Resources

2011-01-19T17:59:00.000-08:00

CCIQ Disaster Recovery Checklist http://www.cciq.com.au/images/floods/FS7_Business_Recovery_Checklist.pdf

Plus a few extra tips from me:

1. Document everything that happened, everything that you do and key decisions that you make.

2. When everything settles down assess how you have responded and identify the lessons that you have learned from the experience.

3. Be prepared for the next disaster. Complacency and an attitude of “we have had our bad luck nothing else will happen” is the worst thing we can do.

4. Undertake a formal risk assessment and document strategies to manage your risks

5. Prepare an emergency plan for your organisation and develop a complimentary business continuity plan.

The Premier’s Disaster Recovery Website

http://www.thepremier.qld.gov.au/initiatives/disaster_recovery/index.aspx

This and the website below have links to all funding and assistance programs on offer.

http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/support.html

Australian Government Disaster Assist

http://www.disasterassist.gov.au/www/disasterassist/disasterassist.nsf/

Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland website

http://www.cciq.com.au/floods

Find service providers who are offering assistance to flood affected businesses or register as a service provider willing to provide assistance to flood affected businesses. This site has many resources for businesses affected by flood including, HR issues, environmental issues, etc.

Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal

http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html

The Slow and Difficult Road to Recovery

2011-01-17T16:13:00.000-08:00

Flood recovery is a complex, dynamic and protracted process so what can we expect to see in the coming months?

When disaster strikes a community we often see a wonderful human response where people come together and bond as a result of common unity in the face of adversity. As the disaster abates a process of social debonding can occur. This is where an event profoundly disrupts pre-eixisting physical emotional and social continuity. It affects all that was constant and taken for granted and is not understood. As life resumes a level of "new normality" the interaction seen in the intial response is lessened. A slightly different community is created and relationships have changed. This debonding increases vulnerability and can lead to feelings of isolation, resentment and hostility, anger, stress, helplessness and depression. it can be momentary or protracted, depending on the impact duration.

Impacts are primarily related to an individuals experience of the event, some people will require formal assistance or counselling and others will manage in their own way. Friends and families should be aware that there is potential for both short and long term effects on people affected by disaster.

Below are some of the signs that a person is experiencing trauma:

Stress and chronic arousal
Physical health deteriorates
Exhaustion and emotional liability
Anxiety
Depression
Substance abuse
Indecisiveness
Degraded social relationships

As well as emotional aspects of recovery it is important not to forget that both physical and economic recovery is crucial to rebuild communities affected by disaster.

We have seen a massive response to clean up at the local level. Homes and businesses are being cleaned out and roads are being cleared. The repair and rebuilding of homes, businesses and damaged infrastructure will take time and services that we often take for granted will at times be affected.

There is likely to be rental shortages and people will remain displaced for some time. It is possible that we will see initial job losses particularly, in the area of small business. Some businesses will be unable to re-open. Other businesses will be affected because they can not afford to donate their services or people are donating the goods that they sell. This can contribute to reduced sales, increased vulnerability and delayed economic recovery.

The Queensland Government has created a web page with information on Disaster Recovery and Assistance for affected communities . Here you can find links to pages providing assistance in a range of areas including both health and financial assistance.

Businesses need a plan to recover and rebuild to ensure their future resilience. If you are a business recovering from the devastating floods in QLD, NSW or Victoria and you would like more information please contact us to discuss your needs further.

Queensland flood recovery assistance

2011-01-14T15:51:00.000-08:00

I hope you have managed to stay safe and dry during these devastating floods. I was growing up in Oxley in 1974 and remember the incredible amounts of water and devastation back then. Even with all the work I have done since in flood mitigation, response and recovery over the years, it's something you hope never to see again on such a scale. What I viewed with facination as a child I now see with the additional knowledge of an emergency management professional. The enormity of this recovery task is huge, it will take many years and billions of dollars. Such a terrible tragedy and an unfortunate reminder to never underestimate the ferocity of Mother Nature.

1. Emergency Contact Numbers

State Emergency Service 132 500

Police for life threatening emergencies 000 for non life threatening situations contact police on 131 444

Disaster Recovery Hotline 1800 173 349
Energex 131 962
2. Donations

Donations can be made to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal by direct debit or phone 1800 219 028. Only monetary donations are being called for. By donating funds it assists recovery in two major ways. It enables the funds to be directly spent in the affected communities in local businesses thereby promoting economic recovery for the region. This inturn ensures that only those goods and services that are most important are obtained reducing the amount of waste generated from well meaning, yet at times unwanted or unnecessary donations.

