We Were Spared!

By Jim Williford

Hurricane Bob sent us threatening signals, but Mother Nature spared the Virginia and North Carolina coast from major damage.
As veterans of “hurricane havoc” as recently as two years ago with the onslaught of Hurricane Hugo, everyone initiated prudent precautions to protect their assets. In the south, our recent experiences told us to prepare for the worst.
The crisis management procedures were dusted off, reviewed to determine if phone numbers were correct, vendors in place, and the backup computer tapes were stored in a safe vault.
Certain companies went as far as to elevate their computer disk drives to avoid flood waters, and many covered the tops of their computers with plastic to abate ceiling water damage.
Various hotsite vendors readied their facilities to receive subscribers that would be victims from power outages or building damage.
The companies that were contacted indicated that all remembered the wrath of Hugo and were preparing for the worst.
Most firms have taken steps to strengthen their contingency plans to address all facets of recovery.
With less than $1.5 million in property damage between the two states, our fortunate outcome was not the case in New England, where $800 million was the estimated total for the region.
Hurricane Bob gave us a good exercise to see how we improved our DR plans since our last scrimmage with destruction.

Jim Williford is Vice President of First Recovery, Inc., a Hotsite facility in Troy, North Carolina.

This article adapted from Vol. 4 #4.

Disaster Recovery Worldİ 1999, and Disaster Recovery Journalİ 1999, are copyrighted by Systems Support, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without the express written permission form Systems Support, Inc.