Post-Disaster Town Hall Meeting Tips for State Representatives
Post-Disaster Town Hall Meetings
The post-disaster town hall meeting, is one of the first and most important opportunities for the regional state emergency management office to update an impacted locality on the state assistance and equipment being provided.
Click here to download a post-disaster town hall meeting agenda template, and here for press releases and agendas used by other localities.
Show Compassion and Be Honest
- Build realistic expectations about how much additional equipment and technical assistance the state will be able to provide the locality. Don’t make specific promises; this can cause controversy if later rebutted by a councilman or other elected official.
- If state roads are damaged or covered in debris, offer statements such as, “We hoping to begin repairs to state roads next week, but we can’t guarantee that it will happen.”
Coordinate with Local Leaders and Incident Command
- Give a dry run of your presentation to all other representatives who will be present at the meeting. Ask for feedback from the top level local leader to ensure your message is aligned with the locality’s.
- In addition to a state emergency management representative, other speakers typically include: a top level local leader such as a mayor, chief elected official, city or town manager, or county administrator; the incident commander; and a FEMA and/or HUD representative.