| Disaster struck the southern United States in | | | | hurricane is headed for this area, then y |
| August, 2005 as Hurricane Katrina did major | | | | hours before its scheduled arrival, everyone |
| damage to New Orleans and southern parts of | | | | must be evacuated except designated critical |
| Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. We don't | | | | personnel. Here is how that will happen ...." |
| yet understand the full impact of the storm | | | | Without a trigger event, everyone holds out |
| in terms of lives lost, families disrupted, | | | | a little longer before acting, pushing beyond |
| and the impact on the American and global | | | | reasonable limits. This happened on a large |
| economies. But we know that a key part of | | | | scale with Katrina, as both federal and state |
| our responsibility as executives and managers | | | | agencies delayed before taking any action.7. |
| is to anticipate disastrous events like | | | | Any disaster has secondary and tertiary |
| Katrina and be ready for them. Here are some | | | | consequences that are difficult to |
| of the things I've observed about the Katrina | | | | anticipate.Katrina caused localized gasoline |
| experience that are applicable to the | | | | shortages throughout the Southeast United |
| business arena, especially in the areas of | | | | States as panicked car owners rushed to fill |
| business continuity planning and disaster | | | | their tanks. It's still not clear how badly |
| recovery:1. No one wants to follow the | | | | the storm will hurt the U.S. economy, but |
| mediation plan if it's an inconvenience, but | | | | there is a potential for an economic |
| everyone chastises you afterwards for not | | | | recession as a result of the hurricane.8. |
| pushing harder.If Hurricane Katrina had | | | | Disaster planning is all about |
| swerved at the last minute and missed New | | | | compromises.That's hard to deal with |
| Orleans, then I can guarantee that the press | | | | emotionally; it's kind of like the idea of |
| would be having a field day telling everyone | | | | "acceptable losses" in an army battle. On |
| how stupid it was to evacuate so many people. | | | | the one hand, we don't want to give up |
| This is one of those "damned if you do and | | | | anything if disaster strikes. On the other |
| damned if you don't" situations that make it | | | | hand, there is a cost of being ready for a |
| so hard to be in a position of | | | | disaster, whether or not the disaster ever |
| responsibility. No matter how well you do, | | | | occurs. Making compromise decisions is |
| it isn't good enough in the eyes of some | | | | tough.9. Risk and Hazard aren't the same |
| people. And if you're perceived as | | | | thing, and our business continuity plans have |
| over-cautious in a situation where nothing | | | | to take the difference into account.Risk |
| happens, then the criticism will be just as | | | | communication consultant Peter Sandman sums |
| fierce.2. Pre-disaster exercises don't help | | | | up the risk reaction in an equation: Risk = |
| if you don't apply what you've learned.FEMA | | | | Hazard + Outrage. The idea is that the |
| (the U.S. Federal Emergency Management | | | | perceived riskiness of something is not just |
| Agency) conducted a week-long exercise in | | | | based on the probability of the bad thing |
| 2004 to help Louisiana emergency officials | | | | occurring (what Sandman calls "hazard") but |
| plan for the possibility of a hurricane very | | | | also on the level of outrage that is felt |
| much like Katrina. But some of the processes | | | | when the bad thing happens. For example, car |
| used in the exercise were ignored when | | | | crashes have higher probability but lower |
| Katrina hit, including a process for the | | | | outrage, while plane crashes have lower |
| large-scale evacuation of people who don't | | | | probability but higher outrage. That's why |
| have their own transportation.3. Your | | | | planes are considered "riskier" than cars by |
| contingency plans need their own contingency | | | | most people. And that's why Hurricane |
| plans. | | | | Katrina, which destroyed the city of New |
| | | | Orleans and killed hundreds (maybe thousands) |
| Part of the New Orleans contingency plan was | | | | of people, is getting so much press coverage: |
| to use the Superdome to shelter people who | | | | people are outraged that something like this |
| didn't have anywhere else to go. But the | | | | could happen.When we do business continuity |
| Superdome had to be evacuated when toilets | | | | planning, we typically include a list of |
| backed up, the air conditioning broke down, | | | | risks in our project plan. But we don't |
| and high winds ripped a hole in the roof.4. | | | | usually factor in the emotional "outrage" |
| No matter how much you plan, you still have | | | | side of the equation. As a result, we focus |
| to improvise when the disaster strikes.There | | | | our attention on the things that are more |
| is no amount of planning that will anticipate | | | | likely to go wrong, and not on the things |
| every possible outcome, and there comes a | | | | that are more likely to get a bad reaction |
| point where additional planning makes no | | | | from the public if they go wrong. Guess |
| sense. You have to be prepared for | | | | which type of event hurts your company more |
| surprises, and make sure that you have the | | | | in the long run.© 2005 MakingITclear, Inc. |
| right people in leadership positions to make | | | | This article was originally published in the |
| the on-the-spot decisions that are | | | | September, 2005 issue of the MakingITclear(R) |
| required.5. Insurance policies don't begin to | | | | Newsletter, a free monthly email newsletter |
| make up for the loss of business and | | | | published by MakingITclear, Inc. |
| goodwill, and obviously don't make up for the | | | | MakingITclear is a registered trademark of |
| loss of life.Don't let an insurance company | | | | MakingITclear, Inc.Harwell Thrasher is an |
| be your disaster plan. Think of an insurance | | | | author, speaker, and coach specializing in |
| policy as a safety net if everything else in | | | | the human side of Information Technology. |
| your plan fails.6. Contingency plans need to | | | | His workshops show IT people and their non-IT |
| have a defined and published trigger event, | | | | customers how to work together to make more |
| and the contingency plans need to be executed | | | | effective use of technology. See more on |
| when the trigger event occurs.I believe that | | | | Harwell's web site at And join Harwell's |
| more lives would have been saved if each area | | | | free monthly email newsletter that's focused |
| of the coast had an evacuation plan with a | | | | on making your IT organization (or any |
| timetable. For example, "If a category x | | | | organization) more effective. |