Disasters, whether natural, technological, or human-made, rarely come with much warning. From hurricanes and wildfires to cyberattacks and global pandemics, the range of potential crises facing organizations today is broader and more unpredictable than ever. Planning and preparation are the keys to surviving and recovering from an emergency.
Whether you’re leading a nonprofit, private enterprise, or public institution, preparing for disaster today is the best way to protect your people, operations, and reputation tomorrow. Here’s some key information to help get your organization ready for, and recover from, the worst-case scenario.
How to prepare for a crisis
The best way to handle a crisis is to never be surprised. An organization that has taken the time to think through its response to an emergency will recover faster. It’s well worth the effort to develop extensive crisis-specific and business-specific plans.
What disasters should you consider?
Before coming up with an emergency action plan, key members of your organization must brainstorm all the situations the business could face. Depending on your location, for example, you may be more concerned with tornados and severe weather than others. A facility with a big water park will have different scenarios to plan for than one with a small wading pool. An organization caring for young children will have entirely different considerations than one that doesn’t.
To determine the most pressing issues facing your organization, spend time thinking about what keeps you up at night. What events (both weather-related and non-weather-related) are at the forefront of your mind? These are likely the crises you need to be focusing on the most.
What if your organization is forced to shut down?
Business continuity is the process of planning how an organization will best respond to a crisis in order to get back up and running as quickly as possible. The goal of a business continuity plan is to have as little interruption to normal business operation as possible.
While planning, consider the different ways business operations could continue after a disaster. Identify the key business functions necessary to minimize lost income. Here are some questions that can help work through this process:
- Are there plans to use an alternative site or secondary location if needed?
- How will the computer system get back up and running and how important is internet access?
- Are copies of essential documents stored somewhere safe off-site?
- How long can the organization operate without electricity? Water?
- How long can the business be closed before losing a significant sum of money?
- Can the organization operate with sections of the building closed and/or under repair?
Helpful Resources on Ready.gov
Ready.gov has many useful tools for this type of planning:
- Business Impact Analysis Worksheet
- Business Continuity Resource Requirements
- Business Continuity Planning
Preparing for all types of emergencies, no matter how unlikely, will result in less interruption to the essential business operations.
How can you ensure a consistent emergency response?
Once all possible scenarios have been identified and a plan has been developed, a formal emergency action plan needs to be created. An emergency action plan should clearly lay out potential emergencies and the response for each one. All staff members should be trained and know what their role is in an emergency.
Practice. Practice. Practice!
Once an emergency action plan is in place, it’s important to practice. If possible, run through potential scenarios and responses with the entire team. If problems with the plan are identified, address them as soon as possible. In fact, it’s highly unlikely that your initial plans will have considered every possible scenario. These situations should be viewed as important learning opportunities.
What to do after a crisis
Once the crisis is over, it’s time to focus on the business continuity plan. Take steps right away to minimize damage. Afterwards, your organization can focus on recovery and also learning from the disaster response to help in the future.
Immediate steps to take after a crisis
When it is safe to resume operation, immediately begin taking steps to get the organization up and running, starting with the key business functions. If the building has sustained damage, a structural engineer should assess if it can be used while it’s being repaired. If it can’t, start making plans to use an alternative site. This is also when you’d initiate the claim process with your organization’s insurance company.
Recovering from a disaster
Once core business functions have been restored, the focus changes to recovery. If a natural disaster struck, the entire community may be rebuilding. Employees may be out of a job or without a home while repairs are made, increasing stress on their family’s budget. If an incident occurred where someone was hurt or killed, be sensitive to any families or individuals directly involved. Respect their privacy. Staff members in these circumstances may need additional help or counseling. Provide resources to support all staff members.
Post-disaster investigation
Initiate a thorough investigation to assess why the incident happened and how the organization responded. Did the emergency action plan work? What needs to be changed for the future? Take steps to enhance safety if necessary and improve the response to the next emergency.
No organization is immune to disaster, but with the right preparation, the impact can be significantly reduced. Planning ahead and training your team position your organization to respond with confidence and recover more quickly. Taking action today is the key to safeguarding your future.
