CONTINUITY OF ORGANIZATIONAL OPERATIONS PLAN

1. CONTINUITY OF ORGANIZATIONAL OPERATIONS PLAN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS Melissa S. Flournoy, Ph.D. Spring 2006

2. WHY DO I NEED A CONTINUITY OF ORGANIZATIONAL OPERATIONS PLAN (COOP) • Your organization may be without power, gas, water, phone, internet or outside assistance for days in the face of disaster. • COOP will help you: • Remain viable and able to serve your clients • Avoid closing your doors forever • Establish critical response relationships • Position your organization as an essential part of the community • Examine how your organization currently functions and identify opportunities for improvement

3. What is an Emergency? • An unplanned event that may cause • Injuries and/or death to employees, customers or the public • Businesses to shut down • Environmental and physical damage to the area • Emergencies include:

4. Preparation Before disaster Establish policies Collect information Prepare facilities Implement backups of data Create response plan Be prepared Phases of a COOP Action During disaster • Communicate • Prepare facilities • Gather evacuation materials • Be safe Evacuate Response After disaster • Assess situation • Activate plan • Locate people • Participate in response • Recover Resume operation

5. Upper management Program management Direct-service staff Human resources Public information officer Marketing / fund development Finance & accounting Legal Customers / clients COOP TEAM & TASKS 1. Complete the preparation items (inventories, forms, etc) 2. Answer assessment and planning questions 3. Create & communicate COOP to stakeholders 4. Keep the plan up-to-date

6. DISASTER PREPARATIONS Evaluate • Plan • Prepare • Respond • Recover

7. PRINCIPLES • Comprehensive • All the information your organization will need • Redundant • In multiple copies in multiple locations to ensure survival and availability • Cooperative • Must involve a cross-section of your organization • Executive director, the Board, administration, program staff, technology, stakeholders, partners

8. EVACUATION BOX • Should be prepared each May and updated at the end of July • Contains documents, records and items important to resuming operations • Should have TWO, ideally one stays in the area and the other evacuates to a safe distance • Executive Director should have one, other management staff or Board leadership should have the other • Should be a water-tight, heavy-duty plastic bin, clearly labeled

9. Organization Documents & Policies Travel Personnel Charter Bylaws IRS determination letter Standards Certification Binder Financial Statements / Documents Depreciation Schedule Statement of Financial Position Statement of Activities Annual Budget Most recent audit Grant and contract deadlines/requirements Insurance policies Flood Fire Director & Officers Business Interruption Property Liability Protection Contact information Employees Board of Directors Clients Funders/stakeholders/donors Checks Business Credit Card Petty Cash Inventories Photos of office Digital backups (tapes, external hard drives) Battery-powered radio/TV/flashlights Extra batteries Corded telephone EVACUATION BOX CONTENTS

10. CORE CONCERNS • Emergency policies • Communication • Employees • Board & volunteers • Clients / customers • Business contacts / funders • Managing your facility & inventory • Safeguarding your data • Updating the plan & materials

11. EMERGENCY PERSONNEL POLICIES Board must approve policies for personnel questions: • May employees work flexible or reduced hours? • Are employees designated as essential or non-essential? • Will you pay employees overtime during response? • Are employees paid during evacuation/displacement? For how long? • Do you need business interruption insurance? • Once your office is reopened, do evacuated employees get charged vacation/sick leave? • How long do employees have to come back to work before termination? • Eligibility of employees for unemployment insurance?

