Agencies' disaster recovery plans get a real-world test

A few months before Hurricane Katrina suspended government operations in New Orleans and brought tragedy to the Gulf Coast, the Office of Personnel Management asked agencies nationwide if they were prepared for a natural disaster.

The answer, from the 85 agencies that responded to OPM's 2005 Emergency Preparedness Survey, was a resounding yes. All 15 cabinet-level departments responded to the survey as well as many smaller agencies, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Small Business Administration and Federal Reserve Board.

OPM said the results of the survey, conducted in April, "reflect very high levels of emergency preparedness." According to the agencies surveyed, they were ready to take care of their own in the event of a disaster, such as Katrina.

The idea, according to OPM, was for agencies to "be able to maintain business continuity" and keep running the country, even during times of disaster. The survey's questions were based on the recommended minimum criteria agencies should meet for emergency preparedness.

More than 90 percent of the agencies surveyed said their facilities had an up-to-date Occupant Emergency Plan. An OEP lays out agency guidelines in terms of designating emergency personnel, contingency work plans, evacuation procedures and more.

More than 95 percent of agencies said their facilities had conducted evacuation drills in the past year. The same percentage said they had designated emergency personnel to serve as points of contact and leaders.

The Agriculture Department's National Finance Center in New Orleans had put in place many emergency preparedness procedures for employees, according to spokesman Ed Loyd. The center had an OEP, had conducted evacuation drills at the facility, had distributed emergency guides to employees and had a contingency work plan in place before the hurricane hit, he said.

While the agencies that responded appeared to be highly prepared for immediate disaster response, such as keeping evacuation routes clearly marked, some of their longer-term emergency plans were weaker. As flooding keeps the city indefinitely closed, Hurricane Katrina highlights the need for long-term contingency plans.

Additionally, the survey reported that of the participating agencies:

• 57.6 percent had "prearranged agreements to transfer work to other agency locations;"
• 63.5 percent had "telework capability in place from home or telecenter;"
• 65.9 percent had "arrangements to temporarily conduct operations from other agency space;"
• 75.3 percent had "plans to notify agency customers/clients of temporary alternative arrangements."

The Interior Department's Minerals Management Service, which did not individually participate in OPM's survey (though Interior as a whole did), has several regional offices along the Gulf Coast. The MMS, according to spokesman Gary Strasburg, did have a contingency plan for long-term operations, which the agency's offices practiced every year.

A continuity of operations plan team set up a contingency office in Houston, and was "transferring regional office operations and a limited number of staff" to the new location as a result of damage to offices from the hurricane. Strasburg said employees had practiced using the Houston location as an emergency center and actually went there and set it up every year.

In 2004, OPM provided training to agency representatives on improving emergency preparedness. OPM said these sessions were meant to focus on emergency drills and the use of telework as areas in need of improvement.