Comm 3333 Final Study Guide Risk perception o How people view the risk and threats of disasters Difference in Blacks Hispanics Whites risk perception o Some illustrate that racial and ethnic communities in the US had a heightened perception of disaster risk while others found no race or ethnicity differences 1983 study of flooding in Charlotte South Carolina no significant difference in hazard perceptions along race lines California earthquakes immigrants had heightened perceptions of risk bc of experience in Mexico Mexican Americans tended to define a risk as high much less often than whites even though they lived in equally hazardous areas o White males were the least worried about the risks of natural disasters o Blacks perceived view of earthquakes damaging their homes were very high Preparedness during the disaster phase o Stage of a disaster involving all pre event preparation activities and mitigation efforts in advance of a specific warning o Racial and ethnic communities were less likely to have had disaster educational opportunities in the earthquake preparedness stage they were also marginal to hazard preparedness o White Anglos prepared more than blacks or Mexican Americans o Mexican Americans had less interest in earthquake insurance than blacks or Whites were more likely to make changes to protect the damage of white Anglos their homes Physical Impact stage o The physical impact stage is concerned with the actual and immediate effects of the disaster striking a community include mortality morbidity injury rates economic losses o Red Cross fatality counts high among ethnic minorities Hurricane Audrey White 38 1000 population Blacks 322 1000 pop Moore Tornado White 4 had injured family member Black 12 Could be related to housing and economic factors such as poorly built or older homes neighborhoods Tylenol Case o 12yr old girl took an extra strength Tylenol and died o National recall of over 250 000 bottles of Tylenol o Recall and re launch cost Tylenol over 100million but J J were praised for the way they handled the crisis o Led to Tylenol s tamper proof packaging and containers Triple Seal Tamper Proof Container o Three areas determined J J success in coping with the crisis Company was open to media Willingness to recall product corrective action Appealed to the public s sense of fair play and asked for trust Exxon Valdez case LARGEST oil spill in US history o March 1989 o Tanker was going from Alaska to Long Beach o Captain Hazelwood left his post Tanker hit the rock of Bligh Reef ripping open a hole in the hull nearly as long as the ship leading to 11 million gallons of crude oil spill within days o The original group designed to oversee the crisis was not available Alyeska Pipeline Service Company so NOAH HAZMAT took over Jacqueline Michel head scientist 450million dollars towards coastal clean up Damage Prince William Sound Shore o NO PR team set into place Spokesperson barely mentioned spill and didn t specify the damage Contradictory statements were being used by different sources A press conference was held without first being briefed by a PR person o Media CEO were not happy NO interaction between media CEO Media had to make their own assumptions o CEO was not communicating anything Upsetting employees consumers and media CEO didn t even go to the scene of the spill Didn t even apologize or be a spokesperson SHOULD have done a public statement showed emotion o Blame Some internally blamed Hazelwood for spill expecting he had been Employees blamed corporate for cutting crews which lead to human Seemed to SHIFT THE BLAME to the clean up crews hot water drinking fatigue pressure Could have been any other ship o Corrective Action following areas Exxon their PR people implemented strategies centered on the 1 tourism industry Alaskas s 3rd largest industry oil largest 2 rescue animals 3 seafood industry Alaska s 2nd largest industry Teams of wildlife professionals and their equipment flown into Valdez Brought travel writers to Alaska to witness the conditions and encouraged them to write about and travel around Alaska to see what parts were and were not affected Exxon funded a 50million campaign to assist Alaska Tourism and Marketing Council to highlight the beauty of Alaska and dispel any negative travel publicity o After the Crisis CEO issued a statement via tv telling the public what chemicals would be used to clean up the spill 10 days after the spill Exxon released full page ads expressing concern and vowing to clean the spill Month after the spill Exxon finally had the equipment for a full scale clean up that was not completed until 1992 BP suffered an oil spill much smaller in nature and was able to learn from Exxon Exxon ordered to pay 5billion to fishermen and other damaged by the spill 2 1 billion in clean up expenses 1 billion in fines settlements In 2009 court ordered Exxon to pay more than 500 million in interest on punitive damages associated with the spoil In 2009 Exxon Mobil was ranked first in the list of Fortune 500 companies Exxon revenues were up 19 from 2008 to 2009 while profits were up by 11 Saginaw State University Theatre Controversy o Theatre Controversy Angels in America o Producer went to the media to talk about it Richard Roberts no one outside of Detroit would touch it it is X rated you have to be 16 frontal nudity homosexuality foul language o SVSU President wrote an open letter in support of them play being put on but wouldn t attend Expressed his acceptance of their theatrical expression Had a good understanding of his Publics Stated he was okay if they lost federal funding Still made money Texas A M University Bonfire Tragedy o November 18 1999 a nearly 6story tall pyramid style log structure collapsed and killed 12 people 11 students 6 000 to 8 000 logs o Started in 1909 a part of the Aggie Culture o Corrective Action University president Ray Bowen suspended tradition for 2yrs but then stopped it all together ON campus hotline websites would not answer questions about cause until the commission announced cause had psychologist come in to talk to students staff engineers come in to evaluate it o Real Cause of Collapse 1 student cut corners 2 university didn t supervise 3 organization failures 4 structural problems o Cynthia Lawson new executive director of university relations Handled the situation well had crisis experience Continually talked with the media Had her team follow One minute manager Crisis communications plan by
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