Risk mapping in disaster planning

Disaster planning whether natural or man made is part of a well thought corporate emergency preparedness and risk minimizing program. Unlike in the earlier years when the organizations used to wake up late and learn lessons in the hard way, today’s corporate world and other institutional framework take enough care and precaution to face and challenge the unforeseen disasters that are more common in the recent past.

A well structured and scientifically prepared disaster management program involves complex procedures and steps with meticulous details and precise planning and need to be done with the help of professionals with the support of the entire workforce of the organization. There are numerous literature and manuals on the ways of preparing the plan to meet the inevitable.

What is risk mapping?

It is the not the intention of this small article to elaborately discuss the various procedures concerned with the preparation of a disaster planning program, But to give a few tips on one of the aspects of the entire frame work of such a plan on disaster planning, the most important and challenging, the identification of risks.

While mapping the potential risks that an organization is exposed, a prudent planner has to consider all the potential areas of risks. These may be geographic and climatic Hazards, or other potential risks to the building and its collections. While considering such risks the most common threat that are perceived include the institutions vulnerability to natural disasters like the flood, hurricane, Tsunami, flood, earthquakes or even fire. Besides the other disasters that are more common now a days like the bomb threats, chemical leakage, or other scientific errors may also be considered. This does not mean that as an institution you need to be prepared for Tsunamis in the Himalayas or flooding in the Sahara.

However all possible potential risks and vulnerabilities need to be well covered in the comprehensive plan of disaster planning since a disaster plan gives a message to the work force that they are prepared for any type of emergency situation and when they have to face something they have never ever appraised upon or imagined, may make the situation worse than no planning.

The inevitable survey

One has to do a comprehensive survey on the building, place, the materials and collections and the work force before determining the risk or the potential dangers or vulnerabilities it is exposed to as a prelude to the disaster planning. Examine all the aspects of the building like the location, the altitude, the topography, the surroundings, the leakages or previous histories of other calamities etc., that would give the planner a fair idea with respect to the risk the building and its vulnerability.

Next are the collections or the materials. One has to ensure that there is a priority list of collections that need to be followed while savaging the same? Other points that requires attention in identifying the risks in an efficient and fool proof disaster planning is the threat to the internal fittings and fixtures to the building. Whether the electrical wiring is fool proof and periodically checked? Whether the fire extinguishers are refilled and tested periodically? The list goes on and you may add whatever you feel right to your institution. Some times the limitations of such a survey are the lack of exposure and experience.

Hence the institutions are well advised to seek the service of the professionals in the field, if they are attempting the exercise for the first time. No one can think that a particular part of globe or region is safe and free from such vulnerabilities. While the degree of risk may change according to multifarious factors there cannot be two opinions to the fact that every one of us has to be prepared for that day, the day of disaster. To beat the unnatural ways of the nature’s behavior though observed rarely, you have to be well prepared and armed.