Immediate Emergency Period

The Immediate Emergency Period begins directly after the crisis. With a hurricane strike, for example, it begins when the sustained winds drop below tropical storm force (39mph) and stretches through the first few days after landfall. This phase may extend up to one week for many activities, depending upon the severity of the damage. During the immediate recovery period, emergency recovery operation is the responsibility of each County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The major activities of emergency response personnel during this period are intra-county recovery operations, damage assessment and inter-governmental resource distribution.

Intra-County Recovery Operations focus on the missing, stranded, injured and homeless. The primary activities are search and rescue; emergency mass feeding, sheltering and transportation and medical care of the injured. The major resource needs are for sustenance supplies, such as water, food, medicine, ice, blankets, etc. Security of the damaged area, debris clearance and efforts to restore essential public utilities begin. During this period, normal social and economic activities are disrupted. Emergency management officials begin to survey the affected areas for needed recovery resources.
Damage Assessment Operations include the activation of Damage Assessment Teams at county and municipal levels, the development of a Preliminary Damage Survey and collection of information for the final Damage Assessment Report.
Inter-Governmental Resource Distribution provides for coordination and distribution of resources through the establishment of County Staging Areas, municipal and Fire District Recovery Centers, local distribution points, and Regional Recovery Center and Regional Staging Areas.

Re-entry

First, BE PATIENT. Access to affected areas will be controlled. If the business is located in the affected are, you will not be able to return to your business until search and rescue operations are complete and safety hazards, such as downed trees and power lines, are cleared. Depending on the type and degree of destruction, it may take three days or longer for emergency crews to clear the area and establish security. (Note that, even in a contained event, such as a fire that affects only your facility, access may not be possible until officials conduct an investigation.)
As part of your planning process, you should designate an Advance Recovery Team that will be first on the scene to conduct a preliminary damage assessment of your facility, coordinate with emergency responders and determine the appropriate recovery strategy. The team will need photo identification and documentation of employment to gain access to the affected area. Coordinate with the county emergency management and local emergency response personnel to ensure your team has adequate identification.
The Advance Recovery Team should have the capability to communicate directly with management. Their preliminary Damage Assessment Report should consider damage to the facility, tangible and intangible assets and the surrounding community. Management can then implement the appropriate steps in its Business Continuity Plan.

Implementation of the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) - If your business is dependent upon Information Technology and downtime is not an option, the implementation of the COOP Plan must be a technically sophisticated project. Profession assistance in the development of your COOP may be sought to determine if the following options are required:

Cold site - A site (data center/work area) equipped with appropriate environmental conditions, electrical connectivity, communications access, configurable space and access to accommodate the installation and operation of equipment by key employees required to resume business operations.
Warm Site - A site (data center/work area) that is partially equipped with hardware, communications interfaces, electricity and environmental conditioning capable of providing backup operating support.
Hot Site - A site that serves as a Business Continuity Management facility with the relevant work area recovery, telecommunications and IT interfaces and environmentally controlled spaces capable of providing relatively immediate backup and data processing support to maintain the organization's Mission Critical Functions.
Hot Standby - A term that is normally reserved for technology recovery. This is an alternate means of processing data which minimizes downtime so that no loss of processing occurs. It usually involves the use of a standby system or site permanently connected to business users and is often used to record and back-up transactions in tandem with the primary system.
Emergency Data Services - Remote capture and storage of electronic data, such as journal entries, electronic vaulting and database shadowing/mirroring.

Crisis Communications Plan - Crisis communications is essential. A framework should be established before an emergency and you may need to be creative. First, determine the status of your employees. Are they safe and did they incur any damage to their home or belongings? Then communicate the plan regarding the restoration of essential functions. Employees, vendors, suppliers and customers/clients will need to hear from you very soon.
Safety Measures
- Again, have valid IDs or some kind of entry authorization for all vital employees. Security operations will include checkpoints into affected areas. It is also helpful if employees have a readily distinguishable shirt or uniform.
- Reduce any unnecessary driving, if possible. Roads may have debris that will puncture tires. Warn employees not to sight-see, especially at night.
Immediate Repairs
- If you are allowed back into your building and damage is minor, make temporary repairs to correct safety hazards and minimize further damage. This may include covering holes in the roof, walls or windows, bracing and debris removal.
- Contact your insurance agent immediately and make arrangements to meet the adjustor as soon as possible. Take photographs or videos of all damage before repairs are started and keep receipts for insurance purposes.
- Only hire licensed contractors certified by the local jurisdiction and State of Florida to do repairs. Check with the local Building Department to ensure the contractor is licensed. You may also refer to the Disaster Contractors Network (www.dcn.org) which monitors licensed contractors who also have special training in disaster recovery. (If the contractor requests you pull the permit, it may be an indication that he is not properly licensed and is not entitled to permitting privileges.)