ICT planning and tips for a natural disaster
A civil defence emergency can occur unexpectedly at any time. Having some basic communication and contingency plans in place prior to an emergency can ensure that you know the well-being of your staff and that your organisation can quickly resume work.
Overview
Some people may think that having the internet, a computer and a mobile phone is probably the last thing they will want or will need to use in the event of emergency. But the internet, mobile phones and computers can provide one of the main communication avenues between members of your organisation, your community and the world.
Not everyone will immediately have access to all the usual telecommunication services, but many will have cell phone coverage for at least some time while cell phone towers and their battery back-ups are in place. Major telephone companies may also offer free Wi-Fi and phone charging services if power is down.
If your organisation is upgrading their phones or purchasing new phones, a cost analysis of the benefits of a standard phone versus a smart phone could be beneficial. Smart phones are essentially mini computers and can be used as such during a state of emergency.
Bookmarks
The following is a suggested list of bookmarks for some national services. Your staff members may wish to add further contacts for their children’s schools, government departments etc.
Also, placing the bookmarks in a designated folder can assist the daily management of new information prior to and during a civil defence emergency.
Online communications
Email, phone, your organisation's website, Twitter and FaceBook are your most effective communication tools in the event of a civil defence emergency. It is possible that your website will be down as it may be hosted in the same locality as the natural disaster. Services such as FaceBook and Twitter are hosted overseas and will not be affected by the local disaster.
It is a good idea to speak with your website host and domain name provider to assess the options your organisation has to redirect your website and email in the case of emergency. It is likely that all you will need to do is to contact your domain name provider (they usually have automated online accounts), and move your website address and email to a free service such as Google as an interim solution.
Website
Replacing the front page of your website with information for staff and stakeholders is essential in times of a natural disaster. A website is often the first place people look for information. It is also cost-effective and can be viewed by anyone with internet access.
Keep the wording brief and to the point with logical headings separating information for staff and for your stakeholders. It is important not to keep out-of-date information and news on the front page as this will cause access issues for some people. If your organisation has the capability, then a news archive could be linked away from the main page.
Also bear in mind the fact that your site will probably be viewed on a number of different devices including computers, smart phones, mp3 players etc. so it is important to ensure that your front page is compatible with these devices or that an emergency page can easily be copied over during a natural disaster.
The news updates on the front page should be synchronised with all of your social media channels and offer RSS directly from your homepage. This allows people to receive email and update alerts of any news that you add to your site without the need to constantly visit the site to check. It also allows people the option to configure their smart phones and other devices to receive timely information.
Email
Having all the people in your organisation's cell phone, private email and home addresses can help you quickly assess the human damage to your organisation, and also to inform everyone of the organisation's status, mobilise new initiatives, and organise meetings. Email addresses should be regularly updated, checked and stored both online in a safe offline repository.
The use of Cloud Computing services such as Google Groups, Listserv and email campaigns can provide a simple-to-use management system to update people's email addresses and to send regular reminder emails to ensure the list is still current.
Mobile Phone/Skype
Cell phone numbers can be added and stored in Skype, which is not reliant on the computer that Skype is installed on. Hence you can log into your Skype account on any computer or device and access all of your contacts.
Skype can then be configured to be used as your mobile phone, an important consideration if your mobile phone is damaged or misplaced during a disaster. If your Skype account has credit, you will be able to call and send text messages.
FaceBook and Twitter
All your social media presences should be synchronised with your main website to allow news to easily flow across all of your organisation's outlets. This will allow people to choose the most convenient method of news delivery.
Google Alerts
Creating a Google Alert so that your organisation can receive timely and up-to-date information in the region will ensure that your staff and their families are better informed.
Tips
- Have a spare battery for your mobile phone and laptop.
- Learn how to use the advanced features on your smart phone including any GPS applications.
- Remember, the phone networks will be busy in a civil defence emergency and often calls will not go through and texts will be delayed for some time.
- Texts are the best form of communication as they cause less network traffic.
- Set up Skype to be used as your cell phone so if your cell phone is lost or damaged, you can at least call and send texts.
- Store all your contacts in Skype.
- Scan FaceBook for local information groups
- Set up Twitter updates for your region and find out what the hashtag is then follow them.
- Store important phone numbers for family, colleagues, friends and emergency services on your phone, email address books and Cloud services.
- Set up group address books on your mobile phone of important people you need to contact, such as family.
- Have at least one old landline phone that can be plugged into the wall, as these phones do not require electricity. Or use Skype to keep in touch with members of your organisation.
- Check media for free Wi-Fi spots offered by the major telcos and other businesses
- Post an update of your organisation's status on FaceBook, Skype and Instant Messenger so all know. Encourage your staff to do the same. This will save on phone calls and boost staff morale.
- Check the Google homepage. It may have a service for your area
- Keep a car mobile phone charger in your car
- If your email is hosted contact your provider to have all or some of your email forwarded to your Gmail or other web mail account.
- Set up an auto responder to let people know you will not be able to reply back for sometime as there is a natural disaster.
- Always keep your cell phones charged
- Leave laptops plugged into power as much as you can and set up its power saving options (usually in the 'Control Panel').
- Use your website's front page as a communications point for staff and stakeholders. Ideally have a RSS feed and automated Twitter updates on the site so people do not have to rely solely on a computer with internet to check updates.
- Keep a record of staff who have home computers that you can use if your building is damaged or inaccessible
- Store backups in the Cloud
- Utilise more Cloud services
Damaged hardware
Damaged computers should not be turned on. As soon as possible, damaged computers should have the power switched off and all cords removed . A computer technician should be then be sought to inspect your computer.
If your computer has a metal case around it and it has been water damaged, you could (after switching off the power and removing cords) try to undo the screws on the back to drain out any excess water. But you should not touch or attempt to dry any of the internal parts.
It may be more economical to replace printers and scanners that have been damaged and are not working.
Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
An information technology Disaster Recovery Plan (DR) provides a structured response to unplanned incidents such as natural disasters that damage or threaten an IT infrastructure; including hardware, software, networks, processes and people.
A Disaster Recovery Plan identifies critical IT systems and networks; prioritises their recovery time objective; and provides the steps needed to restart, reconfigure, and recover them.
Many organisations cannot function and communicate both internally and externally without their IT systems. Hence the dire need for a Disaster Recovery Plan to enable organisations to resume their IT services in a quick and methodological manner, minimising the effects to your organisation. For many New Zealand community organisations, an IT disaster recovery plan does not need to be overly complex.
Things to consider for New Zealand community organisations
- Keep a detailed list of all of your service providers, and technical people and technicians you use. Ensure you have all of their details and make yourself aware of at least a secondary and independent supplier for each critical IT channel. It is feasible that if you suffer a natural disaster your supplier has as well, but they may not have invested time in a Disaster Recovery Plan as you have.
- Is it only your website that is critical to your organisation or do you have a complex network system that must be activated? If your community group relies on complex networks it may be simplier and cheaper to use Cloud services.
- Keeping a comprehensive list of details both electronically and in hard copy. Ensure that several key staff have access to this information as well as all passwords.
- Are there offices elsewhere you can relocate to? A person's house with a kitchen table is often just as practicable.
IT disaster recovery plan templates
Sample templates and comprehensive details of disaster recovery planning can be sourced from Tech Soup: http://www.techsoup.org/toolkits/disasterplan/