BUSINESS DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

What if tomorrow was not like today? 
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​Chances are that tomorrow will be pretty much like today:   predictable, understandable, and safe.  Your office will be there when you arrive.  Your co-workers will make it too, more or less on time.  Your computer will offer you a clear window on the world, and bring you the day's news.  

But once in a while, tomorrow is different.  Earthquakes happen, fires start overnight, thieves find the door that never did quite latch, or -- name your disaster here.   

According to the Insurance Information Institute, up to 40% of businesses hit by natural or human caused disasters never re-open.  They close because their normal processes are overwhelmed by loss:  loss of data, inventory, space, personnel, or all of the above.

So how do you make sure your business is one of the survivors?  By thinking about potential disasters before they happen, making a plan, and practicing to make sure the plan works. 

​More information can be found at the sites in the Links we Like section, but here's the critical list:
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• Assign people to be responsible for the disaster plan
• List the main categories of events that could impact your business
• Check if there are laws or regulation that determine minimum standards of preparedness
• Assess risks and ways to reduce them
• Document your disaster plan - and make sure people can get to the plan outside the office
• Test the plan, and update regularly as needed

What should your disaster plan include?  Details and scope will differ by business, but in general, all companies need to ensure they have a plan to reach employees, customers, and vendors, a place and supplies to conduct business, and access to critical data.  

FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Association, offers the following list of the things to consider while creating a disaster plan:
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• Resource Management: Resources needed for responding to emergencies, continuing business operations and communicating during and after an incident should be identified and assessed.  
• Emergency Response Plan: Plans to protect people, property and the environment should be developed. Plans should include evacuation, sheltering in place and lockdown as well as plans for other types of threats identified during the risk assessment.   
• Crisis Communications Plan: A plan should be established to communicate with employees, customers, the news media, and stakeholders.   
• Business Continuity Plan: A business continuity plan that includes recovery strategies to overcome the disruption of business should be developed.   
• Information Technology Plan: A plan to recover computer hardware, connectivity, and electronic data to support critical business processes should be developed.   
• Employee Assistance & Support: The business preparedness plan should encourage employees and their families to develop family preparedness plans. Plans should also be developed to support the needs of employees following an incident.   
• Incident Management: An incident management system is needed to define responsibilities and coordinate activities before, during, and following an incident.   
• Training: Persons with a defined role in the preparedness program should be trained to do their assigned tasks. All employees should be trained so they can take appropriate protective actions during an emergency.

Most tomorrows are just like today -- but if your business has a disaster plan, you can feel more confident that it can survive that one tomorrow -- that isn't.

     A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow."  
- George S. Patton

     It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him."
- J.R.R. Tolkien, in The Hobbit

      Our nation's emergency managers, firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMT/paramedics, and other emergency responders do an incredible job of keeping us safe, but they cannot do it alone. We must all embrace our personal responsibility to be prepared - in doing so; we contribute to the safety and security of our communities as well."   - ready.gov