August 13, 2007—Several New York City businesses found out recently that even with well-laid emergency and business continuity plans, employees can panic in an emergency situation, and other unforeseen circumstances can interrupt the flow of business.
“Disaster Plans Falter After the Blast” in Crain’s New York Business for July 22, 2007, issue reports on the July 18 steam pipe explosion that caused around 200 businesses to close their doors for several days, despite an AT&T survey finding that NYC is one of the best-prepared cities for disaster.
Some of the glitches various businesses encountered included employees leaving their cell phones at their desks in their haste to escape; not having time to grab all important files; emergency meeting places being used to treat wounded pedestrians; damaged Verizon lines leaving no phone service for days; and neglecting to plan for off-site computer servers.
