Faster Disaster Recovery

CHAPTER 13Special Disaster Issues

Though we’ve already talked about the fact that disasters can be environmental, biological, deliberate attacks (man-made events), utility disruptions, equipment-based, attacks on information technology, economic, or some other type, there are often some disasters that business owners tend to have more questions about than others. Let’s talk about those now.

POWER OUTAGE

Power outages can be frustrating because you don’t know how long they’ll last. It could be an hour, a day, or a week. To be better prepared if this type of issue occurs at your business, there are a few actions you can take. These include:

• Check auxiliary lighting and exit lights to make sure they’re functioning.
• Provide a stock of extra flashlights and batteries, distributed throughout the facility.
• Assign a contact person to contact the utility company and provide updates to employees.
• Prepare a communications plan so employees will know how to stay updated.
• Stock up on extra gallon jugs of water to allow employees to wash their hands and flush toilets.
• If you plan to use a generator, stock up on fuel and test it under realistic conditions. (Testing its ability to support one floor is not the same as having three floors draw on power at the same time.)
• Install carbon monoxide alarms.

Once a power outage actually happens, there are a few additional things you can do to minimize any possible damages. These include powering down computer equipment (assuming it’s on battery ...