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Winter 2004 - Cover Article

When the Smoke Cleared
Emergency responders and continuity planners had their hands full when nearly a dozen wildfires erupted in California during mid-October. Strong Santa Ana winds and record heat combined in mid-October to ignite overgrown brush and thick timber and send thousands of people from their homes and businesses.
The fast-moving flames destroyed 740,000 acres, burned nearly 3,600 buildings, and killed 22, including one firefighter.
Planners at businesses in the fire zones rushed to implement continuity plans, while emergency responders dealt with the worst outbreak of wildfires in the state’s history. In total, more than 2,000 firefighters and hundreds of medical personnel battled the blazes. More than 50 businesses were burned or damaged, with hundreds more on guard as the erratic fires threatened the smoke-filled area.
The largest fire, known as the Cedar Fire, was located in the Cleveland National Forest in Southern San Diego County. The fire, which began Oct. 25 and wasn’t contained until Nov. 4, was responsible for 15 of the deaths and destroyed nearly 300,000 acres. At one point, the fire was burning more than 6,000 acres per hour. It is the worst wildfire in California history.
President George W. Bush declared five counties in Southern California as disaster areas because of the widespread destruction. The declaration paved the way for low-interest loans and federal assistance to residents and businesses. As of mid-November, the Small Business Administration had distributed some $22 million in loans in the Southern California region.
While the road to recovery is under way, so is the evaluation of the disaster. Many businesses are now examining their continuity plans to see what worked and what did not. At the same time, residents and officials are analyzing the emergency response to the fires. In both cases, lessons learned will result in procedural changes and better handling of such situations in the future.
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Additional Articles Found in Winter 2004

• Is ‘Good Enough’ Storage Good Enough for Compliance
• A 10-Step Strategy for Defending E-Mail
• Cyber Crime: Is Your Company a Target?
• Chicago Office Fire Raises Plenty of Questions
• ‘You Built What? And it Goes Live Tomorrow?’
• New York Ferry Accident Sends Groups Into Action
• The Myths of Testing in the ‘Real World’
• Eight Tips to Ensuring Sales Remain a Priority
• Are You Hiring Terrorists?
• The 20 Truths of Business Continuity
• Taking Action with Notification
• Making Plan Distribution, Usage Easier for Everyone
• Four Steps to Selling Print-to-Mail Recovery
• Business Continuity: Key Factors for Success
• Give BIAs the Axe with Workshop Approach
• Choosing a Location for Your Disaster Recovery Facility
• Business Continuity as a Business Issue
• New Kid on the Block
• Protecting Your Remote Office Date Using Replication
• Without the Data, There is No Recovery
• Solving Communication Problems to Gain Support
• 2004 Consultant Survey (PDF Format)

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