12. EMERGENCY FINANCIAL POLICIES • Access to funds • Line of credit / Reserve fund • Emergency petty cash amount • Account with a national bank • Alternative lines of authority • Signature requirements • Decision-making without the Board • Accounting codes for disaster incomes and expenses • Use of restricted grant funds for other purpose

13. INSURANCE POLICIES

14. COMPLETE THESE FORMS • Employee emergency contact info • Board of Directors & volunteers contact info • Funders, donors, contracts contact info • Business contact info • Clients contact list (These forms are all available to download as a Microsoft Word Document from LANO.org)

15. EMPLOYEE CONTACT FORM

16. BOARD & VOLUNTEER CONTACT FORM

17. DONOR / FUNDER CONTACT FORM

18. BUSINESS CONTACT FORM

19. COMMUNICATION PLAN • Home, cell, and evacuation location phone numbers • Text messaging to cell phone (about $3/month) • Personal & business email addresses • Posting to a website / discussion forum • Pre-determined system and check-in time • Meet at “X” location • Phone tree • Email one person • Post on a message board

20. FACILITY & INVENTORY • Prepare your facility for a storm • An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure • Easier to protect than to rebuild • Inventory will help • File insurance claims • Rebuild your operations • Inventory should be updated as equipment is bought, sold, or discarded • Assign staff person for inventory control

21. COMPUTER INVENTORY PROGRAM • www.belarc.com – small, free program that will “audit” your computer and report its features • Reports all the information you’ll need and more • Quick, easy, and printable • Legally, for use in a nonprofit corporate environment, you should email info@belarc.com to ask permission. Tell them what your organization does and how many computers you have.

22. COMPUTER INVENTORY FORM

23. SOFTWARE INVENTORY FORM

24. SPECIAL EQUIPMENT INVENTORY FORM Copiers, scanners, network switches, phone systems, medical equipment, etc. Be sure to inventory items required for these items, like toner or fluids/oils

25. OFFICE INVENTORY FORM

26. Items Equipment / machinery Supplies required to provide service Computer equipment Software Phone / Fax system Furniture Information Model Number Serial number Specifications / features Quantity Vendor/Supplier Order Numbers FACILITY & INVENTORY: Inventory should be updated as equipment is bought, sold, or discarded

27. USE INVENTORY TO PLAN • Figure out which objects are critical to providing your service after disaster • Record vendor, alternate vendor, and replacement time in case you need to replace equipment • Note on inventory what to take during evacuation • May be able to move computers and other equipment to safe place

28. ABOUT BUILDING ACCESS • Do you own or rent? • If building is secured by card access, what happens when power is out? • Do you have exterior and stairwell keys? • Can you use a generator at your facility?

29. EXTERIOR FACILITY CHECK • Roof condition • Metal flashing is secure & rust-free • Vents and other roof penetrations are flashed and sealed • Drainage system is clear and water flows • Canopies, carports, signs, rooftop mechanical equipment are attached with rust-free anchors and tightened bolts • Windows have minimum design pressure rating of 50 psi (check sticker or manufacturer specifications) • Exterior doors have deadbolt and at least three hinges • External electric & mechanical systems are above flood-level

30. INTERIOR FACILITY CHECK • Make sure all furniture, appliances, and other objects are stable and adequately secured • Move heavy items to lower shelves in closets and cabinets • Check office, cabinet, and closet doors to make sure they can be closed securely • Remove or isolate flammable materials and toxic chemicals • Clearly mark gas and water shut-off valves and instructions on how to turn them off • Display an office/building evacuation plan in a conspicuous location

31. KEEP IN YOUR OFFICE • Keep a set of basic tools in an accessible locations (hammer, screwdrivers, pipe wrench, pliers, crescent wrenches) • Battery-powered radio or TV • Spare batteries • Fire extinguisher (checked annually) • First aid kit

32. SHELTER-IN-PLACE & BUILDING EVACUATION • Train employees on shelter-in-place • For chemical hazards • Turn of air conditioning, close windows and doors • For storms & tornado warnings • Open window small amount • Stay in interior room without windows • Train employees on building evacuations • For fires, collapse • Establish gathering points • Assign employees to do head counts • Assign employees to help clients evacuate

33. SURGE PROTECTORS Surge protectors should be on all important electronic equipment • NOT just a power strip • Should have Underwriter’s Library (UL) rating • Should be listed by UL as a “transient voltage surge suppressor” • Rated for at least 400 joules • Have indicator lights • Look for a guarantee

