| Disasters are real and they can happen to anyone. | | | | 2. Develop Your Plan |
| What is more important is how we prepare our | | | | Who will do what? This is essentially the most |
| company and our most important assets, our | | | | basic question that one has to answer in |
| people, in times of disasters or emergencies. As a | | | | developing the emergency plan. Your emergency |
| rule of thumb, your company and its people | | | | plan is essentially a document that assigns |
| should be able to survive within the immediate 72 | | | | responsibilities to your employees. There should |
| hours after the event. It may be an earthquake, | | | | be a Crisis Management Team, a group which has |
| flash floods or hurricane; but regardless of the | | | | the ultimate decision-making responsibility. This |
| hazard, it is important that businesses should have | | | | should be comprised of senior management or |
| a plan to: 1) ensure the safety and well being of | | | | those who have authority to make decisions. The |
| its employee; 2) protect the assets of the | | | | other group is your Emergency Response Team. |
| property; and 3) find ways to continue operations. | | | | This team will be the eyes and ears of the |
| This article will focus on protecting your | | | | business and they are essentially the response |
| employees. This is the paramount objective of | | | | team of the CMT. This should be composed of |
| every company in any disaster event. Here are a | | | | your building engineers, security, logistics, external |
| few guidelines to achieve this end. | | | | relations, safety officers, etc. They should be able |
| 1. Awareness is Key | | | | to manage the consequences of any event for at |
| Inform your employees about the hazards that | | | | least three days. |
| may affect them and their families. Hazard maps | | | | These two basic things are how you can prepare |
| are available in your community or by the State. | | | | for the threats posed by hazards. Of course, |
| Use these to make your employees aware of | | | | there are the details in each of them but |
| the risks that they may face. Below are several | | | | whoever said that emergency preparedness is |
| ways to impart this knowledge to your | | | | going to be easy? More importantly, your plans |
| employees: | | | | should be tested on a regular basis. Your plan |
| Internal websites | | | | should not just be a flyer printing in your drawer |
| Townhall meetings | | | | or shelf; they should be living documents that |
| Hazard Awareness Week | | | | need to be tested and revised accordingly and |
| Brochures and print flyers | | | | regularly. |
| New staff briefing | | | | |