The winter months generally bring an outbreak of flu to the United States. So far, it has been a mild season for most of the country. Still, those in the contingency planning industry should not let their guard down. The underlying threat of an outbreak of an even deadlier flu should be enough to keep all planners on alert.
The Avian flu, or H5N1 virus, is currently making a resurgence across Asia. New cases of fowl infections have been reported in China, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea and Vietnam. Though the virus has yet to mutate into a human-to-human virus, the potential is there.
And even without that mutation, it is still a deadly virus to humans who have come in contact with infected fowl. In fact, 2006 was a record year for human bird-flu deaths. According to the World Health Organization, 161 deaths from bird flu worldwide were recorded in 2006. There were 267 confirmed cases of human infection for the year.
"More deaths occurred in 2006 than in the previous years combined," the WHO director general said in an earlier published report.
Officials at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said the virus typically flourishes this time of year because of the weather and holiday travel.
Given these grim statistics, continuity planners must continue to prepare their organization for a potential outbreak.

• Include the possibility of an avian flu pandemic in your business continuity plans.
• Test the preparations often and keep employees aware of the plans.
• Plan for employee outages and travel limitations.
• Interruptions in supply chains should also be considered.
• Assign someone in your business to track the occurrence and spread of the avian flu.

Above all, remain aware. Preparedness is the best defense for pandemic planning.

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Winter 2007 - Cover Article

By Janette Ballman

Emergency notification systems have risen in popularity over the past few years. These communication tools offer a faster, more efficient way to communicate in a variety of settings. Often associated with use in an emergency situation, these systems can deliver critical messages to mass numbers of people in a very short time. It is now becoming common for many organizations to use notification systems for daily communication needs.
Numerous vendors in the industry provide such systems. Each system may vary by several factors and are known by a variety of names. These include mass notification, automated notification, alert notification, and enterprise-level notification systems.
Most systems support multiple device notification, including cell phones, e-mails, faxes, and more. Others offer polling capabilities, answering machine awareness, conference calls, and real-time message acknowledgement. Other features to consider include the capability to prioritize messages and to select specific contact groups.
Browse any notification service provider’s Web site and you will find a multitude of settings where these systems are being put to use. Examples include the financial sector, security industry, public safety entities, government agencies, and private industries.
In one case, an electric company is using a system to communicate with employees about impending bad weather. This type of early warning allows for adequate staff to be on hand in case of downed lines or other interruptions.
In a school, the systems are used to help parents communicate with teachers, administrators, and transportation officials. It can also be used to send out messages for unexpected school closings, after-school activities and to help staff arrange after-hour meetings.
A manufacturer may use a system to notify customers of changes in delivery schedules or product availability. It can also be used for product recalls.
In the public sector, many cities across the United States are implementing some type of notification system to help stay in contact with citizens and city employees. The City of Inglewood, Calif., is one such community. According to Michael Falkow, IT director for the city, the emergency notification system is a tremendous value to the city.

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Additional Articles Found in Winter 2007 Issue of DRJ

• Staying Connected
• Emergency Notification and Escalation Systems
• Tips for Managing a Mainframe Internal Recovery Project
• Boardroom BIA: Elevating Our Profession
• Responsibilities Outside ‘Area of Authority’
• Back to the Basics
• How Risk Assessment Works with Success
• Recovery Steps: The Horsepower for Recovery Planning
• Creating Effective Training Sessions
• After Disaster Strikes
• 20 Years In The Making
• Hospitals Look to Technology to Prepare
• Nothing Ever Happens
• Opening Communication Capabilities
• No Rain, No Power
• Disaster Recovery: A Pragmatist’s Viewpoint
• An Advanced Method for Microsoft Exchange Recovery
• E-mail Backup and Archiving
• The Multi-Service Application Challenge
• 2007 Consultant Survey

DRJ eXpress is published by Disaster Recovery Journal. We have added this exciting publication to our family to better update our readers on current events and happenings.

In the fast-paced world of business continuity, having current information is key to staying ahead of the challenges that can occur so quickly. This monthly eZine will contain a wealth of tips, statistics and technology updates. In addition, you can find information on local continuity events, meetings and more.

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