3. Volunteering

The best way to help during any emergency is to help your family, friends and neighbours first. This recovery will be a long and protracted process. It will require much patience and understanding and will potentially have long term psychosocial effects on the affected community. To help out further contact Volunteering Queensland and register your interest or call 1800 994 100.

4. Grants

There are a number of flood relief grants available to individuals and businesses. Information on these can be obtained from the Queensland Department of Communities online or by calling 1800 713 349. Centrelink can be contacted on 180 2266 and small business can also contact the Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority on 1800 623 946.

Professional recovery assistance for business and governments

Business

Adarna Consulting are offering assistance to businesses in their recovery efforts as a result of the floods. If you or any of your clients require professional recovery assistance then we can help.

A few suggestions on areas that we can assist businesses are below:

- Development of recovery plans and strategies to rebuild businesses

- Strategies to ensure business continuity during the recovery period

- Staff management and welfare during flood recovery

- Assistance with accessing disaster relief grants; and

- Professional debrief of owners, management and staff.

Local and State Government Agencies

Adarna Consulting is well placed to help all levels of Government in this important task and have extensive experience in emergency management, particularly flooding, and whole of government emergency preparedness, response and recovery operations.

We can assist in a number of ways including:

- Conduct of after action reviews to identify lessons learned including organisational debriefing, key person interviews, focused workshops and surveys will contribute to improving plans, processes and procedures.

- Recovery planning

- Implementation of recovery programs and projects;

- Community consultation and recovery needs analysis;

- Survey design, delivery and analysis; and

- Reporting.

Assistance to businesses and governments in affected areas of Queensland and Northern NSW during the flood recovery will be offered on a proportionate pro-bono basis to enable them to reduce their flood recovery costs. Please do not hesitate to contact me if there is any way that I can help out.

Stay safe

Samantha Ford

Deep Water Horizon, BP Macondo Well Oil Spill – Gulf of Mexico

2010-09-01T19:18:00.000-07:00

On April 20 2010 the offshore drilling rig Deep Water Horizon exploded after a blow out from the oil well one mile below the surface of the water. 11 people were killed and oil spilled at a phenomenal rate into the Gulf of Mexico threatening the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and Florida and causing widespread environmental damage.

BP was named the responsible party and was held accountable for response measures, clean up costs and other damage. There was much debate about the rate of oil release and secondary concern about gas release. A number of attempts were made to cap the well, stop the flow and retrieve and disperse the oil.

On July 12, 53 days after the explosion flow of oil from the well was successfully capped and static kill operations to kill and isolate the well were completed on August 5, 2010.

For more information on the oil spill response and recovery efforts go to the website for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection or visit the BP Website for their reports on the Gulf of Mexico response.

In recent weeks, BP has prepared a report to provide a preliminary outcome of lessons learnt from the oil spill at the Deep Water Horizon, Macondo Well in the Gulf of Mexico. They are currently in discussions with authorities and regulators about its final release.

Fraser-Kirk Vs David Jones and Mark McInnes – sexual harassment case

2010-09-01T19:14:00.000-07:00

18/6/2010 David Jones CEO Mark McInnes offered his resignation and admitted to behaving “in a manner unbecoming of a Chief Executive to a female staff member.” The scandal has continued to affect the reputation of all parties involved and has remained in the media spotlight since the resignation. Kristy Fraser-Kirk filed legal proceedings on august 2, 2010 against Mr McInnes and the company’s directors.

In Federal Court in Sydney, revelations that 8 more women have come forward with allegations against Mr McInnes deepens the scandal and its reputational impacts. Ms Fraser-Kirk is seeking compensation for breach of contract, loss and damages and punitive damages. David Jones is defending the claims.

What will be the long term effects of this scandal on the business of David Jones regardless of which way the case leads? Will it cripple the organisation? Probably not, but there is the risk that if found or settled in Ms Fraser-Kirks favour, it may have flow on impacts to the business. David Jones target market is women. The majority of its employees are women. A result which finds that management have fostered an environment where harassment is not addressed appropriately could be damaging.

You don’t have to be big and powerful, you just have to overstep the mark. Many people (both women and men) have been unnecessarily bullied, harassed, discriminated against or treated unfairly in the workplace.

The extraordinary damages claim has drawn unwanted attention to David Jones and interest in the outcome is high. Are the dollar amounts of the claim excessive? Perhaps. Is the outcome important? Extremely, not only for David Jones and Ms Fraser-Kirk but this action sends a definitive message. No matter how big or important you are harassment of any kind is not acceptable and consequences will be forthcoming.

