Government Technology - July 2008 - (Page 36)

RE YOU EADY? GT READERSHIP SURVEY AND EXPERTS PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO WHAT ORGANIZATIONS ARE DOING TO STAY AHEAD OF DISASTERS — AND WHAT THEY SHOULD BE DOING. B Y E M I LY M O N TA N D O N | A S S O C I A T E E D I T O R G overnments deliver some of society’s most vital services. In an emergency, citizens look to public agencies to continue providing public assistance checks and public utilities, in addition to emergency services, including medical care or shelter. In today’s technological age, governments must ensure vulnerabilities are found and mitigated before disaster strikes. In April, Government Technology surveyed our readers and found that respondents were mostly confident in their ability to rebound after a catastrophe. Of the 121 readers who responded, about 60 percent were highly confident in their organizations’ ability to maintain operations during a disaster. Eighty-one percent were at least moderately confident. How conﬁdent are you in your organization’s internal ability to maintain operations during a disaster? (1=Extremely conﬁdent, 5=Not at all conﬁdent) 1 2 3 4 5 1 3% 6% 24% 36% 22% JULY_08 ABOUT THE SURVEY Government Technology’s readership survey on continuity of government/disaster recovery was conducted in April 2008. Of the 121 respondents, 40 percent said they were from local government, 38 from state government, 7 percent from federal government, 7 percent from education, and 8 percent described their level of government as “other.” The survey drew responses from a broad group of government representatives including, elected ofﬁcials, management, IT and general staff for both emergency management agencies and nonemergency management agencies. Respondents were allowed to skip questions. Percentages are based on the number of responses for each question. Although many of the responses showed a positive trend in government’s preparedness, some experts warn that truly being prepared is more than ticking items off a checklist. For example, 95 percent of respondents said they had identified key staff to be contacted in an emergency. But there often is confusion among those key staff members when an emergency happens, said Eric Holdeman, principal with ICF International’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Practice. “You’ve identified staff,” he said, “but do the staff know they’ve been identified? That happens much more than you’d ever believe.” Even when staff members are aware they’ve been identified, they don’t always know what’s required of them, added Holdeman. “They’ve never received any information about what that duty might be or received any training on what it would mean.” In addition, planners must consider whether those key staff members will be available during an emergency. For instance, 36 http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - July 2008

Government Technology - July 2008 Point of View The Last Mile Big Picture On the Scene Four Questions for ... Generation 2.0 at Work Dangerous Convenience Tainted Justice? Are You Ready? E-Discovery Basics Smart Docs Advanced Math Online Video Blues Spectrum Personal Computing Products signal:noise

Government Technology - July 2008

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