Homeland Security - Response & Recovery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Homeland Security - Response & Recovery - Essay Example , when to release it?, how to release it?, where to release it?, whom to release it to?, and why to release it?† (Leader for Leaders, 2010). The first step I will take before making any public interviews or communication is to analyze the different stakeholders involved in the specific disaster scenario. This entails the identification and relationship of various stakeholders to the current situation. The second step I will take after identifying the different stakeholders is to determine what specific goals or objectives I have to achieve so the needs of all those involved are addressed. Last but not the least is the third step where an appropriate technique for appraising results is established (Goldschmid, 2011). In a disaster situation, the stakeholders are the general public and the various agencies who are involved in the operation. Having been able to determine those concerned in the disaster scenario, my objective now as the Director of Media Relations is how to communi cate effectively with all of them bearing in mind the factors of communication failure and success. According to Leaders for Leaders (2010) there are five types of communication letdowns that often jeopardize the success of an operation in disaster situations. These communication letdowns or failures which I must avoid are: â€Å"1. ... Therefore the messages given out by the various agencies involved in the operation must be consistent with each other so that the people do not lose faith in officials making the statements. Aside from this a back-up plan must be established when and if the normal communication lines get damaged, which makes it hard for everyone to communicate with each other. A perfect example is the time when Hurricane Hugo devastated South Carolina, where all the communications of relief agencies from various levels of the government were unable to coordinate with each other making the whole relief operation inefficient (Miskel, 2006). The next kind of communication failure is the information released late, where the public is left guessing as to what is really happening and what they should do. In cases of disaster an immediate answer is necessary to prevent the people from taking steps to follow the advises of others whose only interest is to take advantage of the present situation. The third co mmunication failure is paternalistic attitudes where certain facts are withheld. It is essential that people must be given the true facts about the situation and are given the leeway to come up to their own conclusion. By telling the public what they need to know, they are in a better position to decide whether they should or should not be worried about the disaster that happened (Leaders for Leaders, 2010). The fourth communication failure is not countering rumors in real-time. To be able to respond to false information, agencies involved in the recovery operations must monitor the situation as it progresses. This involves being tuned to all information outlets like broadcasts from television and radio