Recently the Latvian State Chancellery asked the Clingendael Academy to provide a three-day workshop on crisis and risk communication. The emphasis of this workshop was to be on the practical lessons learned from Dutch experiences in the field. From an organisational standpoint this all sounds simple enough to facilitate.

However, the Latvian participants were all already experts in crisis communication, and included experienced spokespersons from the Ministry of the Interior, ambulance services and state police. How does one design a workshop that still adds to such a pre-existing level of professional know-how, and what lessons can Latvia hope to learn from the Netherlands?

Mutual Learning

The level of experience of the participants allowed us to tailor the course to their needs and immediately delve deep into some of the crises the Netherlands has faced over the years. These ranged from domestic man-made crises (like Project X in Haren), domestic natural crises (like the floods in Limburg), and international man-made crises (like the MH-17 crash).

With the exception of the recurring crisis of fishermen floating off on sheets of ice into the Gulf of Riga, we all agreed that Latvia and the Netherlands often face the same types of crises and have much to learn from each other. The workshop was concluded by bringing together all the lessons learned from the past days into three mini-scenarios of fictitious crises in Latvia.

Flooding in Clingendapils

An example (shortened version) of one of these invented mini-scenarios is the case of Clingendapils.

The beautiful summer in the picturesque town of Clingendapils is crudely interrupted by rising waters in the nearby Daugava River, endangering all citizens. At the location, some young people are having a party in a large farmhouse near the levy, are refusing to leave and are inviting more people on Draugiem, Facebook and Twitter. The floods are also attracting disaster tourists. The mayor wishes to start evacuating procedures as soon as possible, but the Minister of Interior, supported by the State Chancellery, has publicly and privately stated evacuation is a measure that should be avoided at all cost.

You are the communication advisor for the Emergency Services and are asked to set-up a brief action-plan to deal with this crisis. Which steps would you take?

For more information, please contact Mr. Hans Wurzer MA.

27 October 2014