Disaster Prevention, Disaster Management, & Business Continuity Plan
As a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, we have learned that calamities can strike any community at any moment. Infectious disease is one type of calamity, but it might also be a hurricane, flood, or chemical leak. As defined by the United Nations, a disaster is any incident that significantly impacts a community or society’s ability to function.
Prepare for probable disasters and respond to them as swiftly, intelligently, and effectively as possible with management strategies is known as disaster management. While the terms Disaster Prevention and Business Continuity Plan seem to be a different mechanism, they are part of the five basic phases of Disaster Management Plan.
Defining Disaster
There are countless types of disasters, each with its unique consequences. This is why being prepared for a wide variety of scenarios is one of the hardest obstacles for organizations while documenting Disaster Management Plan. What constitutes a disaster is a good place to start when discussing disaster management.
In addition to natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes), man-made events (e.g., terrorist attacks, cyber-attacks), or environmental catastrophes (e.g., pandemics), disasters can also involve technology catastrophes and environmental catastrophe.
Disaster Management
A disaster management strategy focuses on organizing and directing resources to deal with a disaster and the coordination of the roles and responsibilities of emergency responders and private sector organizations, government agencies, and nonprofit and faith-based organizations, volunteers, donations and so on. An emergency manager’s ultimate purpose is to reduce the impact of a disaster, which includes preparedness, response, and recovery.
Phases of Disaster Management
Using the disaster-management cycle correctly can reduce the impact of a disaster. In addition, it can include the policies and emergency measures that are necessary for a full and rapid recovery to take place. The cycle consists of five phases:
1. Disaster Prevention
Staying proactive is the greatest way to deal with a disaster. Identification of possible dangers and the development of safeguards for their mitigation are essential to achieving this end. Analytical skills assist leaders in discovering potential threats, dangers, and high-risk regions during the preventative stage of the process. Problem-solving skills come in very handy to avoid or reduce the possibility of catastrophic catastrophes. But even if permanent steps are being implemented to reduce disaster risk, it is crucial to remember that catastrophes cannot always be avoided.
Preventive measures may include the following examples:
- Ensuring schools have an evacuation strategy in case of floods, tornadoes, or fires.
- Planning to install dams, locks, and channels to redirect water away from populated areas to reduce the risk of flooding.
2. Disaster Mitigation
The goal of mitigation is to reduce the number of people affected by a disaster and is a crucial step that can reduce the effects of the next crisis. The disaster-management strategy must establish tactics and structural adjustments that can help moderate any potential hazards that may arise. Everyone must be made aware of the steps they can take to prepare for all contingencies, which is why spreading awareness is so important. Structural and non-structural measures may be used in the solution.
A structural measure alters the physical qualities of a building or an environment to mitigate the effects of a catastrophe. You can protect your home and public structures by clearing the area around it of trees that could fall during a violent storm.
The non-structural solutions include adopting or changing building codes to improve the safety of future building construction.
3. Disaster Preparation
The process of preparing for a disaster is a continuous one in which people, communities, corporations, and governments may prepare and train people to tackle the disaster. It is crucial to train the people regularly and evaluate their progress to maintain maximum preparation.
The preparation stage can include training exercises such as fire drills, first aid, evacuation drills, etc.
4. Disaster Response – Business Continuity Plan
The plan and documentation for what happens in the short term and long term after a crisis occurs is called the response phase, and documentation is known as the Business Continuity Plan.
One of the most important aspects of a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is determining how a company will continue to operate in the event of a service interruption that is unanticipated. These plans are much more thorough than a disaster recovery plan since they include plans to deal with every facet of a company’s operations in case of a crisis.
5. Disaster Recovery
Recovery is the fifth stage of the disaster-management cycle. This process can take years or even decades. Hurricane Katrina in 2005, for example, has not completely healed some parts of New Orleans yet. To do so, the neighborhood must be stabilized, and all key community functions must be restored. Recovering demands priorities. First, essential services such as food and clean water will be restored.
As a result of the tragedy, this stage is aimed at helping individuals, communities, businesses, and organizations return to or create a new normal based on their needs.
Disaster Management With 911 Restoration of Charleston
A strong infrastructure for expansion and data protection is not enough for organizations to survive and thrive in the face of so many dangers. Every organization now realizes the importance of having a holistic Disaster Management plan with detailed Business Continuity and Disaster Prevention strategies. These can bring your business back on track, secure your data, defend your company’s brand and help you retain customers – all of which can help you save money in the long run. 911 Restoration of Charleston will ensure to prevent, mitigate, and manage all your disasters professionally while ensuring that your business continuously improves over time.
