A  little over a year ago the town of Marshall, Michigan and the Kalamazoo River got a hard and fast lesson in oil spills and communication. In this blog post we’ll look at how Calgary, Alberta, Canada based Enbridge Liquids Pipeline handled the communication aspect surrounding the July 26, 2010 oil spill.

Here are a few facts about this oil spill:

• State of emergency was declared in Kalamazoo County.
• More than 800,000 gallons of oil were spilled into the Kalamazoo River.
• Largest oil spill in the history of the midwest.
• 65 kilometers of the Kalamazoo River were soaked in oil.

Before this oil spill, the Kalamazoo River was home to numerous wildlife including turtles, fish, muskrats, and Canada geese. As well this river was popular with Marshall residents as a peaceful way to get out on the water in their kayaks and boats.

Now, a little over a year later, the clean-up of the river is largely completed and residents are optimistic that the river habitat can return to its original status. What is interesting about this oil spill is how well the news surrounding it was handled. A search of the Internet shows very little negative news about Enbridge and how it handled one of the largest freshwater oil spills in American history.

This is a true testament to a strong and cohesive communication plan.

Managing Communication

With an oil spill, there really is no way for a company to hide. The mistakes and the oil are there for everyone to see and smell. In the past, companies really haven’t handled similar oil spills well - attempting to shield the media from the damaged sites and even trying to cover-up such environmental disasters.

Well, kudos to Enbridge - they did a good job of managing this oil spill. In fact so well that many of us likely didn’t realize that an oil spill of such a large magnitude had occured.

The keys to success for Enbridge in this matter were consistent communication and controlled messages. Yes, there were initial newspaper reports where citizens were quoted as stating that they really didn’t know what was going on and what would happen to the area.

But, Enbridge officials were quick to get their clean-up staff and public relations officials on site. With honest and open communication - they told the entire story about the spill and on the anniversary of the spill they were obliging to journalists interested in the clean-up progress one year later.

Consistency Prevents Panic

The lessons learned from this oil spill, which could have resulted in a  public relations disaster for Enbridge, include:

• A consistent message must be communicated on all platforms.
• You cannot hide from mistakes - particularly those which result in a disaster.
• Public perception will very much determine how your company is portrayed in the media.
• It is okay to admit your mistakes but do so only when you have a solid plan of action to present.
• Brag - yes - talk about the strides your company has made in recovering from a disaster and how you have worked with the community.

Through-out this entire one-year process, Enbridge has worked with the community of Marshall and environmental agencies to ensure that as much damage as possible was prevented. In addition, Enbridge has purchased a number of homes that were damaged as a result of the oil spill. And for those homeowners who were not happy with the Enbridge settlement, the company reacted proactively with confidentially agreements being signed upon further settlements being reached.

Enbridge is not hiding behind its mistakes and the crack in the pipeline. Rather company officials are quick to tell the media and public about the 3,200 animals that were affected and how the company managed the care of 400 turtles this past winter.

Ultimately, it is the honest approach taken by Enbridge officials that has worked to keep this story largely unreported and from causing mass panic and rumors from breaking out among Marshall citizens and others. Jason Manshum, an Enbridge official, was quoted recently as saying, “We have made a mess in this area, and for residents and businesses in this area. We have been working extremely hard over the last year to clean up.”

Communication Lessons for You

Ultimately, what can you take away from this? Remember that the keys to effective communication in the event of a disaster or threat are:

• Consistency at all times.
• Manage the message across all platforms - newspapers, television, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.
• Honesty is your best policy.
• Follow-up with the media to demonstrate your progress in handling the disaster or threat.
• Work with community members and others to get involved and make sure everyone feels they can have input on how to respond to the situation.

To learn more about how vital a strong communication plan is - with respect to social media, be sure to register for the Social Media - What is Your Strategy webinar on August, 24.