Have you ever thought about how your organization would stay operational during a disaster or unplanned incident? Whether your community-based organization (CBO) is a nonprofit, small business, or faith-based organization, a key part of preparedness planning is determining the activities you need to do to stay open. Taking the time to map out your basic functions now will be helpful when rushing to maintain services during an emergency.
Determining essential activities is the fifth of 10 actions that organizations can take to help ensure they are able to run as smoothly as possible during a disaster. These actions are outlined in FEMA’s new Organizations Preparing for Emergency Needs (OPEN) training.
Consider these goals when working to improve your supply chain:
- Create overlap in the supply chain by keeping extra inventory and ordering early.
- Become more flexible by standardizing operations and tracking products with technology.
- Develop relationships with primary and alternative vendors to learn their continuity plans. Also make sure to get emergency contact information.
Here’s an example of how a health clinic in Ohio could handle a disruption in their supply chain:
A hurricane hit a drug production lab and distribution center located 1,000 miles away in Texas. Shortage of supplies then disrupted the delivery of medications to hospitals and clinics in many states.
Despite the hurricane interrupting supplies, the health clinic in Ohio was ready to meet the challenge. The clinic kept extra inventory of prescriptions, had a relationship with nearby pharmacies, and developed a plan for supplies with a national nonprofit.
How would your organization cope with a similar incident? Here are some questions to ask to be prepared:
- What kinds of goods does your organization need to function?
- Can you think of organizations in your community that have a similar mission to coordinate with?
- What resources could you share with others?
- What resources might you need from others?
To learn more about this topic, check out FEMA’s in-depth handbook, Supply Chain Resilience Guide. FEMA’s PrepTalk video series offers two helpful supply chain segments from the experts: here and here.
Learn more about all the steps your CBO can take to be prepared by viewing the web-based version of FEMA’s new Organizations Preparing for Emergency Needs (OPEN) training or downloading the in-person training materials. You can find them at www.ready.gov/open-training.
Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a series of articles examining actions organizations can take to ensure they can serve their clients and protect themselves in case of emergency. FEMA’s new OPEN training includes 10 steps to take to be prepared. These include understanding risks and safeguarding critical information.
Disclaimer: The reader recognizes that the federal government provides links and informational data on various disaster preparedness resources and events and does not endorse any non-federal events, entities, organizations, services, or products. Please let us know about other events and services for individual and community preparedness that could be included in future newsletters by contacting FEMA-Prepare@fema.dhs.gov
This article first appeared in the monthly Individual and Community Preparedness Newsletter. Subscribe here.