Every city, county, business, church, school, medical facility, private organization and family needs to have a well developed disaster plan. In some instances, there are laws that require specific activities to have a plan. Many private companies may be legally required to develop a plan to ensure that a disaster doesn't become worse.
Although federal and state regulations for business pertain primarily to those that work with chemicals, every company should have some type of emergency plan that deals with information recovery, evacuations, computer malfunctions, severe weather, or disruption of the flow of materials and supplies.
A plan also may help a company reduce their potential liability in the event of an emergency and / or disaster. A properly developed plan will ensure that steps have been taken to limit or avoid civil or criminal liabilities, should a disaster occur.
Develop and Maintain an Emergency Management Program by:
- Defining and analyzing the potential hazards the city, schools or business may encounter.
- Estimating the resources, both physical and human, that are needed to respond to emergencies.
- Keeping an inventory of those resources.
- Determining unmet needs and making contingency plans to meet them.
- Periodically updating the city plan so it remains current with changing conditions and circumstances.