Family Disaster Planning for the Office

• By Ralph C. Jensen
• Nov 05, 2007

The federal government is a master at applying pressure to get what it wants. It is doing just that to Washington, D.C., and its suburbs in preparation for developing extensive evacuation plans. Nothing like this has taken place since the Cold War, but officials are mapping escape routes, stockpiling bedding for shelters and designating pickup points for those without a car.

Results from a Department of Homeland Security study indicate that the nation’s capitol was far from prepared for a major disaster. In fact, DHS officials identified problems in coordinating response and evacuation, not to mention medical care and the release of information, during a terrorist attack or other emergency.

As you might image, officials in and around D.C. are aggressively planning, spending $1.4 million in federal grant money to draw up a regional evacuation plan. The district spent as much as $3 million for blankets, cots and prepared meals alone. Millions more dollars are expected later this year from the federal coffers to expand the region’s disaster planning efforts.

One fear is that the infrastructure is already strained. For instance, the highways and Metro system in D.C. could be overwhelmed by an exodus of people. Also, there are 13 state and local governments in the region, plus an enormous federal system. Who would decide to say what to residents fleeing from disaster?

Even though urban evacuation plans are better than they’ve ever been, no one is really in charge. The truth of the matter is that in most disaster scenarios, residents are safer at home—even during a chemical or biological incident. Fleeing residents would only endanger themselves by tying up the highways or being exposed to fallout.

In 1955, the government worked on a plan of evacuating 15,000 government employees from the district in an atomic bomb drill. This drill assumed a three-hour warning and totaled 100,000 dead in Washington. This is not exactly an evacuation plan made to work well. However, after 9/11, another evacuation plan was drawn up in which 19 roads would be turned into one-way expressways out of town. Being prepared is not about outrunning a disaster, but knowing how to cope with eventualities.

It’s not like the federal government hasn’t thought of a disaster before. But there is a movement afoot that suggests residents should provide for themselves, and the smallest thing people can do is prepare a 72-hour kit for each person in the home. Such a kit provides a means of sustaining one’s household for three days in case of emergency.

Have a three-month supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. Do this by purchasing extra items each week to build a one-week supply. Then you can increase your supply until you have enough for three months. You should rotate these items carefully to ensure they are fresh.

Store drinking water to make sure the water you have is not contaminated. Store water in sturdy, leak-proof, breakage-resistant containers. Consider using plastic bottles commonly used for juices and soft drinks. Keep water containers away from heat sources and direct sunlight.

Establish a financial reserve by putting away a little money each week and gradually increasing it to a reasonable amount. This personal plan is similar to a business continuity plan. Some of the absolute basics of a business plan include developing and practicing a contingency agenda that includes a succession plan for your CEO. Train backup employees to perform emergency tasks. Determine offsite crisis meeting places for top executives.

Make sure all employees or family members are involved in the exercises so that they get practice in responding to an emergency. Invest in an alternate means of communication in case the phone networks go down. In business, practice crisis communication with employees, customers and the outside world. Form partnerships with local emergency response groups, such a firefighters, police and EMTs. Evaluate your company’s performance during each test and work toward constant improvement.

Last, but not least, test your plan regularly to reveal and accommodate changes.

Your personal preparedness is reflective of how prepared you will be in a business environment. You cannot have inadequate planning and achieve success. Business recovery and continuity are successful when you’ve identified all critical systems with detailed plans to recover them to the current day. It also is imperative that you gain support from senior-level managers.

Like many security issues, continuity planning comes down to basic risk management. How much risk can you, your company or family tolerate, and how much is it willing to spend to mitigate various risks? There likely is no absolute answer, but half-hearted disaster recovery planning isn’t going to prove successful when it counts most.

Revisit your plans at home and take stock of a 72-hour kit for you and your family. Review your supplies and stock up on those things that are necessary to protect yourselves. Invest in your company’s plan by taking care of those closest to you. Being prepared for a disaster means the recovery efforts will be easier, quicker and more complete.

Rehearsing your plan is extremely important, but keep in mind, you should have realistic practices both with your family and with your employees. The idea that you can wait until a disaster strikes is wrong and flies in the face of everything known about successful disaster response.