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The Disaster of This Disaster
January 04, 2006

The tragedy of the Sago Mine disaster has become a textbook lesson in how not to handle a crisis. From the beginning, it was clear that neither the officials of the Sago Mine nor its parent, International Coal Group, were prepared for a crisis of this magnitude. In a field where tragic events such as this are a known quantity, it is unfathomable that they were not more prepared to handle both the rescue and the communications with the public, and most importantly, the families. Appearing inept from the first report of the disaster, the company compounded the suffering of the families by allowing for "miscommunication" and then not immediately correcting the false impression that their loved ones were still alive...not only was this a display of horrific judgment, but their actions were, in fact, cruel.

Each time there is a tragedy of this magnitude, countless articles appear talking about the need for better crisis planning, better communications training and more effective protocols. Companies talk about it, but once the media glare of the crisis fades and time begins to pass, most companies have not acted, have not created or have not updated their plans and have not put the appropriate resources into the training of their people. As with mismanaged crises before it (TWA 800 comes to mind), this tragedy will start a new cycle of discussion, a new cycle of debate and a new cycle of companies promising to address their problems.

Unfortunately, not until Corporate America truly understands that crisis communications can be the lifeblood of a company and that when handled poorly they will suffer incalculable damage, will they get serious and invest the time and resources into making it a priority. This tragedy not only showed how being ill-prepared can cost a company, this time it cost a community and the families of these unfortunate miners.

Posted by Michael Kempner at January 4, 2006 06:25 PM