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Preparing for When Disaster Hits2015 Municipal Clerks and Treasurers Institute

Columbia, SC

Prepare to Survive.

• Review basics of disaster recovery andcontinuity of operations.

• Understand what you can do toprepare your organization and staff foran unplanned interruption.

• Learn from experiences of other publicentities affected by interruptions.

Today’s Key Take-Aways

Some Disasters Happen with Little to NO Warning

Moore, OK

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Sometimes Big Events, Sometimes Small Events

Prepare Yourself, Your Organization & Your Family

New York City following Hurricane Sandy landfall on Oct 29, 2012

Prepare to Survive.

2014Disaster Retrospective

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- United States: 45 Presidentially Declared Disasters,Affecting 32 states and territories

- EIGHT U.S. disasters causing over $1 Billion in Damage(below average)

- Resulting in only 53 confirmed fatalities- Versus 113 fatalities in 2013 and 377 in 2012

- Worldwide:- Munich Re counted 980 natural catastrophe

events for 2014, representing the largest numberin the last decade.

2014 Disasters

* Data as of January 12, 2015

45 Total Disaster Declarations (FEMA.gov)

* Declarations as of January 12, 2015

2014 Federally Declared Disasters

Estimated Billion Dollar Disasters in the United States

1. Western Drought (Mostly CA)

2. September Severe Weather (CO & TX)

3. August Flooding (MI, MD, & NY)

4. June Severe Weather (NE & other Plains States)

5. May Severe Weather (CO, IL & PA)

6. April Tornadoes & Flooding (Widespread)

7. April Severe Weather (TX)

8. January Winter Storm (Widespread)

* Data as of January 12, 2015

2014 Billion Dollar Disasters

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Courtesy of: National Climate Assessment/NOAA NCDC

US Billion Dollar Disasters 1980-2012

*

US Natural Disaster Figures

* Latest Data Available from NOAA

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Agility Disaster EventsCategorized by Type (Nearly 300 Individual Events Logged in 2014)

IsolatedEvents

18%

2014 Agility Disaster EventsCategorized by Recovery Element

What Can You Do Today?

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1. Assess Your Risk – Internally & Externally

• What types of emergencies haveoccurred in the past?

• What could happen as a result ofyour facility location(s)?

• What types of emergencies couldresult from the design orconstruction of your facilities?

• What could result from a process orsystem failure?

• Will you be affected if your neighboris hit by a disaster?

Who We Are1. Assess Your Risk – Internally & Externally

City of Poquoson, VA

1. Assess Your Risk – Internally & Externally

Recent Disaster Lesson Learned

Mullins, SC – April 2012

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2. Assess Your Critical Functions

• What functions are critical to the day-to-day operations?

› First Responders, Municipal Services,Operations, Management, Finance

• How long can you withstand aninterruption to those criticalfunctions?

› 0-24 hrs, 24-48 hrs, 48-72 hrs

• What employees are essential, andwho are their backups?

2. Assess Your Critical Functions (cont.)

• Identifying critical functions is integral in resuming operationsfollowing a disaster.

• GOAL: identify all resources and personnel required to restorecritical functions during a recovery

• Typically, critical functions are those that:

1. are most sensitive to downtime;

2. fulfill legal or financial obligations to maintain cash flow;

3. play a key role in maintaining the public trust; and/or

4. safeguard an irreplaceable asset.

Who We Are

March 1 is official start of the tornado season

Tornado outbreak in Tennessee Valley, Ohio Valley, and parts of the South

45 twisters total hit: Alabama (7), Georgia (5), Indiana (3), Kentucky (9),Mississippi (1), Ohio (6), North Carolina (2), South Carolina (1), Tennessee (9),Virginia (1), West Virginia (2)

Most tornadoes were of F3 strength

One of the worst, if not the worst, March tornado events in history

Tornadoes caused:– Devastating loss of 39 human lives

– Destroyed buildings

– Widespread power outages

Kentucky Tornadoes – March 2, 2012

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Who We Are

Aerial view of the damage

Agility recovering City Hall, 3 banks, and city’s pump station

City of West Liberty

Who We Are

“This is the most devastating recovery I have ever experienced. They had a 15 minute warning and itonly took 15 seconds to devastate an entire city.”- Mike Sidoti, Agility Mobile Recovery Manager

City of West Liberty

3. Prepare Your Supply Chain

• Talk to your key vendors andsuppliers about their recoveryplans

› Ask yourself (and them) whether ithas been tested

• Develop relationships withalternate vendors

› Eliminate single points of failure

• Educate the public about theimportance of preparedness

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4. Back-Up Your Data

• Automated

• Daily back-ups

• Store in off-site, securelocation

• Test plan regularly with fullrestores done on a schedule

• Regional footprint

5. Create An Emergency Management Plan

• Program designed to effectively and efficiently respond toan event, minimize the impact, protect and reassure thepublic and prepare for recovery

• Plan for what to do after a disaster

• Facilitates transition between normal operations andcatastrophe response

• Lessons learned:

