OK State Official Tornado Website: http://okstrong.ok.gov   Many have asked Firestorm how they can contribute to efforts to those in Moore, Oklahoma. While the following is in no way complete, we have compiled a list of resources and contacts. Please share with others, and remember, "Every Crisis is a Human Crisis." There are additional severe weather conditions in the area.  Please do not put yourself or others at risk. Note: As with any disaster, there are those who would take advantage of the situation.  Please be alert to scams and solicitations of funds and donations.   Gov. Fallin Announces Federal Assistance Granted for Oklahomans Devastated by Tornadoes Oklahoma City -- Gov. Mary Fallin announced today that the White House has approved the state's request for disaster assistance for five Oklahoma counties hit hard by this week’s de...

Amy's Baking Company makes every social media mistake possible, and invents some new ones By Karen Masullo, EVP Social Media Risk, Firestorm "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act III, scene II What do Chef Gordon Ramsay, reality TV, Facebook, Twitter, Yelp and Reddit have in common?  Amy’s Baking Company Bakery Boutique & Bistro owners Sam and Amy Bouzaglos hate them all. We know this because over the past several days, the couple have taken to their Facebook page to tell them this, and in doing so, have taken on the internet, the universe, and everything. Amy’s Baking Company was featured in a recent episode of Chef Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.  In a first of its kind, Chef Ramsay left the Bistro without completing his crisis turnaround task.  The couple simply would not listen to Chef Ramsay, were aggressive, verball...

By Jim Satterfield, Firestorm President In the aftermath of severe tornado activity in North Texas on May 15, Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) staff will be on-site in Granbury, Millsap, Mineral Wells, and Cleburne to help insurance consumers. “People who suffered property damage as a result of the recent tornadoes should contact their insurance company or agent to file a claim as soon as possible,” said Eleanor Kitzman, Texas Insurance Commissioner. “Starting this process is the first step toward getting money to make repairs.” Homeowners insurance policies generally provide coverage for losses from wind and hail, and in certain situations, might cover losses from wind-blown rain. The following tips will help make the claims process go smoother: Contact your insurance agent or company promptly. Keep a record of all contacts you have with your company.  Be prepared to answer...

SOCIAL MEDIA FIRESTORMS Hacks, attacks and alerts from Firestorm US Embassy in Cairo Twitter Account: As detailed on the PR Daily website, "It appears the U.S. State Department has a Twitter problem." For the second time in six months, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo created diplomatic waves with its Twitter account, and at least one PR professional thinks it’s time for the State Department to review its social media policy. The most recent incident occurred on Tuesday when Embassy Cairo, as it’s called in diplomatic circles, tweeted a link to a “Daily Show” segment about an Egyptian TV personality—billed as that nation’s Jon Stewart—who had been arrested for criticizing President Mohamed Morsi. The tweet drew a harsh rebuke from the Twitter account of the Muslim Brotherhood as well as from Morsi’s official Twitter account. A State Department spokesperson chalked up the incident t...

Social Media Friend or Foe Recording and Brief Firestorm's President Jim Satterfield and MIR3's Vice President of Solutions, Ann Pickren, recently collaborated on a webinar for Disaster Recovery Journal, and also created a brief now available for review. The webinar, Social Media in a Crisis: Friend or Foe?, offered insights into the intelligent use of social media in times of crisis. This brief expands on that information and explains how monitoring social media can help manage the risk. Please feel free to view a playback of the webinar. Get the brief for tips on: Why social media should matter to BC/DR professionals The importance of monitoring social media How to determine which outlets should be monitored Get the brief today and be prepared if the social media conversation targets your organization. Be sure to save these dates and register for rest of the seri...

Firestorm Expert Anyck Turgeon on Chemical Plant Safety The explosion at West Fertilizer Company’s storage facility in West, Texas on April 17, 2013 resulted in the death of 15 local residents and hundreds of injuries. Within a few hours, entire buildings and houses were pulverized leaving victims with crumbs of their life’s possessions and little hope for the future. As this incident was easily preventable, one needs to question the state of our needs versus our production and the safety measures used. OUR DEPENDENCE ON FERTILIZERS: Without fertilizer, millions of people would not exist today. Since World War II, fertilizer use expanded exponentially until early 1980s after reaching a peak of 23.7 million nutrient tons. The United States is one of the major global producers of fertilizer and this portion of its economy is critical as it feeds people all over the world. Per Wikipedi...

Senior Security/Anti-Terrorism Strategist Yftah Kaluski Joins Firestorm Expert Council Firestorm is pleased to announce the addition of Senior Security Expert Yftah Kaluski to the Firestorm Expert Council. "I was attracted to Firestorm for two key reasons," said Mr. Kaluski; "First, 'Every Crisis is a Human Crisis'.  When working with client companies to identify security and threat vulnerabilities, I have always looked at the people in the company as closely as facilities, technologies, processes and systems. Second, the Firestorm Expert Council is recognized worldwide for the depth of excellence and expertise of its members." About Yftah Yftah Kaluski worked for Guardsmark LLC (Guardsmark is the fourth largest security company in the world), from 2001 until April 2013.  For the past four and a half years he served in the capacity of Vice President Regional Manager. As suc...

Ann SanCartier, Firestorm Expert Council Member and Employee Crisis Planning Expert, discusses ways organizations can meet the needs of victims and families. Examples include having group debriefings, setting up a Family Assistance Center, and making emergency preparedness part of the company’s culture.(This article is part of a larger paper with contributions from Firestorm Principals and Expert Council Members) Firestorm© understands that “Every Crisis in a Human Crisis”.  For your employees, sympathetically (and empathetically) responding to a crisis event, while remaining in control of the situation, is extremely important.  It is equally important to thoroughly understand the short- and long-term emotional and physical impact a crisis event has directly on victims and their families, as well as indirectly on the uninjured members of the community. At the onset of a cris...

Webinar and Whitepaper In preparation for our upcoming webinar with Karen Freberg, Ph.D, and Major Kristen Saling, we are pleased to present their joint research whitepaper along with co-authors Kathleen G. Vidoloffc and Gina Eoscod. Abstract: Emerging technologies, advances in social media, and new communication platforms have transformed how crisis communicators reach their audiences and partner agencies in a variety of situations. Not only do individuals and organizations communicate differently during a crisis, but they are also perceived very differently; social media platforms and messages add to the challenges involved in maintaining the overall reputation of brands and corporations. To better understand the new messaging system and its effects, the researchers analyzed social media crisis messages and messaging theory through various qualitative and quantitative value modeling...

SOCIAL MEDIA FIRESTORM Hacks, attacks and alerts from Firestorm AP Hack: Following last week's attack of the AP Twitter account (view our recorded webinar for more on this), Twitter accounts belonging to The Guardian newspaper have fallen at the hands of hackers belonging to the Syrian Electronic Army as well. Within minutes of the AP attack, the message was retweeted 3,000 times, markets dropped by $136 billion in value and the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted almost 150 points before it was reported as a hack by AP Corporate Communications. This most recent Guardian attack, as detailed by the NakedSecurity Sophos website, "the hackers have been making a habit of breaking into high profile Twitter accounts in recent weeks - their attack on AP's Twitter account where they posted fake news of an explosion at the White House, actually managed to cause a drop in the Dow Jones. In...