Circumspex Disaster Planning Blog

Remember to Change Batteries in Smoke Detectors in October

• Properly working smoke alarms decrease your chances of dying in a fire by 50 percent.
• Place smoke alarms on every level of your residence. Place them outside bedrooms on the ceiling or high on the wall (4 to 12 inches from ceiling), at the top of open stairways or at the bottom of enclosed stairs and near (but not in) the kitchen.
• Test and clean smoke alarms once a month and replace batteries at least once a year As you set your clock back for daylights saving time, remember to check and replace your smoke detector batteries.
• Replace smoke alarms once every 10 years

 

Disaster Preparation Lessons Learned or Remembered from Circumspex

Taking a a few minutes to reflect on the rush of recovery activities post Hurricane Irene it is always worthwhile to share some notes from the field.  There are some very basic tasks that everyone should consider when faced with a property disaster yet few really do. The chaos of these calamities whether the loss is significant in terms of dollars or time must be addressed to control the extent of the disruption.Here are a few of the most basic items from our "to do list" that we share with clients.

Take an inventory of your valuables and belongings. This includes taking photographs or a video of each room. This will help your insurance company process claims more quickly by providing documentation of your belongings. 

• To enable filing claims more quickly, keep sales receipts and/or canceled checks. Also note the model and serial numbers of the items in your home inventory.

 • To protect your belongings in case disaster strikes, make sure you have adequate insurance coverage and that your insurance policies are up to date.  

• Store copies of all your insurance policies in a safe location away from your home that is easily accessible in case of disaster. You might want to store your policies and inventory in a waterproof, fireproof box or in a safe, remote location such as a bank safe deposit box. Consider leaving a copy of your inventory with relatives, friends or your insurance provider and store digital pictures in your email or on a Web site for easy retrieval.    

Taking the elementary actions will significantly reduce your stress and anxiety when you suffer a loss.  When you lessen the pressure you can better frame the disruptive issues and make the most effective decisions.

Methods of Staying Connected During Disasters

Stay Connected

• Keep your contacts updated across all of your channels, including phone, email and social media. This will make it easy to reach out to the right people quickly to get information and supply updates. Consider creating a group list serve of your top contacts.
• Learn how to send updates via text and internet from your mobile phone to your contacts and social channels in case voice communications are not available. Text messages and the internet often have the ability to work in the event of a phone service disruption.
• Keep extra batteries for your phone in a safe place or purchase a solar-powered or hand crank charger. These chargers are good emergency tools to keep your laptop and other small electronics working in the event of a power outage. If you own a car, purchase a car phone charger because you can charge your phone if you lose power at your home.
• Program "In Case of Emergency" (ICE) contacts into your cell phone so emergency personnel can contact those people for you if you are unable to use your phone. Let your ICE contacts know that they are programmed into your phone and inform them of any medical issues or other special needs you may have.
• If you have a traditional landline (non-broadband or VOIP) phone, keep at least one non-cordless phone in your home because it will work even if you lose power.
• If you are evacuated and have call-forwarding on your home phone, forward your home phone number to your cell phone number.
• If you do not have a cell phone, keep a prepaid phone card to use if needed during or after a disaster.
• Prepare a family contact sheet. This should include at least one out-of-town contact that may be better able to reach family members in an emergency.
• Have a battery-powered or hand-cranked radio or television available (with spare batteries).

 

Property Disasters Managed: DKI Commercial Solutions & Circumspex

Property managers can now avail themselves of the most comprehensive suite of disaster planning and restoration solutions ever offered.  DKI Commercial Solutions couples the state of the art disaster planning application Circumspex with the nation's largest network of restoration contractors--DKI. Together we offer:

• Property inspections
• Disaster plan development
• Table top disaster exercises
• Pre-negotiated national pricing
• Transparent time & material mitigation contracts

This group brings together experts in property management, planning, testing and restoration to provide clients with exceptional business continuity strategies.

Momemtum , Credit Unions of the Dakotas & Circumspex

Offered a webinar providing advice concerning responding to and recovering from the flooding in the Dakotas. The session was led by the following individuals:

• Dawn Harris, EVP-COO of Campus Federal Credit Union in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Dave Mistick, President of Circumspex, a disaster recovery expert and consultant
• Amy Johnson, Director of Learning, Credit Union Association of the Dakotas
• Michael Downs, Momentum

The event was attended by alomost 100 individuals. Stay tuned for more info on this topic.  An audio recording of this event will be available soon. Please contact me: dave@circumspex.com

 

Japan's Culture of Disaster Preparedness

Although the effect of the earthquake and resultant tsunami today are beyond imagination, the level of preparedness in Japan has reduced the potential level of death and destruction. Since the 1923 earthquake devastated Tokyo the Japanese have been committed to a national focus on preparedness and mitigation. Today the anniversary of the 1923 event is known as Disaster Prevention Day. It has been a time for national attention to drills and discussion since 1960.

