Anderson Cooper Criticizes Philippine Government Reaction to Typhoon Haiyan

In the recent coverage of Typhoon Haiyan, Anderson Cooper criticized the Philippine government's response to the destruction. 

Talking to CNN's Jake Tapper, anchor of The Lead on Tuesday, Cooper said: “You would expect perhaps to see a feeding center that had been set up five days after the storm. We haven’t seen that, certainly not in this area."

Cooper continued: "Some food is being brought to people here at the airport, some water being distributed but it are very, very difficult conditions for the people here on the ground and it’s not clear how much longer it can continue like this. Something is got to give."

Cooper also compared the country's response to the 2011 disaster in Japan and said: “When I was in Japan, right after the tsunami there two years ago, within a day or two, you had Japanese defense forces going out, carving up cities into grids and going out on foot looking for people, walking through the wreckage. We have not seen that here in any kind of large scale operation.” 

According to the Forbes article, "Snowstorm Crisis Lessons: Eight Steps for Maintaining Trust During Natural Disasters," it is evident that Cooper is critical of the Philippine government for lack of attention to what the article suggests are instrumental to maintain trust during a natural disaster. Applying these snowstorm lessons to the typhoon disaster is no different. Below are the steps we discussed in class that could be applied to the PR response from the Philippine government. 

1. Identify the problem and your related responsibilities.  

2. Intervene early and often. 

3. Become the face and voice of leadership. 

4. Give people a feedback mechanism.

5. Mind your messages.

6. Show humanity.

7. Continuously evaluate and adjust your responses. 

8. Display post-trauma resilience.

Filipino TV anchor Karina Sanchez, who is also the wife of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas, replied to Cooper's accusations stating, "This Anderson Cooper said that there's no government presence in Tacloban. It seems that he doesn't know what he's saying.) 

From a crisis communications standpoint, do you think the Philippine government has responded with appropriate messaging and strategy to handle the typhoon crisis?

Links: http://www.medianewser.com/2013/11/korina-vs-anderson-whose-side-are-you-on.html#.Uof_ZcSVdT9

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/15/anderson-cooper-defends-philippines-coverage_n_4280683.html