Natural disasters, crimes, and mental health emergencies are just a few events that, while rare, require a specific communication strategy. And it’s best not to decide that strategy in the moment, when stress levels and emotions are running high.

So in the event of a crisis, what’s the best way to inform residents of what’s happening and keep them up to date as developments happen? Which staff members should be tasked with talking to emergency response teams and the media? What part does social media play in all  of this?

These are some of the questions we sought to answer during this week’s #AptChat; these are the highlights. (Click on the links to jump straight to a specific question.)


What are some of the craziest situations you’ve encountered on site?


How do you train staff for these situations? Who is typically responsible for talking to police, media when something happens?


How is crisis communication impacted by social media? Have you seen crises pop up on social first? How do you handle those?


How can you effectively use your social media and other tech tools to most effectively communicate with residents?

Our next #AptChat is slated for Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at 12 pm Eastern, and we’ll be discussing how to get renewals. In the meantime, be sure to sign up for #AptChat updates to get these recaps and more delivered straight to your inbox!