The panel stressed that jurisdictions can learn a lot from going through a disaster or from talking to other jurisdictions that have experienced one first-hand. According to Barbara Pence, township administrator in rural Bernards Township, N.J., such lessons are often the most valuable of all. The importance of preparation hit home a few years back when Hurricane Bob barreled down on her community. We realized we had to work through the rudimentary things first. Communications and infrastructure are vital.
Disasters are confusing situations.
You really have to think about the details involved. Goan said his jurisdiction experienced the loss of some court records in a flood one year. The experience caused him to look at the use of distributed platforms to help ensure better backup of records in the future. Meanwhile, Lynn Bayer, director of public social services in Los Angeles County, shared her experiences with the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Bayer said that, despite extensive preparation plans, there were still several things that hadn't been taken into full consideration.