(Hurricane) Irene Shares Her Favorite Last-minute Business Continuity Steps

Businesses are going to want to do more than just make sure the lights are turned out when they leave the office this weekend.

In anticipation of Hurricane Irene, people all over the East Coast are stocking up on supplies, putting fresh batteries into flashlights and radios, filling up vehicles with gas, moving objects inside that might fly away and moving stuff upstairs that might get damaged by flood waters.

Since 65 million people up and down the I-95 corridor and the businesses that serve them will be exposed to the storm, most businesses — especially those close to coastal areas — are battening down the hatches in a variety of ways.

When a severe summer storm is imminent, planning for power failure and flooding is crucial — particularly if you’re going to have staff on-site. Therefore, do these things before the disaster.

1) Check supply of and access to bottled drinking water, flashlights and batteries.

2) Distribute and review evacuation plan with employees.

3) Bring in outdoor objects and anchor objects that cannot be brought inside.

4) Secure building by closing and boarding up windows.

5) Ensure that sensitive data and material are secured and protected.

Power failure

1) Identify all critical operations, including:

• utilities including electric, gas, water, hydraulics, compressed air, sewer systems;
• security and alarm systems, elevators, lighting, life support systems, HVAC and electrical distribution;
• sump pump;
• communication, including data and voice networks, transaction support and transmission devices; and
• transportation systems to ensure ability to leave/enter office if power is out.

2) Determine impact of service disruption.

3) Establish procedures for restoring systems; determine need for backup systems.

4) Keep computer files and operating systems backed up. Turn off all computers, monitors, printers, copiers, scanners and other devices.

5) Call local utilities to determine when to expect the outage.

Flooding

1) Shut off all electrical equipment, information systems and computer systems.

2) Turn off main power switch.

3) Lock facility and turn off the main water valve, if possible.

4) Elevate furniture to protect it from flooding or move it to a higher floor.

5) Update your blog.

These tips and a lot more are in the HR Guide to Business Continuity, a comprehensive instructional volume on how to keep your organization functioning in the event of a catastrophic event, including hurricanes, power failures and flooding.