Disasters come in a lot of forms — from office emergencies, such as fires, power outages, or data breaches, to natural disasters, like hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and snow storms.
And we usually don’t get much notice, if any, when it comes to one of these emergencies. This is why planning ahead is vital to disaster recovery efforts. And it’s why we need your help.
Disaster recovery planning — including creating a communication plan, procedures, checklists, and more — is extremely important. But it’s hard to know how to plan if you haven’t experienced the disaster.
So we want to hear from you about the disasters you’ve encountered, and how you dealt with them. What advice can you share? What tips do you have for others so they can be better prepared?
Help admins and companies around the world be better prepared! Here’s how you can share your experiences, tips, and advice with us:
- Email: Send us an email here.
- Phone: Call and record a brief message: (319) 535-0330.
- Please start your message by giving us your name, phone number, and email address so we can contact you if we have any questions. Then share a brief account of your experiences, lessons learned, or tips you’d like to share with others about being better prepared.
- Video: Fire up your webcam and send us a video. (Please limit the length to two to three minutes.) Contact us here, and we’ll tell you where to email your video.
- Photos: We would love to see any pictures you have to share regarding disaster preparedness. Contact us here and we’ll tell you where to email them.
Here are a few questions to get you started sharing your experiences:
- What specific type of disaster did you experience (e.g. fire, tornado, hurricane, explosion, flood, power outage, vandalism, equipment failures, etc.)?
- What was your role in the disaster (before, during, after)?
- What new or additional roles/responsibilities did you take on during the crisis?
- What would you do differently to plan for such an event now that you’ve been through it?
- What advice do you have for admins who are trying to create disaster preparedness procedures for their office?
- How long did it take you to return to your offices following the disaster?
When disasters strike, companies with employees who are prepared have the best chance for long-term survival. Hearing real stories from real people can help inspire your fellow admins to take action while they have time to prepare for emergencies.
We look forward to hearing your disaster planning experiences and advice!
© 2015 Julie Perrine International, LLC
