Crisis Lessons from a Flooded Basement

A few weeks ago, our basement flooded in a dramatic fashion. Rain came down fast and heavy. And our window well couldn’t keep up. Neither could the 50+ year-old window. Five minutes after asking my husband if the basement was okay, I went down there to find everything had changed in an instant. The window gave way—and we had a waterfall.

So, how does this relate to crisis communications? There are some interesting parallels.

Expect the unexpected. While most companies have crisis plans/business continuity strategies in place, they don’t always cover every possible scenario. We thought we were ready for some water in the basement.

We’d had some seepage in the basement before. Items were up on shelves or in plastic bins. We have a sump pump and backup, as well as a generator in case we lose power. Our plan helped, but we had to leap into action and figure it out as we went.

Focus on the important things. In a crisis, are you thinking about the right things? Start with the human elements. Is there risk to the public? For your employees? While you may need to make statements quickly, be sure that you’re looking at your priorities for protecting what matters first. For our basement—the priority was getting any sentimental items upstairs as quickly as possible. What’s your priority in a crisis?

Keep it simple. As you’re focusing on responding to the crisis, keep your communications simple and transparent. Don’t speculate. Don't place blame. Focus on what you know in the moment, and keep your communications tied to your values. With water pouring in, we moved fast. We worked as a team.

Be resilient. A crisis can last multiple days, weeks or months. Your crisis communications must continue during this time. Be sure you’ve got staff dedicated to jump in as needed and a clear chain of command. The best crisis communications plans I’ve seen have at least two teams who alternate being in the physical or virtual “command center.” For a soggy basement, that wasn’t an option—but we did divide and conquer as we jumped into action.

Recover and plan for the future. As the crisis wanes, look to the root causes and determine what you can do better. (We bought a better window well cover and vow to clean the window well drains more frequently. We also found a terrific emergency glass replacement service.) From a communications standpoint, look at your process. Where were there gaps? What caught you off guard? Did you have templates in place, and did they work? How will you ensure you’re ready for the next time?

We won’t avoid all crises in business or in our personal lives, but we can help ensure we’re ready to respond. As communicators, we need to stay calm, ask the right questions, and make our best recommendations for keeping our teams, our employees, and the public up to date.