You're managing a crisis situation. How do you effectively convey empathy and reassurance to those affected?

Ask people what happened to them. Ask them what they have lost. Ask them where they can start to pick up the pieces of their lives. When you understand what people lose you can cater to them. Listen, ask, restate what they said then try to get them the resources they need.

I had the privilege of working for FEMA during Superstorm Sandy. As a DAE in Suffolk County, a woman came in thinking FEMA gave out checks. (We don’t) She said her husband’s new business equipment was destroyed under water; their house complex destroyed; they were staying at her mom’s house, and her boss told her if she didn’t get to work the next day, she’d be fired. 4 of us helped her develop a plan. We helped her apply for Disaster Assistance; we helped her get a rental car from Enterprise for 2 weeks; we connected her with the Red Cross so she could get all important documents recreated; and another PoC for other needs. She walked out of there with a PLAN. We helped her with more than “just” disaster assistance. It felt great.

One thing that i found helpful is as per given sequence. Select the words very carefully. Use of words like I ,govt or religion.. use words which will involve them in conversation like we us Identify the leader, Dont get perturbed or distracted by subsidiary questions from audience. Leadership may change in mob if somone more suitable comes up. Empathise with the leader, then with him on your side go speak to the people, this will give u rapport with the new leader and people will see that some from amongst them are already agreeing and are more likely to join. Dont make false promises or crack joke. Avoid phone call while empathizing

Hace unos meses, en Chile, sufrimos un incendio devastador en la región de Valparaíso. Miles de familias lo perdieron todo y el Estado tuvo que ir en su ayuda rápidamente. Lo más importante fue entender desde un inicio, las necesidades y dolores de las personas que lo estaban perdiendo todo. Cientos murieron. Lo primero es escuchar, estar presente y entender a fondo el problema, sin prejuicios personales.

Effectively convey empathy and reassurance during a crisis by actively listening to concerns, acknowledging emotions, and expressing genuine understanding. Use clear and transparent communication to update on actions being taken, offer support resources, and outline steps for resolution. Show commitment to resolving issues promptly and ensure availability for further discussions or assistance, fostering trust and a sense of security amidst uncertainty.

Clear communication is important. Stay in your lane, meaning do NOT ever make promises you cannot keep. Do not make promises for other organizations. Provide guidance and Points of Contact for those organizations that can provide specific assistance. Give hope in the process.

Hace unos meses, en Chile, sufrimos un incendio devastador en la región de Valparaíso. Miles de familias lo perdieron todo y el Estado tuvo que ir en su ayuda rápidamente. La comunicación debe ser clara, directa, honesta y de facil comprensión.

By listening closely, showing understanding, and offering support, you can really make a difference in conveying care and empathy to folks facing tough times during a crisis, helping build trust and comfort when it's needed most.

Hace unos meses, en Chile, sufrimos un incendio devastador en la región de Valparaíso. Miles de familias lo perdieron todo y el Estado tuvo que ir en su ayuda rápidamente. La presencia fue fundamental para mantener la credibilidad en nosotros y el trabajo que estábamos haciendo. Presencia 24/7

Repeated - I had the privilege of working for FEMA during Superstorm Sandy. As a DAE in Suffolk County, a woman came in thinking FEMA gave out checks. (We don’t) She said her husband’s new business equipment was destroyed under water; their house complex destroyed; they were staying at her mom’s house, and her boss told her if she didn’t get to work the next day, she’d be fired. 4 of us helped her develop a plan. We helped her apply for Disaster Assistance; we helped her get a rental car from Enterprise for 2 weeks; we connected her with the Red Cross so she could get all important documents recreated; and another PoC for other needs. She walked out of there with a PLAN. We helped her with more than “just” disaster assistance.

Critical incidents requires seasoned pros coupled with indelible relationships. The True Leader will have a contacts across the Emergency Management world with organizations such as the Red Cross, local religious entities, municipal agencies such as water/gas/electric services, and more. These resources play a supportive role in moving the incident from a high threat to a lower one through the services they provide. The goal here is to restore the community to a place of normalcy. Philadelphia suffered from a train derailment in 2015. During the incident, local hospitals, law enforcement, fire department, Red Cross, and SEPTA (public transportation) combined efforts. Doing so illuminated the way to maximizing success.

There is nothing more detrimental to the success response than to allow IMT personnel to provide robotic and "canned" responses to those affected by an incident. I can recall working with one such supervisor who could not understand how the role of empathy and "soft" messaging can deliver countless reputational benefits to the organizations' reputation and response teams. Meeting humans with a human voice, a human face and generating genuine human emotion for those who lost something should always be considered as "the right thing to do". Sadly, this former supervisor ended up making so many community members upset that the company spent millions on lawyers deflecting the multitude of lawsuits which came its way.