It seems we all get caught up in day-to-day operations-neglecting the "what if" scenario of what would happen if the entire operation shut down. We don't put much thought into it until it actually happens. It doesn't happen every day, but sooner or later every company will experience an outage of some sort-sometimes one with disastrous proportions, due to fire, flooding, tornado  or man-made threats.

Attempting to sort out the priorities during the chaos that follows the catastrophic event, makes decision making irrational.  Before a disaster occurs:

• Establish a DRP (Disaster Recovery Plan) in-house team
• Obtain a qualified first-response service provider for the equipment you have at your facility, loss of access and contamination 
• Identify rail, port or highway impact 
• Outline consequences for loss of electricity, computer failure, trapped employees, escape routes and financial impact
• Perform a pre-crisis risk mitigation audit to estimate the potential impact of disaster scenarios and identify ways of minimizing vulnerability
• Develop a plan for survival and support accommodations for your in-house crisis response team

One of the most difficult challenges of a disaster recovery plan is getting employees to know what to do when an emergency occurs. Facilities must create simulated emergencies in the form of drills to respond appropriately when disaster strikes.

Download our Disaster Recovery Plan Template which will guide you in the creation of key DRP elements.

Once you have recovered from a disaster, spend time reviewing what worked and what did not.