The past few years have clearly demonstrated that disasters—natural or manmade—disrupt business. Forty-three percent of businesses damaged in a disaster close for good, and that figure rises to 60 percent after one year. Yet it doesn’t have to be that way. Following the lethal subway terrorist bombings in the summer of 2005, most businesses, including London’s notoriously unreliable Underground Metro service, resumed most services within 24 hours. At least 100 companies implemented disaster recovery plans immediately. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said the business community had prepared for such an eventuality for a long time and had implemented contingency plans to ensure the greatest possible degree of business continuity. Contingency planning is like insurance in that you hope to never have to use it, but being prepared is wise.
Read the situation below. In your planning, take into account the material, human, financial, and information resources the college uses. Some things to consider as you plan:
1. Determine critical functions and equipment.
2. Plan for alternative sites and/or activities.
4. Assume the worst—whatever can go wrong will.

Situation: You have been hired as consultants to a small liberal arts college in the Midwest that attracts students from across the country. The college has excellent fire, disaster, and even terrorist attack plans. Now it wants to develop a plan for a complete electrical outage in the town that would affect heat, light, computers, and other equipment across the whole campus for a week or longer. The objective of the plan is to devise ways in which students can be fed and housed; continue to remain in contact with their professors, the library, and other re-sources; and, in short, learn. Academically, the college does not want its students to fall behind.
What will the college do for the student’s physical needs (heat, light, water, food, medicine, etc.)? (3 pts)

What will the college do to address the academic needs (texts, professors, library, internet, etc.)? (3 pts)

What will the college do to address the social needs of the students (study groups, extracurriculars, etc.)? (3 pts)

Who will be in charge of implementing this plan? What training is needed? (3 pts)