By Sam | October 26, 2012

Preparing for a Superstorm- Hurricane Sandy Tips

With the uncertainty surrounding what some are calling a “Superstorm” – Hurricane Sandy is sending the East Coast scrambling into readiness mode. How , where, when and to what extent the impact will be felt has yet to be determined but the inevitable high winds, flooding and power outages are destined for those living in the region. “We at OGO want to reach out to help ensure your preparedness for what appears to be a major event shaping up for the East Coast” says Kirk Drake, CEO of Ongoing Operations, LLC.

Preparedness actions should include actions to prepare your staff, your operations and also your own personal safety. Take a moment to review your evacuation procedures, verify your emergency contact lists and otherwise begin preparations for extended downtime due to high winds and flooding. In major events such as a hurricane/tropical storm, flooding along with power outages pose the highest risk to your communities and business. Experience says to plan for outages from 5-10 days in such an event.

What can you do TODAY to mitigate the risks of Hurricane Sandy?

• Update your emergency contact lists NOW! (Employee, vendors, board of directors, etc)
• Have multiple ways to access this information – with this risk, power outages are a given. Hard copies or downloaded copies to your local machine will be invaluable.
• Know where/when to meet should you and your leadership team be separated and unable to communicate. Pre-arrange with a local hotel or meet at Starbucks! Just make the plan in advance for post storm communications.
• Communicate to your employees the expectations for reporting post-event – are they okay, available to work?
• Activate your DR/BCP plans to ensure continued operations.
• Review your local, state and other emergency management resources for preparing your DR Kits (Battery operated radio, flashlights, water, etc). – http://www.ready.gov/hurricanes is a good place to start.

You should also track the progress of a storm via the National Hurricane Center.

It can’t be said enough that good communications save lives! Take the pre-event time TODAY to communicate to your staff and members that you stand ready. We take your operational readiness very seriously here at OGO and will partner with you to help. If you should need any assistance in storm preparations, please email us at info@ongoingoperations.com.