– Having access to information necessary to makeimportant decisions and getting information to theright people are equally important

• Includes:

– Notification and management of employees, citizens,vendors, suppliers and the media

6. Create a Crisis Communication Plan

• Develop a process to make sure all stakeholders (internal andexternal) are aware of decisions and expectations

• Ensure redundancies independent of cell or terrestrial networksas much as possible

› 24-hour phone tree› Password protected web page (centralized emergency status)› Previously Established Radio/TV/Print News Partners› Call-in recording system› E-Mail Alert System› Text/Data Alert system

• Manage member and key vendor/partner communications

• Prepare a media communications plan

• Consider all your different audiences:

1. Employees

2. Public

3. Media

4. Private Sector Partners

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6. Create a Crisis Communication Plan (cont.)

Starting Simple:Emergency Contact List

Create an Emergency contact list thatincludes:

• Home Phone

• Alternate Mobile

• Personal E-mail

• Family Contact Information

• Evacuation Plan

• Store Remotely for Easy Access

Setup Alert Notifications Program

• Explain Purpose

• Test Regularly

• Update regularly with any CHANGESto your organization

• Train New Hires

6. Create a Crisis Communication Plan (cont.)

Online Communications:Social Media • Post real-time status updates

• Direct public/employees toalternate locations

• Provide emergency contactinformation & instructions

• Allows easy transference ofinformation to otheraudiences

• User-friendly, searchable,universal applicability, stableplatform

6. Create a Crisis Communication Plan (cont.)

Online Presence:Your Website

• Do you have access to your WebSite during an interruption? (remoteaccess)

• Consider hosting your website at analternate location (offsite).

• Post critical information on Home &Contact pages.

• Provide employees, public,customers and business partnerswith timely information about yourorganization during a crisis

• Ensure your site has contingenciesfor any potential SPIKE in trafficduring emergency events

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6. Create a Crisis Communication Plan (cont.)

EXTERNAL Communications Strategy

• Establish a Crisis CommunicationsTeam

• Identify Spokesperson(s) &prioritization

• Train your Spokesperson(s) onthe intricacies and best practicesof communicating with the media

• Ensure all employees KNOWwho the Spokesperson is

6. Create a Crisis Communication Plan (cont.)

Caddo Nation – Binger, OK

• Break-in and robbery at Tribal Headquarters• Armed robbers• Tribal employees taken at gunpoint & held captive• Primary server stolen (financial data & software)• Hard-copy files & check stock stolen• Building ransacked• Internet connectivity held for ransom by perpetrator in whose name

the account rested• Post Office Box was also held, so mail receipt was ineffective• Perpetrator was the then-Chairman of their Tribal Council

Solution: a server and connectivity resources

7. Plan for an Alternate Location

• Mobile Recovery

› Delivered to a specific location› Ideal for small- to medium-sized operations› High level of flexibility› Cost-effective solution

• Hotsite Recovery

› Permanent, regional facility› First come, first served at time of disaster

• Other Alternatives

› Reciprocal/mutual aid agreements› Internal

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8. Assemble Emergency Supplies

Workplace Recovery Kit

• CASH

• Recovery plan

• Hand crank or solar chargers for cell phones

• Important records (insurance policies, assetinventory, contracts)

• Operating system install disks, licensing keys,passwords

• Letterhead

• Office Supplies:• Stamps, Writing Utensils, Stapler/Staples,

Tape• Printer Paper, Calculators

• Involve them in the planning/testing of your strategy

• Prepare for “work-from-home” challenges

• Cross train employees, even between departments

• Address Family Preparedness

• Provide “Build-a-Kit” workshops or other family involvement days

• Formally share the plan with new hires

9. Prepare Your Employees

Employees’ Plan Knowledge1. Do they Know the plan?

2. Do they know where to find the plan?

3. Do they know their primary role?

4. Have you shared the plan with new hires?

9. Prepare Your Employees (cont.)

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Transportation Issues1. Mass Public Transportation Shut Down

a) Car Pooling

b) Overnight accommodations nearby

2. Fuel Shortages

a) Storage of Fuel for Critical vehicles/staff

b) Fuel vendor for deliveries

3. Restricted access for non-residents

4. Damaged/destroyed vehicles

Recent Disaster Lesson Learned

9. Prepare Your Employees (cont.)

10. Exercise Your Plan

• Do an annual exercise andupdate the plan as necessary.

• There is no pass or fail.

• Make sure to re-educateemployees when any changesto the plan are made.

• Testing is a process not just aproject.

11. Educate & Prepare Your Community

Promote existing campaigns &programs spearheaded by theWhite House & FEMA:

• America’s PrepareAthon!• 2 National Days of Action

• April 30

• September 30

• National PreparednessCommunity

• Ready.gov

• CERT (CommunityEmergency Response Team)

• Municipal website section forpreparedness links & info

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Questions?

Agility Member Services866-364-9696

memberservices@agilityrecovery.com