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Just curious... Do most of you feel like your companies are well prepared if disaster were to strike? What do you think they should have in place that they currently don't?

I thinking of various types of disasters, basically revolving around whether or not the building remains standing, whether or not the utlities needed for the building are available and whether or not employees will be able to work.

For example:

1) Power Outage (extended)
2) Pandemic
3) Fire / Natural Disaster that destroys building individually
4) Disaster that destroys community

How would they communicate with employees? Do they have all data backed up off site? Do they have an evacuation plan in place? Is it practiced? What else are they doing to prepare and how are they involving employees?

Marie

Every company I have worked for in the San Francisco Bay Area has been well prepared and had meetings or informal training.  I remember when I worked for the Bank of America (ooh many years ago) that all data from Nor Calif was backed up on Southern Cal and visa versa, we had emergency training, l.  (some of the topic quite morbid, how if there was a disaster to take care of a dead body...). We had emergency ration packs somewhere in the office.   I remember I was working there in 1989 when the Bay Area had the earthquake that broke the bay bridge. (I was actually on BART going home from work).  We had phone trees for communicating, etc.

I think possibly because we are so "earthquake aware" the companies in the Bay Area more prepared.  I moved to Montana for two years (HA not long after the earthquake!) and had no preparedness at all, as far as I know, there was no safety water or provisions,  Back ups were done locally, etc.  

Oh as for Power Outages, when I worked for a company called Applied Biosystems (waves to people there!), we had an transrouter or some thing blow up and cause the whole campus to evacuate.  we all went to our spots, then went, "woot" rest of day off.   :-P

We have fire drills and first aid kits in the breakrooms, but nothing to handle a huge disaster.  

I seem to have been lucky in that the companies I have worked for over the last 10 years have had a workable business continuity policy (wiht all the relevant databases kept up to date by HR etc).  

Having said that, when I started secondary school, my father's work suffered a huge fire which devastated half his (university) department offices and a few labs.  Luckily, even then there were schemes set up to allow the department to continue work, even if it was a bit cramped.

I work for a major urban health system, so having a disaster preparedness plan is just part of the package.  We have a plan for what to do in case of mass casualties/fatalities, extended power outages and that sort of thing that's reviewed and updated periodically.  

It actually makes my husband feel better knowing that, if heaven forbid, something were to happen, I'd be close to appropriate medical care and highly trained professionals.  

We have a comprehensive risk management process which is reviewed regularly.  Basic things such as fire drills are just standard.  We do have policies and procedures in place to manage loss of data, files and communication systems.  

I know we have drills and know how to evacuate, but I think that is all for this company.  I am not sure if there is some plan I don't know about.