Disaster Planning Is Your Organization Ready

Disaster Planning

Is your organization ready?

You probably think your organization is well prepared for emergencies, huh? We have all collected our hurricane kits; we have our flashlights and extra batteries. Hopefully you can answer the following questions as well. If not, perhaps it is time to reassess how ready you really are.

Personnel

Where will your employees evacuate if disaster hits during working hours? Do you have a safe meeting place to count heads?

Do you have updated emergency contacts for each of your employees (including cell phones)?

What are the alterntive routes of transit (roads, bus routes, rail systems, waterways, etc.) from your building should one be blocked?

What emergency supplies are kept at the office? (a list from Red Cross may be found at:

Do all your employees know where the first aid kit is kept, or where the nearest fire extinguisher is? (Fun tip: go to random employees’ desks, tell them to close their eyes, and tell you where these emergency supplies may be found or two ways to get out of the building. You will both be surprised at the results!)

Do your employees have a bomb threat phone prompt? (a short one can be found at:

Which employees are trained in CPR or emergency medical response?

How will you assist employees with special needs (wheelchair-bound, elderly, pregnant, diabetic, etc.)?

Do you have a designated alternative work site? Do all your employees know how to get there?

How could you seal off a room or section of the building from contaminated air?

Do your employees know how to determine if a package is “suspicious?” (description can be found on page 152 of the Terrorism response guide found at:

Data

Where is your organization’s data stored? What back-ups do you have?

Do your employees know how to protect their computers before they leave (if time permits?)

What back-up power source do you have?

Where is your list of vendors and service suppliers for critical systems?

What files and/or equipment are crucial to save if time permitted?

Customers

How will you reassure your customers or clients that you are still in business (or down for a while with a date and/or time of anticipated restored service?)

Who will communicate with the media (if necessary)?

Financial

Is your organization’s insurance plan adequate?

How much is your organization willing to spend to make it safer?

Unfortunately, we need to think beyond hurricanes and simple power outages these days. Being prepared won’t prevent disasters, but it could prevent further injuries or financial setbacks.

Resources