© 2013 Julie Perrine International, LLC www.AllThingsAdmin.com Page 13
Reprinting of this handout without permission of the author is prohibited.
DISASTER PLANNING: If disaster strikes, will you be ready?
Whether your company currently has a formal disaster
recovery plan in place or not, here are some things you can
do right now to proactively prepare yourself and your
company if disaster strikes.
1. Find out if your company has a disaster
recovery plan. If so, ask if you can get a copy of
the plan. Read it and familiarize yourself with what
it contains. If you have questions, ask them. You
may be able to identify gaps or holes that should be
addressed. Don’t be afraid to speak up.
2. Educate yourself on Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and Disaster Recovery Planning. Start
with these awesome sites:
o http://www.preparemybusiness.org - Read every page…and take full advantage of their FREE
webinars and training series!
o www.ready.gov
3. Download, print, and assemble in a binder all of the free templates and files from
http://www.preparemybusiness.org/. Use these as your personal guide to creating your own disaster
recovery plan/kit. Even if your company has a “master disaster recovery plan”, you still should create an
individual plan for your position/team if one doesn’t already exist.
4. Start creating a disaster recovery plan for yourself and your immediate team. For starters, you’ll want
to include:
o Emergency Contact Lists – company executives, team members, home phones, cell phones,
email addresses, etc.
o Key Vendors/Suppliers Contact Lists – names, emails, office phones, cell phones, etc.
o List of vital files, paperwork, equipment, machines you’d need to work remotely
o Contingency plans for fire vs. water vs. power loss emergencies. E.g. In case of fire, you
might need to act or do things differently than you would with a power outage.
5. Share your plan with your team and get their feedback and ideas on how to make it better or more
complete. Once you’ve taken the initiative to get things rolling, stick with it until you have it fully
assembled. Then make sure everyone on your team knows the procedures and has access to the
information you’ve assembled in case of emergency!