There are emergencies and crises, and then there are hurricanes – and nothing is more unique than a hurricane. They’re unpredictable, and yet we know they are coming well in advance. Unlike other natural disasters (tornadoes, earthquakes) they give us time to prepare and communicate. Yet, many businesses fail to properly prepare and communicate with their key audiences. Unfortunately, many people, particularly in Florida, have become desensitized to hurricanes. We know what to do but we often don’t prepare or communicate until it’s too late.
So, how do you communicate during a hurricane? What should your messages include? It all comes down to the following:
- Advanced notice and setting expectations
- Consistency/Continuity
- Follow up
- Flexibility
At first glance, these concepts may appear at odds. How can you be consistent, but still able to quickly adapt? This is where your key messages come into play. Simple, consistent, reliable. They enable you to communicate new details while tying everything together. The right key messages provide a solid foundation while still allowing you to adapt to an ever-changing crisis like a hurricane.
Let’s look at the sample hurricane key messages we created for our hurricane communications plan.
• Safety is LandSouth’s #1 priority – the safety of our employees, our partners, our neighbors, and our communities.
• LandSouth takes every precaution in preparation for a hurricane, ensuring that our sites are protected to best prevent damage and injuries.
• LandSouth follows all recommended and required hurricane preparation steps to best protect the site, people, and our neighbors.
• LandSouth and our partners are responsible for ensuring that they share key communications with the right audiences in a timely manner.
We created these key messages to be high-level. Every storm, like every crisis and every project, is different. We are never going to communicate anything during a hurricane that contradicts or disputes these messages. As we learn more information and details, we include those in our communications, and we personalize them to fit the audience. The key messages help set expectations and rationale for the steps we take before and after a storm.
Every new communication starts with these messages – leading to stability and a little security in a very uncertain time.
For more information visit www.landsouth.com or call 904.273.6004
ABOUT LANDSOUTH CONSTRUCTION…Building Ideas
LandSouth Construction, the Southeast’s premier general contractor, specializing in multifamily, senior living, and mixed–use development, was named one of Engineering News Record’s Top 400. Since 1998 LandSouth has transformed ideas into best–in–class communities. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla. LandSouth has completed more than 20,000 units including apartments, hotels, senior living, student and military housing, condominiums, townhomes, and mixed-use. For more information, call LandSouth Marketing Manager, Erica Zumstein, (904) 760-3182 or visit www.landsouth.com