DR

When you think about your disaster recovery plan, does your tape backup system come to mind? Does the mere mention of disaster recovery make you a bit nervous? If so, you're not alone.

Many businesses risk grave losses due to failures and disasters yet continue to depend on their limited options provided tape backups to help them recover successfully should a major outage occur.

Water and Flood damage management

Water damage is often believed to be a static effect of primary damage where the visual effects of contact and adsorption are a measure of damage. The reality is that water damage is dynamic, continuingly expanding it’s effects and is capable of developing far reaching secondary damage in minutes or days after the initial effects.

Bio amplification, mould, corrosion, swelling and distortion are typical effects of uncontrolled water escape or flooding. These effects can result in health risks, structural and contents damage and possible devaluation of property.

Oct 18, 2005

The devastation in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina graphically illustrates how destructive extreme weather can be.

For risk management professionals, the fearsome power of hurricanes is such that they present a unique set of challenges.

Oliver Schofield, a director at the global property practice at Aon, the consultant and insurance broker, says: "You can risk manage your way out of all sorts of problems. But when a hurricane is about to strike your building you have a major problem. This is outside management control."

The enormity of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina on the communities of the US Gulf coast has yet to be comprehensively assessed. Already, though, the consequences for businesses around the world are beginning to become clear.

Insurance claims are expected to run to many billions of dollars, and the closure of oil refineries is causing a surge in fuel prices. Coming soon after last month’s severe floods in Switzerland and Austria, and with the Indian Ocean tsunamis fresh in the memory, Katrina has reminded us of the impact natural disasters can have on business – especially those that are unprepared.

ARCHIVE Material

The planning for business continuity and disaster recovery post CBR chemical biological radiological is often ignored or even potentially worse, incorrectly assessed. This assessment can be assimilated as that of a hazard assessment when the risk manager doesn’t know of combined or symbiotic effects. Post CBR planning may be difficult to assess due to limited knowledge, experience or facts but various information is available on which to assert assumptions.