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January 9, 2006 Guild members Marguerite Langlois and Brie Gyncild challenged us to imagine the various kinds of disasters that can occur—sudden illness, earthquake, power outage, fire, data loss, etc.—and make plans to ensure that our small businesses will survive. Their handout, which follows, is a list of questions intended to get people thinking; it doesn’t attempt to answer all the questions. Notes and questions from the meeting are interspersed, in italics.
DISASTER PREPARATION FOR YOUR BUSINESS OR ORGANIZATION
TYPES OF DISASTERS We think of natural disasters like Katrina or an earthquake, but should also think of other things like sudden illness (our own or others’). What people will need to be contacted? Prepare a list of phone numbers, clients? Who will think to access your e-mail or voice mail, contact your clients? Personal/family Brie showed us a laminated wallet card (she carries one in her wallet, gives copies to family and friends). It lists contact names and phone numbers. Include all kinds of contact information (phone, cell, e-mail) because a disaster can affect some things and not others).
Some of us freelance at home, others elsewhere. That place could be damaged (e.g., buildings in Pioneer Square damaged by earthquake).
No broadband connection, no phones, no e-mail, no cell phones, no police, no firemen. MAJOR ISSUES FOR SURVIVAL, SELF-CARE, RECOVERY
What is the problem? How big? What do you need (food? medicine?) What kind of situation are in when it occurs? Home? An outside office? Are you teaching a class? (Students will look to teacher for guidance, so give it some thought ahead of time.)
Who are you going to talk to first? Who are you going to call? Might be family. Neighborhoods can organize and put together lists of names, addresses, maps.
Cell phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc., may not be working. Sometimes long distance calls will go through when local calls won’t, therefore give a distant friend or family member list of numbers, call them and ask them to contact those listed. Could even give a list to a trusted client, ask them to call other clients on list. Clients elsewhere will be affected, and will want to keep working. When you do contact a client, what will you tell them? Question from audience: Suppose am diagnosed with cancer or break my leg. Ethically, as a freelance editor, do I have to tell clients what has happened? Might clients drop me? Use the information in some way? Does sharing the information make a business relationship too personal? Marguerite: Privacy laws say there is no legal obligation to reveal a medical condition. When I was ill I explained “I’m ill, I’ve started on it but it will be delayed. Is that OK?” Client said that will be OK. Questioner: I have set up a list of other editors to call on for help. After I was in hospital for three days I told clients, “I’m in hospital [no details], I have a list of other editors I can refer you to.” Clients were all OK with that. Consensus: Focus on your job obligation. Suppose cancer chemotherapy is coming up and you’ll be unable to work for some months. As far as clients are concerned, explain your unavailability as your “workload.” They don’t need to know more.
People think of getting through a disaster but forget about what do after, to restore the business.
PREPARATION FROM THESE POINTS OF VIEW
Earthquake: cut pieces of rubberized non-slip mats, put under heavy items so things won’t slide. Mount bookcases to wall.
AND REMEMBER: You probably won’t do all of this at once. Just pick something, and get started.
YOU (AND ANYONE HELPING WITH YOUR BUSINESS) 1. To whom will you communicate, in what priority order?
2. What, specifically, will you communicate to each person?
3. How will you communicate?
4. If someone else is involved in your business: May have to tell a partner that you can’t complete a project.
5. Do you have clear written directions for all this?
6. Are you prepared for basic needs (e.g., water, food, shelter)? Brie: Basic need is for 72 hours (food, water, medicine, clothing, cat food, etc., for each person). Keep it outside (e.g., in a garbage can) so can get at it if cannot get back inside the house. Keep kits in your car and at your workplace. Following are some good resources. SDART(Seattle Disaster
Aid and Response Teams): Seattle City
Council: American Red Cross: Homeland Security: Insurance Information
Institute (inventory what you have before disaster; it’s a good idea to
photograph your rooms):
7. What can you contribute to disaster preparation and recovery in your community?
YOUR BUSINESS RECORDS 1. What types of records are most important for your business continuity? Client list. Duplicates in safe deposit box (make sure someone else can access it too). Think of what files you will want to grab.
Writers, back up that precious ms. you’re working on
Editors, back up that work in progress. 2. What are you doing for storage and backup? Disaster can be a hard drive failure. Clients won’t forgive this. Imagine you won’t have a working hard drive when you wake up in the morning. What would you save tonight? Marguerite exchanges CDs with a friend who lives in another part of Seattle. Brie recommends that you figure out what is easiest for you, because that is something you will actually do. She finds it easiest to drag all onto an 80-gig portable hard drive. Periodically (every 6 months), she backs up all and sends to her mother in Missouri.
Is something vulnerable to fire? Don’t store near furnace. One set at home, one set far away. In the freezer in waterproof bag (emergency people know to look in freezers now).
For offsite storage, can mail a CD out of state. Some suggestions from audience: FTP things to a web site that is hosted on a server located in another state. Could also e-mail files to someone instead of sending a CD. E-mail files to a Yahoo e-mail address (g-mail may have more space than Yahoo e-mail).
3. During and immediately following a disaster
If two or three are working together, decide who will do what.
YOUR PLACE OF BUSINESS (HOME OR OTHER) 1. Safety features?
Where are emergency exits. What’s vulnerable in my office? Where do I go? 2. How will you deal with damage?
Take photos of aftermath—stuff on floor—for insurance.
3. Where will you continue working? If you can’t work in your house for a while, where will you work? Friends? Family? NOTE: Not being able to continue after a disaster can be the biggest hurdle for a small business.
YOUR CLIENTS 1. How will you work with client records? (Also see Your Records above)
Imagine you and your spouse are delayed, stuck in Europe.
In an emergency, spouse will be worried. Would be good to have a designated friend.
2. What will you do about continuing your clients’ work?
By deadline? By client? By need?
Paper? Office supplies? 3. How will you communicate with your clients?
Let them know what’s happening (from business point of view, not personal). Have friends help with this.
--Kathy Bradley, notetaker |
