*Disaster Preparedness: What to do BEFORE "The Big One" Hits*
*Publication Date:* October 2005
*Volume:* 41-2
*Author:* Richard Schenkar
*Categories:* Practical resources, Attack on America, Internet
The week Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, a computer networking
journal ran two maps. One showed highly likely places for hurricanes;
the Gulf of Mexico coast was clearly marked. The other showed likely
places for earthquakes to hit. Included were significant parts of
Washington State. Disaster preparedness, therefore, is a topic worthy of
our consideration.

Knowing the current weather predictions is always a good idea and you
will find them on the National Weather Service site at
_http://www.weather.gov_ or _http://www.nws.noaa.gov_.

Starting close to home, the Pacific Northwest Seismographic Network
offers Preparedness and Mitigation Information for Pacific Northwest
Geologic Hazards at _http://www.pnsn.org/HAZARDS/prep.htm_.

California's experience with earthquakes has been distilled by the
Southern California Earthquake Center into a file called Putting Down
Roots in Earthquake Country available online at
_http://earthquakecountry.info/roots_.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has produced an excellent
document on preparedness called Are You Ready? An In-Depth Guide to
Citizen Preparedness. It is available online at
_http://www.fema.gov/areyouready_. It provides a step-by-step approach
to disaster preparedness by walking the reader through how to get
informed about local emergency plans, how to identify hazards that
affect their local area, and how to develop and maintain an emergency
communications plan and disaster supplies kit. Other topics covered
include evacuation, emergency public shelters, animals in disaster, and
information specific to people with disabilities. In addition, it also
provides in-depth information on specific hazards including what to do
before, during, and after each hazard type. The following hazards are
covered: Floods, Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Thunderstorms and Lightning,
Winter Storms and Extreme Cold, Extreme Heat, Earthquakes, Volcanoes,
Landslide and Debris Flows (Mudslide), Tsunamis,

Fires, Wildfires, Hazardous Materials Incidents, Household Chemical
Emergencies, Nuclear Power Plant, and Terrorism (including Explosion,
Biological, Chemical, Nuclear, and Radiological hazards).

The U.S. Small Business Administration has a good disaster planning
checklist at _http://www.sba.gov/disaster/getready.html_ and the
Department of Homeland Security has its document available at
_http://www.ready.gov_.

Once familiar with the situation, use the principles and checklists on
the Florida Courts website
(_http://www.flcourts.org/gen_public/emergency/index.shtml—click on_
Reports, Publications and Templates and then Templates for Plan
Development). Included there are checklists and templates to help you
ask the right questions to get ready.

You will start with a Continuity of Operations Plan to provide an
overview of the process. Then you define the Mission Essential
Functions that you absolutely must accomplish to stay in practice. You
make your list of alternative facilities so that you know where to go or
set up your practice and how you will be reached. (Cell phones are not
reliable—cell phone towers can be wiped out in an earthquake.) Personal
and practice disaster plans can then be drafted and maintained.

More data and help are available on the website of the National Center
for State

Courts _http://www.ncsconline.org_. The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
section provides substantial amounts of material on data recovery and
business continuation.

For specific instructions on how to secure your Microsoft Windows XP
systems, check the XP Survival Guide at
_http://www.cablemodemhelp.com/xpsurvivalguide.pdf_.