A couple of weeks after the Norfolk Southern train derailment in Ohio last February, I wrote a highly critical post about the company’s initial response to the fiery wreck and ensuing hazardous chemical release. The Atlanta-based company had, in my view, made several significant public relations miscues, including being too slow to respond, skipping an important community meeting, keeping the CEO out of the public eye, and clumsily and inadequately demonstrating concern for the citizens of East Palestine, Ohio.

“Companies in crisis need to be transparent, accountable and visible,” I wrote at the time. “But Norfolk Southern doesn’t appear to be going by a conventional crisis PR playbook.”

My view of that early response has not changed. But a year later – on the one-year anniversary of the derailment – I believe Norfolk Southern has taken significant strides to improve its subsequent and ongoing response in East Palestine. Have these later steps erased memories of the earlier missteps? Probably not. Has the brand undone the damage from last year’s PR fiasco? Perhaps, at least in part. Can lessons be learned? Absolutely.

First, memories are long and controversies die hard (if ever). What happened on the night of Feb. 3, 2023 and the following days will forever be etched into the fabric of tiny East Palestine. The derailment of 38 cars resulted in a fire and damage to another dozen cars, and fears over the release of hazardous chemicals aboard 20 of those cars caused the evacuation of nearly 2,000 residents. Three days later, authorities performed a controlled explosion of five cars and burned the toxic contents – only heightening residents’ concerns of contamination. For months, media coverage was intense and non-stop. But even a year later, reporters continue to write about the derailment. Grist, the nonprofit climate reporting site, recently published a story titled: “1 year after the toxic derailment, is East Palestine safe? Depends on whom you ask.” More stories will follow, all of them to live forever on the internet.

Second, a delayed response only causes more brand damage. It wasn’t until Feb. 16 of last year that CEO Alan Shaw issued a public statement stating that Norfolk Southern would not walk away from East Palestine, and as of that date, he had still not provided media interviews, appeared at a press conference, or released a videotaped statement expressing his concern – steps most seasoned crisis PR practitioners would have recommended given the dire circumstances and potential damage to the brand. The Feb. 16 statement also came a day after a meeting of frustrated residents in East Palestine that Norfolk Southern did not attend. When a company representative at last attended a city meeting in early March and tried to apologize, residents shouted over him.

Third, show me, don’t tell me, that you care. While repairing the damage done in a crisis begins with quickly choosing the right words and consistently delivering that messaging to all stakeholders, ultimately what matters are the actions taken by companies in the aftermath. While Norfolk Southern was slow out of the gate, what has impressed me most are the ways they are giving back to the East Palestine community. An initial $25,000 promise of assistance – which I called “paltry” at the time – has blossomed to more than $100 million. It includes $21 million paid directly to residents, $25 million to improve the city park, $25 million for a regional safety training center that comes with new jobs, $9 million for local first responders, and $2 million for community-chosen projects. I also read that the company purchased an abandoned car dealership in town that it’s renovating into its East Palestine headquarters, and is restoring an old train depot that will be donated to the city. These gestures will go a long way toward healing the community and the brand.

Fourth, the CEO or top executive must have a public face in a crisis. They need to be out front, confident, serious, caring and, yes, even saddened. Instead of shielding them during a crisis, we should prepare them to give interviews and consistently deliver messaging that shows they are concerned, working to identify the cause of the problem, taking care of those adversely affected, and trying to make certain this never happens again. I was encouraged to see that Shaw was recently in East Palestine, meeting with reporters, among others, to discuss the state of the cleanup and the company’s ongoing commitment to the community.

Fifth, plan, rehearse and train for the pain. I have no insight into whether Norfolk Southern had a crisis communications plan before the derailment, or had one but chose not to follow it, or had one that was poorly conceived, but most mid-sized companies on up should have a crisis comms plan ready to go. Drafting one during a crisis isn’t advisable. Once the plan is done, update it periodically and practice it at least once a year. Mock crisis training is a valuable tool. And make certain anyone designated as a crisis spokesperson receives media training ASAP. A strong crisis plan enables a faster, stronger and more consistent response – and is the best tool to mitigate the damage from a crisis.

Sixth, listen to your lawyers, but not to the exclusion of PR counsel and other advisors who are not focused on the inevitable litigation spawned by a crisis. Some of my best crisis work has been done in tandem with lawyers, but I’ve also had my share of arguments with them. In a crisis, PR should be on equal footing with legal, and both should have access to the CEO throughout.

Finally, crises come at a great cost. In PR, we often talk in terms of brand damage, which can be difficult to quantify. But crises have real and readily identifiable costs, including large sums of money, countless jobs and the very survival of companies and/or their leaders. A few days ago, Norfolk Southern announced it is cutting 7% of its managers this year – largely due to the more than $1 billion in costs related to the derailment. The environmental-related costs alone are $836 million.

I concluded the post a year ago with the words: “Hopefully, a better crisis PR response is forthcoming.” It was. But Norfolk Southern will not be the last example of a poor, initial crisis PR response or a company that rallies late to recover. 

Crisis, after all, is a part of corporate life. Planes will crash, trains will derail, lawsuits will be filed, employees will embezzle and precious customer data will be breached. So be prepared and have the courage and readiness to respond quickly, forcefully, compassionately and transparently.