What he didn’t realize (and I didn’t tell him, as I didn’t want
to annoy the hosts who just served me the best crème brûlée I had ever had) was
that they were actually in one of the highest danger zones in California. However,
it wouldn’t have mattered if I had been enjoying that crème brûlée in Biloxi,
Mississippi, Beijing, China, London, England or South Africa. Every place in the industrialized world shares
virtually the same 5 risks on top of the ones that are more endemic to their
own region.
1. Flooding
Flooding is without question the most destructive disaster
in the world. They can strike with or without warning, can linger for days or
weeks, and create substantial after-effects. The unimaginable horrors of
Hurricane Katrina were magnified by the flooding of the streets and byways of
New Orleans. And it doesn’t require a massive hurricane to spark a flood.
Tropical Storm Claudette in 1979 brought 45 inches of rain to Alvin, Texas and
caused more than $1.8 billion (in 2012 dollars) in damage. Long after Hurricane
Diane in 1955 subsided, the resulting floods in Pennsylvania killed 200 people
and caused billions in damage.
Floods are recorded in every state in the US. This has
become such a ubiquitous disaster that the US has now instituted the Flood
Warning System for communities to participate in flood preparedness.
2. Space Weather
This may sound like something out of a sci-fi novel, but the threat is very real in our age. Space weather can knock out satellites or interrupt communication links on the groud, which would grind your cell phone use to a halt.
We have now become so reliant on telecommunications
infrastructure, that any interruption in those satellites that deliver it can
be a major emergency. Electric grids and utilities can also be affected. In the
early 1970’s a solar blast nearly caused near complete blackout in the US East
Coast after the grid became overloaded. In an upcoming entry I am going to
discuss solar flares and their effects on your business, but they are just one
of numerous types of space weather. Meteors, space debris, and even
electromagnetic pulses can cause massive disruptions on services that we now
take for granted.
Ironically enough, it is the “less-civilized” societies that
are impacted the least by these events. In fact, these are disasters that weren’t
even catalogued as such (other than meteor strikes) until the mid to late 20th
Century. However, any business disaster
plan should keep at least one eye upward.
3. Fire
Fire has been nature’s equalizer since the dawn of time. The
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2005 published statistics that
stated that death from fire and burns were the 5th leading cause of
unintentional death in the United States. There is little need to elaborate on
that statistic, but obviously, businesses can be the victim of a fire as easily
as any residence. As you go through your office, you probably notice the fire
alarm on the wall, the fire extinguisher, the smoke alarm above you, and
perhaps the fire hose line behind glass that says “Fire Department Use Only”. These
are testament to the seriousness communities take to the threat of fire.
However, an office does not have to be in a complete
conflagration to be interrupted by a fire. Even a small trash fire that spills
into a hallway can have a very serious effect on your business. Mandatory employee
evacuation, injuries, smoke/fire damage, water damage from the fire departments
suppression efforts, possible fines from the incident, and even possible
criminal sanctions all make it a very difficult event.
4. Earthquake
If you live and work on Planet Earth, earthquakes can
strike. Our globalized age of commerce means that these threats can have massive effects near and far. The earthquake and resulting
tsunami in Japan, for example, had a significant impact on the production of
vehicles in the US and the EU because of the constriction of supply. Literally,
cargo could not leave the harbors because the ships had been run aground or
beached, or were destroyed in the aftermath.
I have had the opportunity to live in one of the most
earthquake-prone areas of the world (Southern California), and one of the least
prone (South Louisiana). And while each one has its own unique hazards, this
was one that should be considered regardless of your business resides.
5. Technological Emergencies
Technological emergencies refer to those that involve human-made
“technologies” such as a power outage, hazardous materials spills, dam
failures, mine collapses, etc. In a future entry, I will talk
about some of the most spectacular (and obscure) examples of these events, and
what were learned from them. Thankfully, the US, UK, European Union, and many
industrialized nations take significant steps to prevent these types of events,
but they still do occur.
Even if your business is in an area you think are not
typically prone to these disasters, take a second look. The bridge you take to
work in the morning, the tanker truck with the strange placards on the side,
the factory you pass with the big smoke-release tower, the small dam that is
used for electricity generation, that big dirt hole where they are building the
new football stadium are all places that have the potential for massive
destruction if the elements line up.
Conclusion
Regardless of where you enjoy your crème brûlée, there is no
place that has a complete immunity from disaster. Floods, space weather, fires,
earthquakes and technological disasters can occur anywhere. The solution is to
identify them, prepare for them, and do what is necessary to Reverse Disaster.
Patrick
Hardyphardy@hytropy.com
Twitter: @hytropy
Facebook: Hytropy
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