Communication In Water Contamination Events
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IMAGINE . . .
It’s 5 pm, and you’re just starting to make dinner. You fill
up a pot with water and put it on the stove to boil. The radio is on in
the kitchen, and just as you’re adding the spaghetti to the pot you
hear the newscaster say, “An important announcement from the Department
of Health: all residents are urged not to use their public water for drinking
or cooking.” You stop in your tracks.
or
It’s 6:30 on a weekday night. The Department of Health is holding a public meeting about the contaminant that’s been discovered in your town water, and you’re going to the high school auditorium with everyone else to hear what they have to say. The room is hot, and packed. You grab a seat in the back. There is one microphone out on the floor for the audience, and a long table on the stage with eight officials sitting behind it. The first official nervously clears his throat to begin the meeting.
or
It's 4:30 in the afternoon. You're
sitting behind your desk, on the phone with a resident of the town where,
two weeks ago, contaminants were discovered in the town wells. The resident
is a little upset. Actually, he's really upset. You glance at the clock
as you try to soothingly dispel his concerns. He's not quieted. You feel
like you've been on the phone forever.