Susan’s management wanted to know what resources would be needed if the virus became a crisis in their state. The answer depends on what level of response is needed, which of course depends on the level of crisis.

Based on what you know from the scenario so far, determine the needed response level by analyzing this crisis using the Event Assessment Wizard. Be sure to click on the wizard’s instructions link and read the instructions if you are not familiar with the wizard.

When you have finished the activity, click on the "How Did I Do?" icon that will display when you return to this page.

In completing the Event Assessment Wizard, you may have felt that you did not have enough information about the event to properly select all of the important criteria. In real life, you will have to make decisions in cases where you don’t have all of the facts. So don’t let this feeling of “I need more information” stop you from making a decision when the time calls for it. Do the best you can with what you have.

The process of completing the Event Assessment Wizard is somewhat subjective. Different people could reasonably choose different criteria, so there isn’t necessarily one right answer. While the Event Assessment Wizard is an extremely useful tool, it is only one part of a successful Emergency Risk Communication response. The goal is to make solid decisions based on your own personal knowledge and understanding as well as what facts are available.

Click on the button below to see how the team in the scenario rated the level of crisis during this post-event assessment meeting.

Summary

The purpose of this activity was to give you some practice in response planning by estimating the response level needed for a crisis. This Event Assessment Wizard can also help you do pre-planning, using scenarios which demonstrate different crisis levels. Ultimately the number and kinds of resources needed are affected by the intensity and longevity of the emergency or crisis.

If you had difficulty working through this assessment, go back and review the resources and references before going on to the next activity.