Whats the Vulnerability Index?
The number of people who feel vulnerable — and the seriousness of the vulnerability they feel — to whatever threat is posed by your organization’s crisis. Some examples to explain what I mean: • Last week I heard a journalist recently back from Afghanistan make the point that 600 people have been killed by terrorist attacks in the past year in Afghanistan, a country of several million people, while the murder rate in Washington, a city of 500,000, is 300 a year. Why are the 600 deaths in Afghanistan a bigger crisis than 300 murders in Washington? Because the randomness of the deaths in Afghanistan means more people feel threatened by them. • The sniper attacks in the Washington area two years ago raised the public fear factor far more than they raised the overall murder rate. Why? Everyone in or around the city felt vulnerable. • Cab drivers in Washington, or any other major city, pay closer attention to the murder rate than the average resident — especially if they work late at nig