Could your business withstand a scandal such as this? What else can David Jones do to salvage their reputation? A starting point would be to revisit their equity and diversity policy, implement training on the same and create a zero-tolerance environment toward harassment.

Pakistan Monsoon Floods

2010-09-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

The Pakistan floods have been described as the worst floods in living memory. As at September 1, 2010, 1667 people have been killed and 18 million people affected. The floods will affect more people that the Indian Ocean Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti Earthquake.

The floods began in late July 2010 following monsoon rains. Approximately one third of the country is affected by flooding. Recovery will take many years and the UN has issued an appeal for $459 million of assistance.

The Pakistani Government has been criticised as slow in their response. The emergency management structure is vague and relies on the military to provide assistance to affected populations. Capacity is limited. The Pakistani Government is relying on foreign aid agencies and governments for assistance.

Follow the link for the latest update from the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for the Initial Floods Emergency Response Plan and Situation Reports.

The following link takes you to a map of the flood affected areas of Pakistan and details the extent and effects of flooding in each area.

What can you do to help? The best thing you can do as an individual is donate to one of the many appeals being run by aid agencies. In Australian appeals are being run by UNICEF, Red Cross, World Vision, Oxfam, MSF and others.

The childlike state

2010-05-10T01:06:00.000-07:00

The child-like state! That's where all genius marketing is revealed! According to Wazza Bray LMG Digital Media with uncommon thinking on the promotion front anything is possible. I'm with you Wazza. Great presentation at the May South East Brisbane Chamber of Commerce / SEBCC meeting.

Wazza also raised an interesting point on how we filter information when we don't need something. Be a little different, don't state the obvious and refresh your ideas. We only need to be 20% different to get noticed in the marketplace.

Tips for bus travel

2010-04-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

You plan to get some work done but don't get a seat. Use the notepad on your phone, you can send it to yourself as well!

Check your email, update your facebook status and post some tweets.

If you're bored see who you can get to speak to you or make it your mission to get at least 3 people to smile back.

Start a "wheels on the bus" melody.

Offer others your seat and don't be the idiot who doesn't stand for the pregnant lady, elderly or mobility impaired.

If you're a school kid, stand up for other commuters!

Don't have your ipod up so loud the person three seats down knows what you are listening to. Seriously, I've seen someone nearly punch someone on a bus because of this - they did have anger management issues and it wasn't necessary but don't say I didn't warn you.

and finally,

your bag doesn't need a seat, I do!

Samantha Ford
Adarna Consulting Pty Ltd

Good grief, the reef!

2010-04-15T16:40:00.000-07:00

With the recent grounding of the Shen Neng off the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef and the oil spill off Moreton Island still fresh in our memories, it would be an understatement to say the Maritime Safety Queensland have had their work cut out for them. In both of these instances it is fair to say that we've been very luck in terms of damage.

That's not to say there haven't been some terrible consequences on our marine environments, only that it could have been far worse, particularly in the case of the Shen Neng grounding. It will be interesting to see how that plays out in the political arena Aust v China, not to mention the courts!

The threat posed to the Great Barrier Reef enraged many an Australian. The environmental threat alone was quite dire and the potential economic threat to Queensland Tourism could have put an already struggling economy into a tail spin. So what can they do to prevent these things from happening again? From all reports it's a well know short cut.

Maritime authorities are already experiencing staffing and funding issues and appropriate technology is expensive. Will these events convince the powers that be that it's worth a spend? How will the move to a single national jurisdiction impact on capacity and operations? Consider the real long term benefits and the value of protecting our marine environments against the spend and I am certain we will be way ahead.

PS: Congratulations to MSQ and national bodies for a fabulous response effort on the refloating of Shen Neng.

Samantha Ford
Managing Director
Adarna Consulting Pty Ltd

Incident management software

2010-04-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

Now days there are so many different incident management software packages, how do we know which one to choose? Do you need one? Are you using the one you have to it's full capability?

Can a dog fetch without training?

2010-04-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

Many companies are aware that they need to be prepared for anything. Some even put plans and people in place to manage potential crises and to those I say, "nice work" good on you for recognising and understanding your risks.

The odd thing is that so often organisations assign crisis management roles to their management team and then they don't train them in how to manage a crisis. Can a dog fetch if it isn't trained to? So why then do organisations think that senior managers can manage a crisis without training or that their plans are adequate when they haven't tested them?

A good plan is only as good as the team you have. Your team may include some brilliant minds but not everyone can step up in a crisis, particularly if they have no idea of what they are expected to do.

Do you have the right people on your crisis management team? Are they trained in crisis response and recovery? Have you tested your plans?

It could mean the difference between an issue and a crisis......

