Michael Alfant
ACCJ President
malfant@accj.or.jp
PROPOSALS TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
2. Indicate the timing of the next official communication in all travel warnings and warden messages Consistency and regularity of US Government messaging conveys confidence and can ease apprehension during rapidly changing circumstances. With this in mind, the ACCJ urges the US Government in times of crisis to indicate in travel warnings and warden messages when citizens can expect the next message. Doing this adds certainty and better enables private sector planning and business continuity, even when the situation remains unchanged.
3. Evaluate the style of US Government communications during a disaster
ACCJ members reported difficulty gaining relevant information from US Government travel warnings and warden messages and cited lengthy passages and vague language such as “safe haven” and “an abundance of caution” in communications. In light of modern email, social media, and other information gathering trends, the ACCJ encourages the US Government to review its messaging style and system to ensure that US Government messages are relevant, clear, and concise. In addition, the US Government should consider ways to incorporate information into official US communications that help the American private sector mitigate risk and make sound decisions for their organizations, employees, and families.
4. Educate the American business community on the government’s disaster response plans
The ACCJ urges the US Embassy to institute an ongoing program to educate the American business community on its disaster response plans through annual speaker events with the ACCJ’s Kanto,Chubu, Kansai chapters. These events would introduce US Government emergency procedures and provide the American business community with resources in the event of a disaster. These regular briefings can be facilitated by the Disaster Preparedness Liaison Team.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ACCJ
March 11 also brought to light areas where the ACCJ can better support members in disaster situations. ACCJ members cited the value of social media as a disaster communication tool and encourage the Chamber to implement the following:
1.Appoint a disaster preparedness and response team from Chamber leaders The ACCJ President should appoint three members of the Board of Governors to serve as the Chamber’s core disaster preparedness and response team. This group would include at least one ACCJ Vice President and the Executive Director. This team would advise the President and comprise the Emergency Response Team to work with the US Embassy on disaster preparedness. In the event of a disaster, these leaders would serve as the Chamber’s emergency response team and would work with the ACCJ secretariat to convey appropriate information to the Chamber membership.
2. Leverage the ACCJ organizational structure to facilitate communication In the event of an emergency,the ACCJ disaster preparedness and response team should facilitate information exchange and communication within the Chamber by reminding leaders that they can leverage the committee structure to share information. If appropriate, committee leaders could convene emergency committee meetings, conference calls or utilize the ACCJ’s social media tools to communicate with committee members. This may be of particular benefit to committees with an industry specific focus and that lack a separate industry organization.
3. Compile and make available information from authoritative sources to Chamber members The Chamber can be a valuable source of information for Chamber members. Consistent with its actions following March 11, the ACCJ should compile and convey credible information for circulation to members via email or posting online. As non-experts, the ACCJ should only make available information compiled from recognized authorities and expert sources. Such information can be helpful for ACCJ member companies reporting to headquarters.
4. Publicize Chamber member contributions In the wake of March 11, many ACCJ members made substantial contributions to disaster relief organizations such as the Japanese Red Cross. In addition to focusing on its own fund-raising efforts, the ACCJ should compile an online list describing the significant contributions of member companies. Doing so would not detract from Chamber initiatives but instead would highlight the good work of American companies as contributing members of the local community.
