How internal comms builds trust and resilience in times of crisis
Here in Australia, Spring has arrived and with it comes a season of warmth, new life, and, inevitably, disaster. With higher temperatures come the familiar reminders of our country’s unpredictable nature: floods, fires, cyclones, droughts, heatwaves, and storms that test not just our physical resilience, but our communication systems too.
Comms professionals here have seen it all when it comes to disaster responses; for some, it’s meant standing in flood-ravaged towns, fielding calls as cyclones made landfall and above all else, it’s meant helping communities piece together what comes next. Yet, through all those experiences, one thing always stands out: organisations are often far better at managing external crisis comms than internal ones.
The forgotten audience: your own people
When disaster strikes, the instinct is to communicate outward to reassure customers, protect the brand, and manage public perception. However, behind those headlines are your employees: the ones fielding customer calls, helping communities recover, and trying to keep themselves and their families safe. They need clarity and trust during times like these, and most importantly, they need to hear from you.
Internal communication during disasters is what makes people feel seen and supported when the world feels uncertain. Plus, when done right, it builds loyalty and long-term trust that no external campaign ever could.
Preparation is care in action
There’s no such thing as “winging it” in a disaster. Every message delayed, every channel that fails, adds confusion at a time when people need direction most. That’s why internal communication needs to be part of every organisation’s disaster-readiness plan and not as an afterthought, but as a central pillar of safety and wellbeing.
Here are a few practical ways to make that happen:
Keep communication channels open, even off the grid. SMS trees, WhatsApp groups, or dedicated phone lines may feel old-school, but they work when power or internet connections fail. Having an off-grid option ensures your people always know where to turn for accurate information.
Plan before panic. Pre-approved message templates save precious time and prevent bottlenecks when you need to act fast. Focus on simple, compassionate language that tells people what’s happening, what to do, and where to get help.
Train your trusted voices. Your CEO shouldn’t be the only one with a microphone. Make sure leaders at all levels know how, and when, to communicate with their teams.
Protect your contact lists. It’s no use having beautifully crafted messages if you can’t reach the right people. Keep critical contact information stored securely and off-site.
Stay aligned with official sources. Use government and emergency language and frameworks, like the yellow/orange/red warning levels, to ensure clarity and consistency.
Building a culture of readiness
Good disaster communication is cultural and it’s embedded through small, consistent actions that remind employees their safety matters every day, not just when something goes wrong.
That’s why we love seeing organisations run pre-season awareness campaigns. These can be as simple as a reminder email with safety links, or as creative as employee-led videos or rhyming safety slogans (“Don’t waste time, call down the line!”; cheesy but memorable).
When people participate in shaping these campaigns, they’re more likely to remember and act on them. It becomes less about compliance and more about care for themselves, their teams, and their community.
The heart of crisis comms
Disaster comms are about people, and building trust with them long before the emergency hits, with empathy that carries through when things get hard. So no matter where you are around the world, this is a good timely reminder to review your disaster management plans… and when you do, make sure to ask yourself:
Have we prepared to communicate with our people, not just about the crisis?
Can our systems, and our leaders, respond with care and clarity when it counts?
At the end of the day, strong internal communication doesn’t just get messages out fast. It keeps people safe, connected, and confident, no matter what nature throws our way.
