Your Workplace: Preparing for Disaster

First there was the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, then the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and now Katrina, just to name a few disasters of the last decade. In fact, the number of declared major disasters nearly doubled in the 1990's.

Although chances of a major disaster affecting you personally may be slim (given the huge size and population of our country), it doesn't mean, of course, that you shouldn't be prepared. And, according to Ready Business, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), businesses as well as families should develop an emergency plan to make our country and our economy more secure.

"America's businesses form the backbone of the nation's economy; small businesses alone account for more than 99% of all companies with employees," notes Ready Business at www.ready.gov. "If businesses are READY to survive and recover, the nation and our economy are more secure."

Aeneas Internet and Telephone was ready for Mother Nature on May 4, 2003. The company was among the more than 400 businesses in Tennessee hit by an F4 tornado, packing winds greater than 200 miles per hour. Aeneas lost more than $1 million in hardware and software, and its home office was reduced to rubble. But less than 72 hours later, Aeneas was back, fully serving its clients' needs.

"There was nothing left of our building. Just piles of bricks and concrete. We lost everything," Aeneas Internet and Telephone CEO Jonathan Harlan told Ready Business. "But back-up systems were in place and our employees worked from other locations. And because we were ready, our customers never knew the difference."

That kind of phoenix-like resurrection requires several key steps, according to Ready Business (SEE SIDE STORY), including:

Plan to Stay in Business. Develop a business continuity plan to manage any emergency situation.

Know what kinds of emergencies might affect your company, both man-made and natural.
Think about the basics of survival: fresh water, food, clean air and warmth.
Develop and practice plans for both evacuating and sheltering in place.
Remember that fire is the most common of all business disasters, so have fire safety procedures in place.

Talk to Your People. Critical to the success of your readiness plan is employee communication and contact. So, discuss your company's disaster plans with employees to hear their feedback and concerns.

Include people from all levels in emergency planning.
Detail how you will be in contact with employees, customers and others during and after a disaster.
Create an emergency contact list – one with a phone number for employees to call to let the company know they are safe, and one with contact information that the employer can use to reach the employee.

Financial services company Morgan Stanley understands all too well the value of developing a continuity plan and communicating that plan repeatedly to its people, according to Ready Business. In 1993, when terrorists first attacked the World Trade Center, it took the company four hours to evacuate its employees. Company management decided that wasn't good enough. So, the company developed a multi-faceted disaster plan. Just as important, employees practiced the plan frequently.

On September 11, 2001, all the preparation paid off. Immediately after the first hijacked plane struck One World Trade Center, Morgan Stanley security executives ordered the company's 3800 employees to evacuate. This time, it took them just 45 minutes to get out to safety.

After a disaster, companies can also take important steps to help their employees get back on their feet. Given that employees are one of a company's greatest assets, those efforts can help speed an employer's recovery as well.

Most of the larger companies in the region affected by Hurricane Katrina, for example, have launched major campaigns — mostly built around toll-free hotlines — to locate missing workers and to offer help to them and their families.

Despite the challenges of trying to get hold of thousands of people who may have relocated or who may be isolated by water and spotty phone service, many companies believe their efforts are paying off. Among them, according to an earlier report in USA Today:

Marriott International — which has gone to shelters passing out T-shirts with its toll-free number — has located about half of its 2,800 employees in the region.
The Starwood hotel chain is tracking employees through Social Security numbers and a toll-free hotline. "I have never seen a company take care of people like this," said Robear Hamada, director of food and beverage at W Hotels, a Starwood unit.
Home Depot has heard from all but 600 of its almost 5,000 workers in the area. They can check in — or go to work — at any of its stores. "We want to get the message out that they can go to any Home Depot in the country and get a job," said spokesman David Sandor.

Though each situation is unique, any organization can be better prepared if it plans carefully, puts emergency procedures in place, and practices for emergencies of all kinds.