Disaster Recovery Planning » Disaster Medicine - Recovery Phase

The recent tragic news from Florida points out the vulnerability to the unexpected that we all face in life and in business. In the disaster field office we have learned that the only safeguard against uncertainly is preparedness.

But when do you prepare?

A disaster whether in your life, your community or your business occurs in four phases:

* The interphase

* The adverse event

* The response phase

* The recovery phase.

The interphase is that period between adverse events. It begins at the end of the last recovery and continues until the moment of the next adversity. It is during this phase that preparation and planning must occur. It is during this phase that we practice, review and rehearse for our next response and recovery.

The adverse event is that discreet moment in time when everything goes you know where in a handbasket. There is no time during an adverse event to do anything but begin implementing your response plan. There will be little or no effective response during the adverse event, only the mitigation of ongoing damage.

The response phase begins during the adverse event and continues until needs no longer exceed resources. If you are fortunate needs never exceed resources and the adverse event and the response ends almost simultaneously. In other words, you have averted disaster. On the other hand, those who are significantly unprepared will face not only a disaster, but a situation where their needs exceed all ability to respond and the situation will progress to catastrophe. In a catastrophe you must first reestablish the ability to respond even though needs will continue to exceed resources. Once you have reduced catastrophe to a mere disaster you must then reestablish lines of supplies and business practices that allow your resources to exceed your needs.

The recovery phase begins as soon as resources exceed needs. In other words, as soon as the response phase ends. Recovery can take days, weeks, months or even years.

The key point is that adversity is unpredictable and unavoidable. Specific types of adverse events may be foreseen, particularly if manmade or as the natural end result of poor planning or poor management. Specific adverse events may even be mitigated or stopped before they can progress to a state where they can adversely affect the business but adversity itself, in all of its forms, is unavoidable and a natural part of life and business. Just as the tornados and severe whether storms that struck just days ago were an unavoidable part of life in the beautiful waterfront landscape of North Central Florida, adversity is part of the landscape of business.

Lake County, however, avoided disaster. Certainly, the events were what would commonly be called “disastrous” for the individuals and communities affected. However, the community institutions themselves were prepared with a response. Lake County suffers severe whether on a regular basis and events that are newsworthy on a regional or national level at least once a year. Lake County, Florida is staffed by some of the best emergency services, search and rescue and emergency management personnel in Florida. They are served by one of the largest and best equipped trauma centers in Florida and they are well practiced. Unfortunately, they are also very experienced.

This combination of preparedness, professionalism and experience resulted in a response phase that need last only three days, the majority of which was completed by nightfall of the first day, less than 24 hours after the storm struck.

Lake County’s example represents the ideal for your business. Whether it is E. coli in Taco Bell or Norwalk agent on your cruise ship. Whether it is a burst water main under your building or a defective product on your store shelves your ability to respond to the adversity and your ability to maintain sufficient resources to meet all your needs will make your disaster short-lived or non-existent at all. This is achieved through planning. This achieved through cooperation. This is achieved through the regular practice in your everyday business life.

Dr. Maurice A. Ramirez is co-founder of Disaster Life Support of North America, Inc., a national provider of Disaster Preparation, Planning, Response and Recovery education. Through his consulting firm High Alert, LLC., he serves on expert panels for pandemic preparedness and healthcare surge planning with Congressional and Cabinet Members. Board certified in multiple medical specialties, Dr. Ramirez is Founding Chairperson of the American Board of Disaster Medicine and a Senior Physician-Federal Medical Officer for the Department of Homeland Security. Cited in 24 textbooks with numerous published articles, he is co-creator of C5RITICAL and author of Mastery Against Adversity. Dr. Ramirez invites comments at: http://www.disaster-blog.com

Source: www.isnare.com