It is a crisis media management incident that has been labelled “shocking” by the Prime Minister.
And a situation described as a “public health emergency” by the leader of the Liberal Democrats.
So, you might imagine that the boss of the organisation responsible would have plenty to say to try and reassure those impacted and attempt to regain some control of the narrative.
Well, you would be wrong.
We are, of course, discussing the story of South East Water and its handling of a water supply issue in Tunbridge Wells that saw the spa town run dry.
The crisis has impacted 24,000 properties, leaving them with little or no water for days.
And the water they had needed to be boiled before being used for drinking, washing up, preparing food or brushing teeth.
Such has been the significance and impact of the crisis that Tunbridge Wells MP Mike Martin has called for "Covid-style" compensation to help businesses impacted by the water supply crisis.
He’s also called for South East Water boss David Hinton to resign, saying: “I won't be resting until there's a resignation at the top.”
And that leads us seamlessly to one of the most remarkable crisis communication aspects of this crisis and the part I want to focus this blog (at least this blog flows properly) – Mr Hinton’s absence from the public eye.
The situation has resembled a real-life edition of Where’s Wally, with journalists trying to track down the elusive, camera-shy and seemingly invisible boss.
Here’s a few of the headlines that grabbed my attention.
Additionally, when BBC Kent sent political reporter Michael Keohan to South East Water’s headquarters to put residents’ questions to the boss, he was told Mr Hinton was “unavailable for comment”.
It’s quite something when the media is running stories about trying – and failing – to track down the boss of an under-fire organisation.
And it is certainly not a great look.
It is also a weird, baffling, and deeply flawed crisis communication approach.
This has not been a short-term incident that people quickly move on from and forget about.
It is a crisis that has caused major upheaval for residents and businesses for the best part of a week – there have been calls to bring the army in to help.
Such a crisis requires visible leadership.
People need to see that the incident is being managed by the top of the organisation. That those in charge are taking action to resolve the situation. And, most importantly, that they care about what has happened.
In a crisis like this, they also want to see that the boss knows what is happening on the ground and is listening to those suffering.
We regularly discuss visible leadership during our crisis communication training courses – it is something that can be tricky to get right.
It’s a balancing act with several considerations at play.
If the CEO is wheeled out at the start, it can create an expectancy that they will front every media interview.
And there is no way of escalating your response if the crisis worsens.
Additionally, turning to your CEO every time something goes wrong will reduce their impact.
But, at the other end of the equation, you need to put them forward before people start to ask where they are.
Getting the balance right requires an early and ongoing assessment about the crisis, its likely longevity, potential impact, and the risk to reputation – and some crisis comms nous.
We should say that South East Water has put other spokespeople forward. I’ve seen footage of Douglas Whitfield, the company’s water supply director, speaking to BBC Kent.
And, Dr Neil Hudson, the head of water quality, has been quoted in a statement.
But, with all due respect to them, that is not enough.
Mr Hinton should have been giving media interviews. There should have been footage of him lugging bottled water about to help impacted residents.
As a minimum, there should be videos of him discussing the crisis and apologising on social media.
Facing the media – and customers - during the tough times is part of the job.
His absence has become the narrative of the crisis.
The perception is that he has gone missing when he was needed the most.
And that is painfully hot water for any CEO to find themselves in.
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