ACT's Disaster Planning work group has prepared an updated Disaster
Guide that provides a map for not only planning but also response and
recovery. It will help your agency minimize harm to individuals and business
operations and will allow you to quickly return to serving customers in their
greatest hours of need.
Before diving into a response plan, you'll need to undertake a disaster
risk assessment. ACT has a great assessment that helps you rank the perils you
most likely will face, which will guide your overall response priorities and
strategy.
To help you get your initiative started, the Disaster Guide suggests
you identify employees who will participate in the implementation of your
response plan. Your employees, both at the leadership level and at the core
functional level, will each have a special responsibility or set of
responsibilities, and seamless integration is crucial. Controlling the flow of
information internally and externally will eliminate confusion and help you get
a consistent, coherent message out to carriers, clients and vendors alike. The
initial preparations also involve your physical location(s), equipment,
supplies, utilities, and transportation/mobile sites. In some cases, moving
items to safer regions may be required, so partnerships should be established
as soon as possible. Waiting until a storm is on the way could leave you
without easy, affordable resources.
Your carriers and vendors will appreciate your outreach and may
already have excellent suggestions or programs of their own for disaster
response that you can work with claims, emergency personnel and payments,
authorized adjusters and contractors. Designating a couple of employees as
managers of these integrated plans can create expertise that will be sorely
needed in a pinch. Your agency management system should be current with
updates, and you should have remote access to all your files and programs. Cloud-based
systems and a paperless environment can save the day if your hardware takes a
direct hit.
During a disaster, your priority is safety and awareness. If you
have a text tree or a Twitter account or some other marked safe or need
help contact method, you will want to use it in the midst of the disaster. A
battery-operated radio, charged spare batteries for cell phones, and crank
lighting can be of great assistance during a disaster.
Once it is safe to do so, you will initiate your disaster response
plan, which includes checking with all employees and having everyone execute
their duties. Your website is an excellent tool for communicating vital
information to those using cell phones when the power is out, so make sure your
website is mobile compatible and updated with the latest information your
clients need: claims, temporary housing, food and water, pet assistance, medical
care, etc. When roads are passable and travel is permissible, the person assigned
should check the office. If it is safe and usable, you can start reaching out
to clients, carriers and the media with information on your capabilities and
accessibility.
Lastly, don't forget to run
a post-disaster debriefing. This will give you a chance to iron out any bumps
for the next time. And don't forget that a second disaster could hit while you
are still in recovery from the first. This means you must never consider the
job done, and must keep on guard for a new blast of difficulty even when in
response mode. Having that deeper plan could set you way above your competitors
and be the difference between full readiness and unmanageable calamity.
For the full ACT Disaster Guide, click here,
then scroll down to find the three main steps: Be Prepared, During the
Disaster, and After the Disaster.