Natural disasters aren’t the only reason members may need to utilize the services provided by Agility Recovery. While hurricanes, floods or tornados may be the first thing that comes to mind when considering a loss of office space; fire is often the cause of property loss requiring temporary office space.
The City of Covington’s Public Works Department is currently working out of a trailer Agility brought in after a fire caused major damage in their office building on May 6.
“The fire was in the heating and air conditioning unit,” said Public Works Director Jack Muncey. “With the fire department only a block away, the flames were contained pretty quickly.”
While the structure can be rebuilt, the electronic equipment inside such as computers and printers were a total loss.
“Initially we got our new computers and monitors and moved into the garage right behind our office building,” said Muncey. “After awhile we realized we needed a different work space while we wait for our building to be fixed.”
VMLIP claims adjuster Scott Martin arranged for the city to receive an office trailer from Agility Recovery. The request was made on May 12 and the trailer was delivered on May 14.
“We’re still operating from boxes and bare bones, but we are happy to have the trailer to work in,” said Muncey. “It’s hard when you go through something like this and you lose everything, but VML Insurance has really helped us move forward.”
While Covington only needed office space, VMLIP members also have access to computer and phone technology as well as generators and power through Agility Recovery.
In fact, the number one call Agility receives is for assistance with power outages, representing 40 percent of their disaster recovery portfolio. During the summer months, Virginians are susceptible to tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and more. In the winter, your facility could be crippled by roof damage due to heavy snow.
Is your entity prepared? The process of developing a Continuity of Operations Plan will guide you through identifying mission-critical processes, procedures and functions necessary to continue running your organization.
Consider:
- Who is your crisis team leader? The person working across the organization to drive planning activities and measure the readiness of individual departments.
- What is your risk? What types of emergencies have happened in the past? What kind of business interruptions could potentially happen to your facility? Think of your top three risks and develop a recovery plan for each.
- What are your essentials? Think about what is critical for your day-to-day operations. This includes employees as well as resources. Develop strategies for each of these essential functions.
- Who do you rely on? Chances are your organization won’t be the only one impacted by a natural disaster. Talk to your vendors and suppliers about their recovery plans. Consider payroll companies, delivery partners, technology vendors, and more.
- How do you communicate? Make sure your phone list is up-to-date, and consider what your entity would do in the event of telecommunications failure. Contact your telephone service provider to learn about phone redirection and plan an implementation process.
- Make sure employees know your plan – and make sure you TEST your plan.
For more information, check out the Agility Recovery presentation from the 2015 Annual Meeting available here. Get started with Agility here.
VMLIP offers more than just coverage. We are partners in risk management. How does your insurer stack up? Having all lines of coverage with VMLIP ensures that your organization is receiving comprehensive coverage and a wide variety of value-added services tailored to Virginia’s local governmental entities. Call for a quote today: (800) 963-6800. For more information on VMLIP visit: www.vrsa.us or follow us on Facebook.
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