Abstract:
On October 21, 2001, a postal worker from a mail sorting facility in Washington, DC, died of inhalation anthrax--a disease virtually unseen for a century. The next day, a second employee from the same facility died. Fear of anthrax had already infected the public: media workers in Florida and New York City had contracted the disease. In addition, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) had received an anthrax-laden letter, his staff were all on antibiotics, and the Senate and House of Representatives buildings had closed for anthrax tests. This new threat re-ignited a sense of public panic. Virtually overnight, the United States Postal Service (USPS) found itself at the eye of a national security and public health storm.
Learning Objective:
This case discusses crisis management and how a large organization (USPS) dealt with the anthrax crisis while under the public eye. This is good for students interested in crisis management, law enforcement, and disaster preparedness.
