This is not a question.
Each organization has multiple audiences who want, need, or simply deserve to know what's happening and what can be expected.
First and foremost, the organization's responders need to know how to respond.
Certainly there are - should be - response plans for various "scenarios." In a "worst case" scenario, the facility "goes away," the response plan may call for a determination of damage then a management decision to restore or walk away, perhaps starting over elsewhere or, perhaps, throwing in the towel - shutting down the organization.
All employees need this information, and they need it as quickly as possible. That does not necessarily mean while the ashes still are hot, but "as soon as possible" and always within 24 hours. Not knowing if a job will be there tomorrow is more traumatic than knowing a job has been lost.
If the decision is to walk away from the operation, there should be a policy and procedure known to all personnel from their employment Day 1 so they will know what to expect as severance.
If the decision is to rebuild elsewhere, personnel need to be told what to expect - everyone who wants to relocate will receive relocation assistance, those who don't will receive severance, etc.
If the decision is to rebuild locally, policies and procedures known to all personnel from employment Day 1 will spell out compensation arrangements - overtime and compensatory time for responders, furlough pay for those told to stay at home.
For all the policies and procedures, management should reinforce the information with both verbal and written statements to personnel and their families. This must be done before any public statements are made which relate to personnel.
The community in which the organization needs to know what to expect. Local media are the best tools for this. Since the media probably won't wait for a damage assessment, the organization should have a boilerplate (prepared) statement to the effect that "We must evaluate the damage before we can make any commitments; we expect to have the evaluation completed within (time frame)."
Make certain the deadline can be met. If the deadline is missed, tell the audience why it was missed and set a new deadline. The second deadline must be met.
When to talk to the media? That depends on the media. If there is a local morning newspaper, talk to the media in the afternoon. If the paper hits the streets in the afternoon, try to meet with reporters as early in the day as possible. The news will make the local TV evening and night news, but the newspaper will still have a "first day" article. TV and radio can provide almost instant sound bites and film clips, but the newspaper is still the only vehicle for in-depth coverage.
Vendors and major clients/customers should be notified that an event occurred and that the damage is being evaluated. As with the local media, tell the audience when it can expect a decision on the organization's future.
Lenders also have a right to know what happened and what will happen. Ideally, lenders will learn about the event from organization management rather than the media.
While it is possible to tell the same story to each audience, it is better to tailor the story to each audience's interest. Likewise, it may be advisable for different people to deliver the story.
For example, the organization's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or other senior executive involved with the organization's finances is the prime candidate to talk to the financial community.
The Chief Executive Office (CEO) or Chief Operating Officer (COO) should talk to the organization's staff. The task should not be delegated to HR or disseminated via mid-level managers; employee morale is important.
What about executive level spokes folks who lack the ability to speak to the public? With the exception of the organization's personnel, professional spokesmen and spokeswomen from the organization's communications department can speak for the organization. No matter how poorly a C*O's presentation skills, a trusted C*O should be the one to talk to the organization's personnel. The employees may already know public speaking is not the executive's forte.
