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LONG-TERM RECOVERY
Getting Back to Normal
By Judy Bell, CEM
Disaster Survival Planning, Inc.
In past disasters businesses, schools, and public
agencies set up temporary operations immediately after a disaster any
way and anywhere they could. In the first weeks following the Northridge
earthquake, makeshift cardboard signs were used extensively to convey
critical information about hours of business and temporary locations.
Signs were painted on storefronts to indicate who was open. Boarded windows
carried advertisements for glass repair companies as well as lumber and
other critical suppliers. There was an overwhelming sense of urgency to
provide at least the most basic services quickly.
As time progressed, the more tedious job of rebuilding
to return operations to normal began. Many groups were ill-prepared to
deal with this lengthy and often frustrating task. Before disaster strikes
your organization, take the time now to address the following areas.
ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF DAMAGES
Do you have current videotapes or photographs of your
existing facilities and equipment? What about your inventory? Photos of
the damage will be much more meaningful if they can be compared with what
you had before.
ALTERNATE SUPPLIERS
What if your normal vendors can't get their doors
open quickly? What items will be most critical for you to be able to do
business, and how will you obtain them? What kind of expedited procurement
process do you need? How will you pay for these goods?
EMPLOYEE REACTIONS
What counseling services can you arrange for now to
be available to address your employees' concerns? If disaster strikes
while employees are at the workplace, they may need help both immediately
following the event and later if they must return to the same location.
The more you plan now, the quicker your organization
will return to normal. The sooner people know that their work or school
environment is back to normal, the quicker their emotional healing will
begin. Remember our motto "Plan Today...Survive Tomorrow". It
means both economic and physical survival. Make sure that your group is
one that succeeds!
This article was first published in the BICEPP Newsletter.
About the author:
Judy Bell, CEM, is a Retired Division Operations
Manager at Pacific Bell, and President of Disaster Survival Planning,
Inc., Port Hueneme, California 93041, (805) 984-9547, Fax (805) 984-2601,
Website: www.disaster-survival.com
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