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Your Disaster Recovery Plan and Hurricane Harvey

Posted by Amy Hite on Sep 1, 2017

Does your company security portfolio encompass a disaster recovery plan? Hurricane Harvey just slammed into and destroyed a good part of Southeast Texas. Some authorities estimate financial damages will exceed $100 billion dollars. Many commercial real estate properties were devastated by flooding and damaging winds. Are your executive and security teams prepared if your property is flooded or your buildings are damaged by high winds, and your staff isn’t able to get on-site?

Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas Gulf Coast with destructive winds and record-shattering rainfall. One of the hardest hit cities has been Houston. Rainfall of more than 50 inches resulted in devastating flooding and damage. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner issued a mandatory curfew from 10 pm to 5 am within the city limits as a crime prevention measure to guard against looters. Thieves can steal from and damage empty homes and businesses, inflicting even more financial losses.

Creating a Disaster Recovery Plan

Hurricane Harvey demonstrates that disasters can and do happen. They cost businesses critical time and money in downtime and damages, which many organizations cannot afford. A disaster recovery plan enables companies to prepare for, limit, and recover quickly from natural disasters, data security breaches, fire, and other emergencies.

What to Include in a Disaster Recovery Plan

The goal of a disaster recovery plan is to alleviate employee and customer worry, protect assets and data, provide property security, and restore business operations as fast as possible. Disaster plans should encompass:

    1. A list of all mission-critical employees and their job functions. Include multiple points of contact.
    2. A coordinator for the overall plan and each department.
    3. A prioritized list of functions and departments to be restored.
    4. An inventory and the location of company data and physical assets, including essential equipment such as computers, servers, routers, networking equipment, security cameras, and NVRs, and a plan to replace equipment if destroyed.
    5. A list of critical services, providers, and control and access points for Internet access, electrical power, and lighting.
    6. A site security plan in the event that normal security, such as fences and security guards, are no longer effective or provided, and on-site staff and security personnel cannot be on the property.
    7. An off-site location for recovery efforts.
    8. A plan for transferring employees to the offsite location.
    9. A communication plan to keep employees updated.

Security cameras and live video monitoring can be an effective part of disaster recovery. Remote surveillance can watch what’s happening on-site. Trained operators can provide site status updates and crime reports to company managers and police.

Stealth Monitoring is the leader in remote video surveillance in Canada and the U.S, with over 400 employees, 11 offices, and 3 live video monitoring control centers. Stealth’s proactive video monitoring watches over 17,000 IP and CCTV security cameras. Our security solutions feature advanced technology and can detect and deter crime while reducing security guard and other expenses. Our remote monitoring service can reduce or even replace security guards at a fraction of the cost. A remote surveillance operator can see suspicious activity, activate a speaker warning, and call the local police.

Please call toll-free (855) STEALTH or contact us today for more information to protect your outdoor assets. Visit the Stealth website to see real arrest videos at construction sites, multifamily apartments, shopping centers, office buildings, warehouses, auto dealerships, and other commercial real estate properties.