ter, but the communities affected can take many months, or years, to recover. Newsrooms should plan to be there in the aftermath to support those communities with information they can use. (This is less of an issue with aid and humanitarian organizations, who put a priority on this aspect.) Being there at this time can build trust with your organization. One of the common complaints post-emergency is a feeling of abandonment. You need to aid your staff’s recovery as well. A debrief after the emergency is essential to allow people to vent and to make sure you understand what happened in order to improve your service next time. There will be a next time. Staff members should also be checked on individually. Often these events can be traumatic, and not just for those who physically go to the disaster zone. Staff members may have been affected personally, with family members at risk. After the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, Australia, many staffers reported feeling helpless after receiving phone call after phone call from desperate people caught in the fire zones. Years after the Queensland floods of 2011, staff who “soldiered on” reported post-traumatic stress symptoms. It’s important that staff and managers recognize the symptoms of stress in the workplace and have the tools or resources to help at hand. You can cover an emergency without preparation, but your coverage will be more effective and less stressful on your staff if you create a plan, develop external relationships with stakeholders, set up communication pathways within your organization and ensure staff welfare through training, offering support during an event and conducting effective debriefs. Tip for Aid Organizations Aid organizations need to consider the target audience for information. Are you aiming to source information and provide it to your people on the ground to direct their efforts? Are you feeding information to the media or government? Are you communicating directly with the public using social media platforms? Remember if you aren’t telling people what your organization is doing… who is? Someone will be and it may not be accurate. Make sure there isn’t an information vacuum. 91