Warning: Plan now or pay later

Severe weather can cause major disruptions for government entities. By asking questions and taking action now, county officials can help mitigate the damage wrought by a natural disaster.

If the record-breaking 2005 hurricane season taught us anything, it was the importance of taking active steps to prepare your organization before a natural disaster hits. Hurricane Katrina showed that a powerful storm can create havoc far beyond its immediate landing zone. Organizations thousands of miles from the Gulf Coast suffered losses as the storm damaged property and disrupted business operations in numerous industries and regions.

While the 2006 hurricane season was light by comparison, hurricane trackers at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and elsewhere predict an above-average hurricane season for 2007.

North Carolina county facilities and operations are exposed to property damage and disruption from high winds and related flooding. Before a storm hits, counties should have a strategy and plans in place to assess damage and recover operations and services.

Understanding the potential disruption that severe weather, such as hurricanes and other natural disasters, can have on your organization’s operations is the first step in disaster preparation. All levels of your organization’s operations should know their role before, during and after a storm. To gauge your preparedness before the storm hits, ask the following questions:

• Do I understand my potential natural disaster losses and how to mitigate impacts?
• Do employees and managers know what to do? Have emergency procedures been reviewed and exercised?
• Do employees and the public know evacuation routes?
• Are there pre-storm procedures in place to secure buildings from high wind and flood damage?
• Are plans in place for communicating with employees and other key organizations before, during and after the storm?
• Are there established procedures to back up and/or recover digital data that could be lost during a storm?
• Has essential technical expertise been identified to assist in securing data systems and media prior to storm landfall?
• Are vital key records and documents secured in place or transported to a safe place for later access?

Once the storm has passed there are several additional planning and recovery questions to consider:

• Has a central point of contact and assembly location and/or incident command center been determined should immediate access to damaged building be unavailable?
• Is there a damage assessment protocol that can communicate information about the amount of damage to buildings, safety and environmental considerations and initiate the claims procedure?
• Does this protocol or plan provide for securing inaccessible and damaged sites?
• Is there a plan in place to allow effective communication with employees, customers, key vendors, the media, public officials and the general public?
• Should a telephone number be established for employee call in?
• Is there a plan for providing assistance to employees and their families? Can transportation be provided to accelerate a return to work?
• Has an emergency response contractor been identified to respond to damaged locations and conduct salvage and restoration operations?
• Are there procedures in place to resume critical operations and business functions at a remote location equipped with sufficient work stations, access to telephone, computer systems, etc.?
• Have emergency accounting and reporting procedures been established to accurately measure and track the extent of property and financial losses?
• Are all equipment inventories available off-site to speed up replacement?
• Will my current policies sufficiently cover any natural disaster property and casualty claims, including organization interruption losses? How can I present my claims to ensure maximum recovery?

Based on proximity to the coast, certain county facilities have a higher risk of exposure to severe wind and flood damage. Risk computer modeling can be used to analyze and quantify building risk impact.

Hurricane season continues until November. Even if your organization has been spared the effects of hurricanes in the past, it is wise to prepare for the 2007 season. Although no one can predict when, where and with what intensity a weather-related incident will strike, organizations can protect and preserve their people, facilities and operations best by being prepared for the worst.

You may not be able to control the weather. But you can control the impact it has on your organization and the services you provide to citizens.