Crisis Communications
Knowing how to communicate strategically and effectively is a skill I value deeply and that I’ve refined through years of experience. From communicating with residents before, during and after major hurricanes, to sharing critical public health updates during the COVID-19 pandemic, facing local controversies and social unrest and more, each of these experiences has allowed me to sharpen my skills in crisis communications designed for the Digital Age.
HURRICANES
Within a few weeks of starting my job with the City of Tampa, Florida was hit by a major hurricane, Hurricane Irma. I found myself spending the night on the floor of an Emergency Operations Center (EOC), working around the clock to keep residents informed. This experience was foundational to my understanding of crisis communications. With a small team and very little time to plan in advance, the City of Tampa executed a robust and comprehensive crisis communications strategy to ensure the safety of our community throughout the storm.
One of my proudest achievements during this crisis was helping conceptualize and launch TAMPALISTA, a Spanish-language version of our TAMPAREADY emergency text alert system to keep Spanish-speaking residents informed.
Since then, I’ve been on the forefront of communications for several sever weather events including Hurricane Ian in 2022. The City of Tampa’s proactive and robust communications durring Hurricane Ian awarded us a Golden Post Award for “Best Use of Social Media in a Crisis” from the Government Social Media Conference in 2023. This award recognized outstanding use of social media to keep residents informed during this critical time.
From Hurriane Irma to Hurricane Ian, each EOC activation has been a major learning experience that has opened my eyes to the importance of clear, timely and effective communication during a crisis.
COVID-19
Like cities across the US, the City of Tampa found itself responsible for communicating critical public safety information to residents. From educating the public on CDC guidelines to announcing Stay-At-Home orders, mask mandates, vaccine distribution sites and more, COVID-19 was a unique exercise in extended crisis communications.
The City of Tampa developed a comprehensive COVID-19 communications strategy that included social media, earned media, print marketing, influencer marketing, website development and more. The City of Tampa also earned international media attention from outlets like CNN and Smart Cities Dive for its innovative use of TikTok to reach Gen-Z during the COVID-19 pandemic.