A little more than a year ago, we heard warnings from Gov. Donald L. Carcieri and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael O. Leavitt concerning the pandemic influenza threat. Secretary Leavitt said, based on historical patterns, a flu pandemic is inevitable. And when it hits, he said, every community will have to do its best to mitigate the effects. “Every state needs a plan,” he said. “Every tribe needs a plan. Every school, every business, every church, every family needs a plan.” Since 2003, the World Health Organization has confirmed, the bird flu has been linked to 161 cases of human infection and 79 deaths – a 60-percent mortality rate. Human cases have been reported in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam. Slowly the virus is moving to the West. So have we all been vigilant over the past year and created a plan for our families and businesses? Last May, the Washington Post reported that more than half of U.S. companies thought there would be a global flu epidemic in the next two years; two-thirds thought it would seriously disrupt their operations and foment social unrest, and two-thirds said they weren’t prepared. Now is the time to prepare and plan. Someone once told me a disaster is not the time to start passing business cards around, and he’s right. There are so many tentacles outside of your business to consider and manage successfully to keep your business running: suppliers, vendors, customers, payroll, vital records, legal processes. Which do you rely on to keep your business operational? Think about the operational impacts, financial exposures, and essential functions and operations that are required on a daily or weekly basis. Here are a few questions to ask yourself: * Does my company have pandemic flu continuity plans in place? * Does it have human resources management policies or plans addressing a pandemic flu? * Does it have policies and plans that address the need for accurate, consistent and up-to-date information? Every good disaster plan begins at home. Take care of your family first so you can manage the business operations with fewer worries about your loved ones. And plan from the starting point that at least 40 percent of your work force will not be available. They will be either home sick, taking care of a sick relative, or just plain too scared to come to work. Plan on your business not being 100-percent operational during a pandemic. Plan to operate at a minimum level until the wave of the pandemic passes. Cross-train key employees and explore remote work locations for those critical functions to be performed. Keep in mind that there are some vital records and processes that cannot be taken off-site. Social distancing will need to be enforced to mitigate the spread of the disease. This means a distance of at least three feet between employees. This is key when looking at activities such as deliveries. To reduce the need for personnel movement, plan to deliver items and information instead of the person-to- person contact you may be conditioned to. Ask yourself some basic questions when you begin planning: * How will this event affect your employees? * How will it affect your supply chain and supplier interdependencies? * How will customers react, and will that impact your business? * How will your cash flow be affected? * How will you communicate with your staff, vendors and clients? Once you have your plan, share it with local emergency management officials. Develop a liaison who will be your link to current information. Also, consider making your product or resources available in an emergency. Critical supplies, communications and manpower will be key at the time of crisis. Lastly, it is imperative to train your staff for a pandemic. It may mean that certain employees go home and stay home for the duration. Simulation exercises will allow you to find problems in your plan and help you to build endurance when you will need it most. It’s a known fact that companies with a business continuity plan manage their risk better and are more profitable. It may seem like a lot to consider, but consider some of the benefits of disaster planning: * You now have an effective, trained response to an emergency, with custom-designed strategies for specific clientele and agencies. * Business interruption is minimized. * The potential for loss of life and injury is minimized. * Business recovery is maximized, and the loss of revenue and customers is mitigated. The bottom line is this: We must expect the unexpected and plan to stay in business. Let’s not bury our heads in the sand – let’s work to keep our economy strong.
