KEY POINT

Public officials must understand the basics of crisis communication and the process for crafting appropriate messages before a crisis occurs.

Elected and appointed officials must be able to communicate effectively during a timelimited acute health crisis. They must communicate with their staff, a task to which they are accustomed. However, they will be required to address the media, and may also need to communicate with representatives of Federal and State bureaus.

The importance of planning messages and knowing the ways in which information can be communicated before an event requiring SIP or evacuation cannot be overstated.