TURBIDITY IN CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS:

Not Just a Load of Hot Water

Laurie Dawkins, ABC, Director, Public Affairs

Viviana Zanocco, Senior Media Relations Officer

Turbidity in crisis communications

Over 2 million affected! How the issue unfolded

The action plan

Relationships

Challenges

Lessons learned & Best practices

Can we still have sex in the shower? – funny stories, anecdotes, tales from the front lines

How the issue unfolded

Decision to issue water quality advisory: Turbidity hits 70 NTUs in chief reservoir Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health and

Greater Vancouver Regional District’s Water District compare notes

Safety of water cannot be guaranteed due to increased agitation, high sediment that interferes with chlorination

Schedule established for continued monitoring Schedule established for continued and constant

communication Advisory issued on November 16 by GVRD on

recommendation of MHOs

The action plan – getting the word out Media

Scope of story meant ALL media interested Daily updates hosted by regional district VCH supplements with one-on-one interviews

Website Up-to-date information Maps of areas impacted, clear boundaries for those not

Internal mechanisms Email blasts and memos Meetings Issues summary

External stakeholders MLAs Contracted agencies (DTES, home support)

The action plan – using relationships

Relationships Communications and Medical Health Officers

(MHOs)

Communications and Senior Administrators

MHOs and GVRD

Communications/MHOs and media

VCH and contracted food staff

VCH and suppliers

The issue unfolds further…

Boil water warning lifted for 1 million in Greater Vancouver (November 18)

Do we REALLY have enough water for the weekend? (November 18, ~2:00 pm) Patients

Staff

DTES residents

Home support and mental health clients

Challenges

Demands of media New story angle every day

How are hospitals and fragile seniors coping?

What is the impact on restaurants?

How much is this costing the health authority?

Reinforcement of key messages Boil tap water for one minute before drinking, cooking or

washing produce

VCH is supplying patients, clients and marginalized populations with bottled water

MHOs are waiting for a downward trend in turbidity before lifting the water advisory

Challenges

Insatiable demand for expert comment When will it be lifted?

What about pets?

Can we drink coffee?

What will you wear to the Oscars?

Dr. Patricia DalyMedical Health Officer and Medical Director, Communicable Disease Control

Challenges

Climbing a steep learning curve, internally Why aren’t conventional and commercial filtering

systems adequate?

Why is my water clear, but across town my family member’s is cloudy?

If tests for E coli and bacteria are negative, why can’t we drink the tap water?

How does the water distribution system work?

I mean, how complicated could it be?

-

“BC water warning could last weeks”

Challenges

Working with another agency and staying on the same page

Treating media equally without exhausting your experts

Speaking to what you know

Setting expectations and avoiding political pitfalls

Remembering internal communication

Staying out of operations

Updating the web site on the weekend!

Lessons learned & Best practices

You can never be too clear or simple Straight forward instructions can still confuse. Think of every

possibility and focus on what people NEED to know

Relationships are key Solid footing with our MHO, GVRD before the advisory

helped us maintain flow of information back and forth

Be as responsive and timely as you can Rumour and fourth hand information fill the vacuum when

your spokespeople are not available VCH provides 24/7 media coverage Daily issues summary ensures message consistency

Be respectful of your partners and acknowledge strengths/weaknesses beforehand

Lessons learned & Best practices

And most important… find humour in your day to day functions Share crazy questions from the public/media

Keep up morale and energy

Sing to one another

“Did you ever know that you’re my hero?”

Sign off all emails with “YOU ROCK!”

Stories from the front lines

“No ma’am, nylon stockings are not aneffective water filtration system”

November 27, 2006

Turn on the taps, water’s good again!Rain induced turbidity but public urged to learn lesson

And the headlines conclude…

THANK YOU!

Questions anyone?