Chaos, Informational Voids, and Emergent Organizations: The Case of West Virginia's Water and Freedom Industries

Sample

Crises are, by their nature, shocking, disruptive, and often dangerous events. Three characteristics—threat, surprise, and short response time—are indicative of crisis events (Hermann, 1963). Those who are threatened by crises feel a sudden danger that they did not anticipate and they must respond quickly or the danger will escalate. These feelings are most intense when crises pose an immediate health risk. Specifically, if people do not receive adequate warning, they are likely to ingest contaminated food or water, breathe toxic air, or remain in a dangerous location. For example, toxic gas releases create the immediate need for crisis messages, advising nearby residents to evacuate or shelter in place. Chemical spills impacting water supplies create the immediate need for crisis communication messages about avoiding or boiling the drinking water in the area. When food products are contaminated, residents must
receive information about how to determine if they have ingested these products or if they have these products in their homes.