Samantha Ford
Managing Director
Adarna Consulting Pty Ltd

Managing social media

2010-04-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

Until recently Australian tweeters and businesses could be forgiven (?)for thinking that sites like twitter and You Tube wouldn't do too much for or against their business. Any social media crises have occurred overseas and such is the prevailing attitude that it won't happen here.

Well, it has and it does. Consider recent experiences of Springwood State High School, Marist Bros Ashgrove, the recent sacking of a Coles worker and the desecration of memorial sites. All of these issues arose because of social media use.

If you use any social networking sites, then think about how and why you do so. Does it have a positive or negative impact on your business? You can use it as a positive business tool but you need to manage it appropriately and use it as a crisis prevention tool as well. Your clients are using social networking sites. Can you afford not to be involved?

Here are some tips on how you can use social media and networking sites for promotion, relationship building and issues management.

Samantha Ford
Managing Director
Adarna Consulting Pty Ltd

Social media risks for employers

2010-02-08T22:06:00.000-08:00

More companies are recognising the emerging importance of social media for mass marketing, message delivery and feedback. Some firms actively encourage the use of networking tools by staff for managing customer relationships and networking. It is essential that as companies are utilising these tools they consider that with every opportunity comes an element of risk.

Social media applications when used effectively by companies can serve as an essential tool that can help to avoid or reduce negative impacts of a crisis that affects an organisation. Alternatively, when not managed effectively, social media can be the catalyst that can cause an issue to become a crisis. This can have an adverse impact on reputation, organisational effectiveness and profit. Does your Crisis Communications Strategy include social media? Do you have a Social Media Policy?

Please assist by completing the short social media legal issues survey 2010 - http://bit.ly/aOAlDO

Why is crisis management so important to business resilience?

2009-11-10T21:31:00.000-08:00

Crisis preparedness has been around for a while – you have to be careful if you are going to separate, risk, business continuity and crisis management. They all work together to build business resilience.

Life is unpredictable and even with great risk registers and issue management procedures the unexpected can, and does, still happen. Ironically, what we do prepare for does not (generally because we do things to prevent it). It’s the one that you didn’t think of that happens.
You have to be ready in a very pragmatic way to handle the unexpected. The true test of ability to withstand crisis is dependent on long term business strategies.

Crisis preparedness should be about ensuring that which you do on a daily basis is done as well as possible. Organisational preparedness involves everyone from the board to the frontline workers.

If your strategy is unsound and your people lack judgement, that will be exposed in a short term emergency. Long term strategy and thinking, long term business planning and communication planning really are tested by short term events. Those who do best are those who are secure and confident in their strategic thinking.

Beware the strategy that involves dumping responsibility for something very important such as crisis management, business continuity planning or safety on to one person. By applying a hat or total responsibility to someone it absolves others of their responsibility – “it’s their problem not mine.”

Crisis Management involves the whole organisation.

Adapted from an interview between Peter Gavan, Director of External Affairs, Severn Trent and Professor David Wilson, Deputy Dean of WBS and Professor of Strategy

Social media backlash - are you prepared?

2009-11-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

Recently I was asked to prepare a small blog for The Ruby Connection with the topic being “Social Media Fab or Flab.” In the blog "An unwilling convert" I came to the conclusion that whilst I am not a compulsive user of social media I do find it useful and can see the various benefits and pitfalls of this communication medium.

When talking with a contact of mine a couple of months ago we got to discussing the risks associated with social media use in the workplace and the increased role its use is playing in reputational crises for organsiations. This discussion was prompted by a recent You Tube video of a Domino’s Pizza employee adding his own “touch” to a pizza. Within hours it was all over the web and social media sites were going nuts over it causing huge damage to Domino’s reputation.

On any given day you can search on sites such as Twitter and find an organisations name and a lament about terrible service, product breakdowns, etc. Just look up your telephone provider on Twitter and guaranteed you will find someone complaining on-line about them. This can happen for good reason or no reason at all.

Does your business have a crisis communications strategy? Does it include social media? Do you have a workplace policy on the appropriate use of social media sites?

Without appropriate communication plans and strategies in place, reacting to media crises before they get out of control becomes exponentially more difficult.

Consider the recent experience of Maclaren in the U.S.A. They have recently had to recall every baby stroller sold in the United States in the past decade (approx 1 million). The purpose is to install a cover for the stroller's hinge mechanism, which is sharp enough to cut through a baby's fingers should they happen to be in the wrong spot as the stroller is opened (12 occurrences).