34. SAFEGUARDING DATA • Only two types of computer systems: • Those that have experienced disaster • Those that haven’t yet • Backups must be frequent, comprehensive and tested • Backup at least weekly, but daily is better. How much work can you afford to lose? • Larger organizations might consider off-site, web-based backup programs

35. DATA BACKUPS: NO-NOs • Don’t save data to 3.5” floppy disks • Fail all the time – very unreliable • Very sensitive to magnets • New computers don’t have floppy drives • Don’t save to ZIP Disks • These fail less than floppies, but still aren’t great • Sensitive to magnets • Very few computers have ZIP disk drives • USB Flash drives / memory sticks are good option for taking a few important files with you, but are NOT an adequate backup plan

36. DATA BACKUP OPTIONS

37. ANNUAL UPDATES • Update 211 and volunteer organizations about your response function, contact information, and alternative location and contact information • All contact information (employees, board, funders, volunteers, etc) • Photo inventory of office • Inspect facilities • Enter understanding of agreement arrangement with response collaborators • Discuss liability, evacuation, and building access

38. EVACUATION ACTIONS

39. 48 HOURS BEFORE EVACUATION • Go shopping • 1 gallon of water per day and food for all essential employees, volunteers, and clients for at least 3 day • Other response supplies identified • Prepare your employees & board • Explain check-in communication plan • Have them complete pre-evacuation data sheet • Communicate with stakeholders and response collaboration partners

40. EMPLOYEE PRE-EVACUATION REPORT Completed by all employees and board leadership

41. 24 HOURS BEFORE EVACUATION • Gather your evacuation boxes • Most recent backups • Employee pre-evacuation reports • Update payroll information • Record new voicemail message for office • What your organization’s response actions are • Who to contact with questions • Where response operations will be located • When someone will be back in office

42. 24 HOURS BEFORE EVACUATION • Raise electronics off the floor to prevent water damage during moderate flooding • Move electronics away from external windows to prevent damage from the elements • Put heavy-duty trashbags over computers and monitors and tuck the ends underneath to prevent water damage • Withdraw emergency petty cash • Pack up any equipment being evacuated • Always take the tape backup unit with you • If size allows, have servers go with one person and backup tapes go with another

43. 48 HOUR PRE- EVACUATION TASK LIST

44. 24 HOUR PRE- EVACUATION TASK LIST

45. JUST BEFORE YOU CLOSE THE OFFICE • Shut down and unplug ALL remaining electronic equipment from the wall • Leave an answering machine and cheap phone plugged to get message out • Lock all windows, close every interior door, post contact information in waterproof cover conspicuously (in case emergency crews need to contact you), lock exterior door • Computers • Printers • Scanners • Fax Machines • Phones • Televisions • Copiers • Shredders • Microwaves • Surge Protectors • Network routers • Servers

46. RESPONSE PLANNING & RESUMPTION OF OPERATIONS

47. DISASTER CLIMATE • Complex human, bureaucratic, political event • Responding groups, agencies, and jurisdictions increase significantly • Relationships among organizations change • Insufficient communication and control • Duplication of effort, omission of essential tasks, and counterproductive activity • FRUSTRATION!

48. FACTORS IN SUCCESSFUL RECOVERY • Survivors are flexible, innovative. Come up with alternative strategies, move locations, change business processes, products or services. • Increased survival chances for organizations: • Whose clients are unaffected by the disaster • That have more than one location • That provide basic goods and services • That change to adapt to client demand

49. ORGANIZATION’S ROLE & RESPONSE • Disaster mission statement • Identify which critical services (if any) need to be continued during a disaster. What will your clients need/expect? • Identify which critical business functions must be continued during a disaster in order for you organization to resume normal operations eventually. • Establish agreements with partner organizations for response activities and alternative workspace • Join local Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) • Be aware of the local coordination command center • Who, where, how?

50. MANAGE THE EMERGENCY • Assess the situation • Contact your essential personnel • Gather your resources • Prepare your alternative site • Activate your response activities/critical business procedures