Time and Tide Wait for No PR Man

On an early Monday evening I sat in my front yard, admiring my freshly cut grass and grousing about the growing list of work I needed to do on my aging house. My cell phone rang–it was a respected PR firm in NYC asking if I could go to Joplin, Missouri to manage PR on the ground for Tide’s “Loads of Hope” and Duracell’s “Power Relief” efforts. (AlexanderG’s membership in the PRConsultants Group made this happen. We love being part of PRCG!)

There was very little time to plan–time and Tide wait for no (PR) man. They needed me there Wednesday as Duracell was opening up for business then and Tide was setting up to open Thursday. I had to get my media lists together, consult with NYC on key messaging and make sure I had a place to stay. My wife’s aunt lives in Joplin–luckily her house escaped the worst of the storm and I could stay with her.

The Tide Loads of Hope mobile laundry program provides free full service laundry to relief workers and residents who need resources and support following the storm–we’re talking washed, dried and folded, free of charge. Pretty cool. Duracell’s Power Relief Trailer gave community members the ability to reconnect with their loved ones through recharging stations for their mobile devices, distribution of key Duracell products and information on how to get assistance in the area. It also features a computer kiosk station and Wi-Fi to help in recovery efforts.

News reports that described Joplin as looking like a “war zone” were not being hyperbolic. Set up a mile or two from the heart of the damaged area in a Wal-Mart parking lot, I worked a couple of very long days managing media covering the Tide/Duracell relief efforts. I interacted with the AP, local TV, newspapers from Joplin and St. Louis as well as radio and TV from the Kansas City-area. I kept in constant communication with NYC as well as managing a team of photographers and videographers who recorded the Joplin residents as they enjoyed the comforts of clean clothes and recharged mobile devices and computer access.

Joplin was a lot of activity crammed into a few days, but very rewarding. It was a good reminder when I returned home that the long list of home improvements I groused about only days earlier mean so little compared to the loss the citizens of Joplin have endured.