Public Agency Preparedness

Four Key Preparedness Activities

For those consequences of disaster that cannot be mitigated, agencies must engage in appropriate preparedness activities, such as evacuation planning, the acquisition of response equipment, stockpiling supplies, and [Page 526]arranging for contingency contracts should a disaster strike. However, there are several preparedness activities that are strictly associated with agencies: devolution of sites, orders of succession, delegation of authority, and continuity planning.

Agency preparedness plans should include guidelines for the devolution of sites. While relatively simple mitigation and preparedness activities might be sufficient to protect an agency's assets, facilitating a relatively easy recovery, it is quite possible that the site will be so severely impacted that continuance of services from that location becomes impossible. Effective public agency preparedness efforts will take this into account, including plans to move into temporary quarters with little, if any, advance notice. Plans for devolution of sites should include such factors as moving important documents or retrieving remotely protected data sources; acquisition and installation of logistical needs such as desks, computers, and phones; notifying employees of the location of the temporary site; and, perhaps most importantly, identify the people responsible for coordinating such a move. To facilitate a rapid recovery, planning for devolution of sites should be accomplished prior to an event, when it can be conducted in an unhurried and deliberate fashion.

During day-to-day operations, decision-making authority within an agency is distributed among staff according to various factors, including position, tenure, and expertise. During and after a disaster, individuals with specific, unique authorities may not be present for varied reasons, especially when the event occurs with little notice, such as in the event of tornados or earthquakes. To address this, agencies should develop orders of succession, to provide clear, identifiable guidelines for how authority will devolve to lower-ranking officials within an agency when key decision makers or functionaries are absent or incapacitated. This will facilitate a more effective response and recovery, but only if those employees that may have increased authority post-event are trained for an expanded role in advance of an event.

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