When I rushed to the area, I saw that the Murrah Federal Building had been devastated by the blast. I was particularly concerned for one of my clients, an agency with 150 employees. Prior to the bombing, I had begun developing a business recovery plan with my client. Employees reported that they were better prepared for both the emergency response phase and business recovery phase as a result of the training they had received. However, some of the most valuable lessons from April 19th center on the needs of the people who were impacted and their role in response and recovery.
People are the most important resource in an enterprise.
Planning and training for disaster response and recovery must place high priority on people issues. Mandatory Training of All Personnel Most organizations, if they provide training at all, will provide training only for their core group or disaster recovery team. After the experience in Oklahoma City, I am convinced that all employees within an organization should receive some training. Organizations must plan for the possibility that they may lose some of their most experienced personnel. Depending upon the severity of the disaster and the number of casualties, organizations may have to rely on second, third or fourth level personnel to perform needed functions.