Businesses in Cascadia - CREW

Communications. The options for back-up communication systems were another point ofconcern and received considerable attention at the roundtables in Washington and Oregon. Giventhe likelihood that normal communication systems will not be functioning within the regiondamaged by the earthquake, the participants discussed the various options for backupcommunications, including satellite phones and ham radios. The participants in Washingtonconcluded that it would be useful to have more information about best practices and equipment.Supply Networks, Neighboring Businesses, and Clients. Another factor that impacts a business’continuity strategies is the level of preparedness of the business’ neighbors, suppliers, andclients. If neighboring businesses do not invest in retrofitting, for example, their damagedbuildings may hinder access to the whole area. A business that depends on suppliers locatedwithin the same geographical area may find after an earthquake that these suppliers were notprepared for the earthquake and are unable to provide the parts or materials that the businessneeds to continue its operations. Some contractors may find that their clients can no longer hirethem because the clients’ resources are absorbed in coping with the disaster rather than resumingnormal functions. These issues underscore the importance of questioning suppliers about theircontinuity plans, but lack of preparation among neighboring businesses and clients may onlychange with successful messaging and the development of a more widespread culture ofpreparedness.Figure 8. The Red Zonein Christchurch, NewZealand. The city’scentral business district,cordoned off due tosevere quake damage,became known as the“Red Zone.” Althoughthis area continued todecrease in size overtime, parts of thedistrict were still shutdown more than 16months after theearthquake. This mapshows the cordon as ofJune 18, 2012.Map: CanterburyEarthquake RecoveryAuthority (CERA)10 | CREW Business Roundtables