Maclaren appeared to be very proactive with their approach to managing this crisis by alerting the authorities to the problem and asking their assistance in the recall. They also went public prior to the press getting wind of it advising consumers what and how to have their stroller repaired. The company also included some social media in their response strategies by announcing that they had designed covers for the offending hinges and releasing videos on You-Tube and other sites on how to attach them.

This was a reasonable start but with social media sites the damage starts and spreads like wild fire. There was uproar when consumers could not access the Maclaren website for further information. The site was overloaded with traffic and crashed. To make things a little worse the notification appears in a link on the top of the Maclaren U.S.A. website page with 10 other items in the smallest font - Recall. It is not obvious at all.

This lack of access to information has prompted an even bigger backlash via social media.

Think about how social media can affect your business. What if you had a disgruntled customer that riled up others about a product or a service that you provide – how would you deal with it? Alternatively, what if one of your employees was on-line complaining about the bad day that they had or about you or one of the other workers? Do you have strategies and policies in place to manage these things?

If social media protests can cause a major public relations crisis in a big organisation, imagine the long term effects on a small to medium sized business.

Samantha Ford
Adarna Consulting
www.adarnaconsulting.com.au

Emergency preparedness at home

2009-11-10T19:29:00.000-08:00

As we all know there is risk involved in business and the workplace that needs to be acknowledged and planned for. All businesses have (or should have) at the very least emergency evacuation plans or procedures in case of fire.

What do you have in place at home? Do you have a fully equipped first aid kit, fire extinguisher or blanket, emergency supply kit or a Family Emergency Plan? Is there a list of emergency contact numbers including relatives, doctors, emergency services and do you have a plan for who picks up the kids from school or day care when neither parent can?

There are a number of websites that provide you with information on family and personal preparedness. The Australian Red Cross has a program called Emergency REDiPlan to assist people in being better prepared for emergencies.

Each State and Territory emergency agency website will have preparedness materials for you to download for free, additional information is available on the Links page of our website.

Samantha Ford
Managing Director
Adarna Consulting
Website: www.adarnaconsulting.com.au

10 Tips for Crisis Management

2009-11-10T19:21:00.000-08:00

Plan for the worst possible scenarios and hope for the best; consider all risks, all aspects of the business including information continuity, where your interdependencies with other organisations lie and ensure your insurance provides appropriate cover.
Document business continuity and crisis plans and individual roles and responsibilities – identify who does what and when and allow autonomy to carry out roles. Make sure plans can be adapted to all possible events and include how the business will recover.
Conduct crisis management and media training for key people.
Have a plan or strategy for communicating with all of your stakeholders including; staff, shareholders, customers, suppliers and media. Consider a resource kit including telephone trees, media release templates, holding statements, scripts, media lists, etc. Make sure you include social media in your strategies.
Test and review your plans regularly and learn from your mistakes and those of others.

During the crisis
Stay calm, identify what has gone wrong, exactly what the crisis is, who it will affect and what you need to do to manage the situation. Activate your crisis plans if required and keep a log of every decision and activity for the duration.
Tackle it head on and allocate resources appropriately – an issue caught early can be prevented from turning into a crisis.
Communicate regularly and with consistent messages to all stakeholders.
Forward plan for other issues that may arise at the same time.
Consider using a professional to help you manage the crisis and/or the media.

For more information on crisis management and preparedness visit our website: www.adarnaconsulting.com.au

Samantha Ford
Managing Director
Adarna Consulting Pty Ltd

On a wing and a prayer

2009-08-28T00:33:00.000-07:00

On a wing and a prayer is how many businesses operate with fingers crossed that “it won’t happen to me.” The last decade has seen a rise in catastrophic natural disasters, terrorism threats and other devastating events such
as oil spills, hijackings, workplace accidents, war, etc.

To make matters worse, in 2008 we entered a global economic crisis that has flow on effects to all levels of business and government throughout the world and a pandemic was declared in June. How do we prepare ourselves and our business for these kinds of events?

It is imperative that we protect our business and critical operations. If we fail to prepare ourselves adequately we will pay the price. The possibility of an event with significant impact on business operations, system outage, devastation from cyclone, flood or fire, a fatality on site, or something that can damage our reputation is always upon us.

Crisis has been broadly defined as an escalating incident that poses a serious threat to the operation, viability or reputation of an organization (Pollock, 2002). All organisations can be impacted by crises.

Every business should have a crisis or emergency plan. It can save lives, company assets and your entire business.

With good planning your organisation can avoid some or all adverse impacts. If a crisis were to occur
today ask yourself, would you be ready? Have you planned for the worst?

For more information on crisis management or business continuity please visit our website www.adarnaconsulting.com.au

Samantha Ford
Managing Director
Adarna Consulting Pty Ltd