More than any other nation the Japanese have made a commitment to infrastructure, training, equipment and disaster exercises. This combination gave them the greatest opportunity to mitigate the disaster. Children grow up training for earthquake survival as an integral part of life on the island nation. Classrooms are supplied with hardhats for every child.  The students train to remove a cushioned pad from their desks and place it over their hard hats to protect them from falling debris.

The tehcnology utilized to alert the population to the earthquake and tsunami appears to afforded many a five minute window to prepare for the impact. How would we respond to sucha notification?  With confusion and befuddlement.  What to do?  Where to go?  For the Japanese these five minutes were not a time for questions and indecision. The culture of preparedness, the awareness and exercises allowed most to respond with unconscious competence.  The could react and respond in a manner that they had trained for throughout their lives.

Could this save all?  Obviously not. The survivors will tell the tales and recount the benefits of a country that can rally around a national imperative. There is a lesson her for us as Americans. We largely give lip service to the notion of preparedness.  Whether we consider natural, man-made or technological disasters Americans are mostly in denial---as to the need and the consequences.

We will discuss other critical elements of Japan's preparedness in coming blogs.

Follow along on Twitter as well @disasterguru

Auditing Commercial Insurance Claims--DKI Commercial Solutions Beyond Compare

Have you suffered a significant property loss at one of your buildings?  Did you engage a general contractor or disaster restoration contractor to perorm emergency services or repairs? What type of invoice did you receive?   Was it easy to understand?  Were the elements of the bill sufficiently supported?

If you have questions or concerns engage a construction consultant to guide you through your analysis.  Look for expertise from the  DKI Commercial Solution group at 630-350-3000.

Are You Faking Your Business Continuity Plan? What's Your Excuse?

It's another day to mildly amused with businesses flying by the seats of their pants. This afternoon was filled with folks feverishly figuring out how to keep their businesses operating in the face of the mega-blizzard. Many businesses suddenly declared "everyone will work from home since we can't get to the office--right?" Some executives think that is an instant plan without even considering the continuity of critical processes in seamless fashion for their clients.

How are the phones transferred? Does everyone have a fast connection from home? Can the troops access the applications and files that are necessary?

 DO YOUR CLIENTS KNOW THAT YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE A PLAN?  Do they simply assume that you can service their needs, perhaps nationwide, and yet you really have no disaster, or continuity of operations plan?

The emperor may indeed have no clothes.  Look in the mirror. Will you be deemed irresponsible by clients and employees alike when your business suffers adverse financial consequences?

Many businesses know they need to have a plan but cannot overcome inertia. Perhaps the person who wants the accolade for the production cannot get started. Perhaps there is no plan because it cannot be perfect.  Perhaps you mistakenly think it is too complicated or too expensive to complete.

The truth is that any plan is better than no plan!  ONE THING IS SURELY  HARDER THAN WRITING THE PLAN-----EXPLAINING WHY YOU DIDN'T. 

Circumspex Risk Management Tools for Disaster Planning

Risk management, as applied within Circumspex our web based disaster planning application, provides real benefits to both internal and external customers. It is based on the four components of the of enterprise risk management concept. - risk assessment, business interruption analysis, strategy development, and plan maintenance testing. This approach is of much broader scope than traditional disaster planning or business continuity planning alone. By examining an organization under this wider schema, we are able to have a much more detailed understanding of its functional processes, critical linkages, and vulnerabilities. The benefits to this type of approach are real, salient, and not limited to the company itself. The value of planning with Circumspex extends far beyond to clients, investors, emergency responders, and even insurance carriers.  Visit us at  Circumspex

 

Tucson a Time to Reflect ...

The events of the past several days give us all pause and a moment to reflect. It is a time to be appreciative of the most simple joys of life, our family and friends.  Those of us who are involved in planning for and responding to disasters across the globe are simultaneously steeled by what we see and do and yet humbled by the courage and generosity of our fellow man.

Let us offer prayers for the victims, their families and friends.  Let us recognize those bystanders whose courage and selflessness saved others and cared for those who had been shot. It is in this caring and courage that disasters reveal what is best in America, a spirit of community. Men and women who risk and commit to serve others in moments of peril and need.

Having worked in many major natural disaster in America over the past thirty years it is the images of individuals and groups giving of themselves in the midst of death and destruction that have given value and direction to my life efforts as well. Hail to the unsung heroes among us, our prayers and our thanks.