Birmingham City Council begins it's own tornado damage limitation PR exercise
Gotcha! | 03.08.2005 17:51 | Social Struggles | Birmingham
After 4 days of professional incompetence in terms of effectively responding to the tornado that ripped through South Birmingham last Thursday, Birmingham City Council finally decided to 'face the music'.
Monday August 1st appears to mark the beginning of a public relations operation designed to refute claims by local people and whistle blowing Council employees that Birmingham City Council poorly handled its emergency response to the tornado.
Unannounced to local residents, David Maxted Strategic Director of Local Services from Birmingham City Council gave a live interview overlooking the decimated row of terraced houses on Birchwood road, Balsall Heath.
Monday August 1st appears to mark the beginning of a public relations operation designed to refute claims by local people and whistle blowing Council employees that Birmingham City Council poorly handled its emergency response to the tornado.
Unannounced to local residents, David Maxted Strategic Director of Local Services from Birmingham City Council gave a live interview overlooking the decimated row of terraced houses on Birchwood road, Balsall Heath.
David Maxted refutes any criticism of the council's handling of the disaster
Before the interview commenced he was asked by a local resident why this was the first time he'd set foot in the area. He replied sheepishly that it was because he was 'organising' the emergency operation. Another resident asked him when he would face the public and he responded that a public meeting hadn't been organised yet.
During the television interview Maxted didn't seem to be able to respond to criticism by a local councillor who didn't even know who was in control of the emergency operation. The segment before his interview profiled how inept the council were at co-ordination, communication and getting vital information out to people following the disaster.
At one point in the interview one of the news anchors interrupted Maxted when he was trying to say the council had responded promptly and effectively by saying that one of the emergency officers in his team had resigned and another officer was on holiday! Another local resident was overheard heckling Maxted with shouts of 'sack him!' and 'he's incompetent!'
During the television interview Maxted didn't seem to be able to respond to criticism by a local councillor who didn't even know who was in control of the emergency operation. The segment before his interview profiled how inept the council were at co-ordination, communication and getting vital information out to people following the disaster.
At one point in the interview one of the news anchors interrupted Maxted when he was trying to say the council had responded promptly and effectively by saying that one of the emergency officers in his team had resigned and another officer was on holiday! Another local resident was overheard heckling Maxted with shouts of 'sack him!' and 'he's incompetent!'
Gotcha!
Comments
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They couldn't even setup the tornado hotline properly
05.08.2005 11:00
We tried ringing it on Saturday and Sunday and got put on to a voice saying "the MG Rover hotline is closed"!
Why can't the biggest council in the country put on an emergency information hotline properly?
Khan
is there nothing to be done...?
11.08.2005 02:42
rach