Crisis communication natural disasters Management Coursework

Crisis Communication Natural Disasters
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Institutional Affiliation
Crisis Communication Natural Disasters
Question 1
Non-governmental organizations like the American Red Cross should develop a well-detailed crisis communication plan on how it should respond to a crisis such as fire, floods, and earthquakes, and so on. Furthermore, public relations consultants should choose strategies that are meant to provide information based on safety measures and first aid procedures in case of an emergency (Fearn-Banks, 2016). The choice of communication media should favor the target population and the one that should reach them faster. It should be noted that the American Red Cross is a non-governmental organization, depends on public and private funding. Therefore, the crisis communication strategies that are used should not negatively impact on its general perception in the future (Fearn-Banks, 2016). During Hurricane Katrina natural disaster, the Red Cross received a lot of donations of up to $3.6 billion from Americans alone. However, the organization used some of the funds for publicity in two episodes of ‘The Real World and Red Cross Vehicles’ TV show. 
Consequently, the name of the organization was seen severally in those episodes, something that should not have happened. The reason is that their crisis communication plan did not focus on the awareness of the disaster but rather as a means of advertising its services to the general public. TV shows are meant for entertainment purposes, and it is likely that it would not reach every person. In the episode on ‘The West Wing,’ it aired Red Cross first-aid kit. There was no communication team taking about general communication tips and how to respond to the crisis (Fearn-Banks, 2016). Therefore, the organization did not use the donor money well; all they did was to publicize their services aimed at gaining more public image. Although the organization scored ...