As I was working on this article, the region where I live was hit by a "bomb cyclone" – an ocean-generated storm that, while not rising to the level of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast hurricanes, still did plenty of damage to our electrical grid. The CFO Selections/ASP/Valtas Group headquarters and my home office were both without electricity for several days. This experience reminded me that whether it’s at work or at home, being prepared for an emergency is always important.

Most of us believe we are ready for the everyday kind of disaster at work, whether we’re working at home or in a traditional office. We may carry extra cash and safety pins, and our cell phones allow us near-instant capability to “phone a friend” if we need help because something unexpected happens. And while these things are enough for ordinary days, taking a little time to plan before an “unordinary” day happens can make getting through it a whole lot easier.Here in Western Washington, our most common disaster scenarios are windstorms (I’m looking at you, bomb cyclone!) and earthquakes. Other areas of the country have other concerns – hurricanes and fires, to name a few – but there are some basic planning steps that can apply anywhere. Let’s discuss some kinds of problems you might encounter in an emergency before we get into how to prepare.

Problems that Arise in an Emergency

One useful exercise is just to think about the things we all depend on, and ways we might plan around their absence. Here are some to get you started:

• We may not be able to get home.  If bridges or tunnels have collapsed, and roads have buckled and become impassable by fallen trees or power lines, travel distances that normally take a short time could suddenly take much, much longer to cover.

How can you plan for the difficulty of travel?

• We may not be able to contact family or friends – or Google.   Between a surge in usage and damaged or powered down cell towers, it's common in many disasters for cell phones to be unreliable, or completely unavailable. Landline phones may or may not be available, even if you have physical access to one, which fewer and fewer of us do now.

How will you communicate with others if traditional methods are unavailable?

• We may not be able to get water.       This is specifically related to earthquakes, but I’m calling it out here because it’s rarely discussed but absolutely crucial during a big quake. Pressure will be lost quickly if underground water mains are broken, leading to dry faucets.

Do you have an accessible backup water supply?

• We may not be able to get help.  Living in and near cities, we are used to the idea that if we call for police protection or medical help, trained and equipped professionals will arrive within minutes.  But in a large-scale emergency, help may not arrive for several days.

Are you prepared with the health and first aid supplies you may need if you need to care for yourself and your family?

So, what can you do? As usual, the best thing is to remember the old Boy Scout motto – “Be prepared!”

Emergency Preparedness Tips  

1. Carry an emergency kit in your car or keep a bag under your desk if you work in a traditional office. There are a lot of kits available that you can buy, and they can be cheap and easy to make yourself as well. Think about what you might need if it becomes necessary to walk from home, work, or somewhere else (ex. sneakers, a rain poncho, a flashlight, an AM radio for news, granola bars, a bottle of water). Here are a couple of helpful resources you can check out if you plan on putting together your own kit:
   > Basic Disaster Supplies Kit
   > What Do You Need in a Survival Kit? 
   
   
2. Try to keep at least 1/2 tank of gas in your car (or a partial charge) all the time, so that if the roads are usable and you can drive, you won't be stuck looking for fuel. Gas stations may be out of gas, or unable to pump the gas they have if their electric pumps are not working. And of course, no power means no car charging either, for those of us who drive electric cars.
   
   
3. Keep some emergency paper-based items. These days, most of us depend on our phones to back up our brains, especially when it comes to things like phone numbers, addresses, and directions. But what if the phone is dead or has no service? Do you carry a card with a few important numbers so that you could use someone else’s phone to call loved ones? Do you have a local paper map tucked away in your car? Are there other critical things you depend on your phone to access or remember for you?
   
   
4. Make a plan with your family/housemates/loved ones. Where will you go if your home is uninhabitable? Look at the website for your city and the city where you work (if it’s different) to see what kind of emergency plans are already in place.  If you have kids, how will they get home from school? All schools have emergency plans, so you can request a copy to find what’s included if you’re not already familiar with the details. What out-of-area number will you call (if you can call) to leave your status and current location? This is important since often long-distance calls will go through on landlines while local ones will not.    
   
   
5. Make a plan with your work colleagues to help each other out if you’re together at one location. Do some of you drive four-wheel drive cars that could navigate rough roads or off-road better than others?  Can you store your emergency gear in a company closet (which might give you more room than keeping it under your desk)? Are any of your colleagues licensed for amateur (ham) radio? If they are, do they keep a radio in their car, and are they willing and able to relay messages to out-of-state contacts for your group?

None of these things take a lot of time or money. And, most importantly, none of them can be done as effectively once an emergency has already begun. Remember, most tomorrows are ordinary days, but if you plan ahead, you'll be able to make the best choices for that one tomorrow that is not.

Get Business Preparedness Help

Here at CFO Selections, we’re all about planning for the unexpected. We have a large group of consulting CFOs who can help you prepare your business for many different worst-case scenarios by taking steps like:

• Leveraging available resources to respond well
• Undertaking cash flow planning activities
• Using a decision tree to respond to disruption triggers
• Making strategic adjustments to business goals

When your business needs to be prepared for what’s to come, we can help! Contact us to start a conversation.

About the Author
Charlotte Morin – IT Director, CFO Selections

Charlotte Morin is the IT Director for CFO Selections. She brings a unique combination of skills in technology, accounting, writing, organization, and process development to the CFO Selections team.

She joined the company in 2008, following six years as co-owner and controller of an e-commerce company, eleven years as a systems analyst, and three years working to build an internet company from the ground up.