LPN Statewide Emergency Response Plan

Louisiana Presenter’s Network Statewide Emergency Response Plan December, 2006 Prepared by Anne Dunning With support from: Southern Arts Federation The Louisiana Division of the Arts The Louisiana Partnership for the Arts Louisiana Presenter’s Network Statewide Emergency Response Plan TABLE OF CONTENTS PART ONE - Statewide Communications System Intentions The System Layer One Component 1 – member database and listserv Component 2 – direct links to related database and information resources Component 3 – updatable events calendar Component 4 – general access to list serv postings Component 5 – manual on emergency preparedness for organizations Layer Two Promotion Testing PART TWO – Resources for Organizational Continuity & Recovery Planning Intentions The Resource Guide Document Protection and Access 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 First Priority Second Priority Third Priority Prior to an Emergency During an Emergency After an Emergency Communications First Level of Communication Second Level of Communication Third Level of Communication Prior to an Emergency During an Emergency After an Emergency Continuity of Activities Financial Continuity Physical Plant Continuity Technology Guide Document Storage Web Communication Technologies Resources 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 10 11 11 11 12 12 13 13 13 -2- Louisiana Presenter’s Network Statewide Emergency Response Plan PART ONE – Statewide Communications System In community meetings and discussions with the planning committee, the importance of having a central location for communication in case of a large-scale emergency was considered pivotal. In 2005, LPN informally fulfilled this role by using its website as a tool for tracking data on arts organizations in transition and its phone service as a way to connect displaced artists and arts workers with needed services and each other after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Based on this experience and on the needs expressed by its member community, LPN is formalizing its role in providing needed statewide communications in emergency situations by developing a Statewide Communications System. Intentions The Statewide Communications System is intended to provide ongoing communications within the performing and visual arts communities during and after a large scale emergency within the state. The Communications System will allow artists, arts workers and patrons to:      Link to a central location to register and track displaced organizations, artists and arts workers in an updatable database Communicate program cancellations or changes Communicate information about venue functionality Coordinate replacement artists to cover cancelled programs Access information about resources available to support individuals and organizations All those consulted were clear that the system would need to be simple, coordinated with other groups who are meeting these needs within subsections of the community, designed to allow posting of information as well as accessing information and resilient to other system malfunctions within the state (such as web service and telephone service). The System The statewide communications system will have 5 components and two layers. The first layer will be built as an interactive web interface on the LPN website. The second layer is a back-up system to ensure communication flow in case of national failure of the World Wide Web. Layer One The interactive interface on the LPN website will provide immediate access to information and the ability to update information in real time. This layer will be resistant to localized communication failures as the LPN server is in Phoenix, Arizona. Individuals will be able to access the interface even when they do not have access to their own e-mail accounts or computers. Component 1 – member database and listserv LPN maintains a database of members on the website and has an active listserv that supports member dialog. To keep the emergency communication system simple, LPN will use these existing systems as part of the emergency communication system. LPN members will be able to update their database listing to reflect their status and location by submitting changes to LPN‟s webmaster. If it is possible to link the data in the LPN database directly to other online databases (such as the LPArts database) so that information updated on the LPN site will be reflected in other arts databases, it will reduce the amount of information input member organizations will need to undertake. -3- Louisiana Presenter’s Network Statewide Emergency Response Plan In addition to the regular e-mail interface to post and access listserv postings, a simple web interface will be set up to allow members to access and post remotely if they are displaced. Members will be given access information for this emergency interface in advance including the web address (lapresenters.org\emergency) and a universal username and access code (LPNmember, LPN). When they access the interface, they will see three columns. In the left hand column will be information posted by LPN including any official communications from funders, instructions from the webmaster or updates on LPN‟s status. In the middle column will be postings entered by members accessing the interface or the listserv. In the column on the right, they will be able to enter their information or questions to be posted. The web interface will be integrated with the listserv such that postings made by e-mail to the listserv will be accessible in the archive on the website and postings made through the web interface will be distributed on the listserv. This component is restricted to membership and is secure from robot form spam because of the authorization & security loop. The listserv and corresponding web interface will allow important information on venues, support systems, performance cancellations and available artists to be quickly conveyed to the entire membership. It can also be a way to convey information beyond the membership (see component 4). Component 2 – direct links to related database and information resources In general, the most effective strategy for information dissemination is to centralize information so that there are one or two complete sources of information rather than many partial listings. LPN would work with other partners to determine the most appropriate place to gather arts community information and would support this by providing a direct link from the LPN website and direct updates of LPN database entries to the central database site where possible. Because LPArts built a broadly focused web database in response to Hurricane Katrina, and the arts community may already have an expectation of finding this information on their site, LPN will look at partnering with LPArts to create a centralized emergency database for the arts. This database, unlike the LPN database, will need to be updatable without the need for webmaster posting or an authorization process to allow wide access. This will limit the amount of time that the information can be posted due to the inevitable inflow or robot form spam. This is a temporary emergency resource. As the database becomes larger, it might need to be made searchable. Some functions will require linking to a larger community than the arts community. For example, in cases of missing people, Craigslist served a broad-reaching function in the most recent disasters and will likely continue to provide greater access than any of the arts community sites could hope to do. Also, information on individual and organizational support resources are available on a number of government and social services websites and we will want to include links to these information resources from this part of LPN‟s website. These links will include: Craigslist, Louisiana Division of the Arts, Louisiana State Arts Council, Southern Arts Federation, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP). Component 3 – updatable events calendar LPN has been positioning its website as a central resource for arts patrons to access a statewide calendar of events. As the awareness of this ongoing tool grows, LPN will become a vital link to patrons seeking information on arts organizations and activities after a large-scale emergency. The events calendar will allow presenters who have to cancel or change performances a way to communicate with their audiences and potential audiences of the change. As in the post-Katrina period, a general disclaimer on the calendar making patrons -4- Louisiana Presenter’s Network Statewide Emergency Response Plan aware of overall disruption in arts services in affected areas will help to serve those organizations who are not able to update their listing information for their patrons. Component 4 – general access to listserv postings To facilitate the broader dissemination of information on the listserv beyond the LPN membership, there is a searchable archive of postings on the website. This will allow nonmembers to search (but not post) listserv information and therefore gain awareness of resources, facilities and opportunities that are available there. In order to respond to any of the posted information, non-members will need to e-mail the person posting using their listed e-mail address. Component 5 – manual on emergency preparedness for organizations Information on how to prepare effectively for a large scale emergency within their organizations will be available on the website for members and non-members as a pdf download. See Part Two below. Layer Two If the World Wide Web is disabled, LPN will have to reduce communications dramatically. In this scenario, LPN would focus only on aspects of Component 1, to provide members with access to information and to track the location of members. In this situation, the LPN would use their telephone and message service to take information from members, respond where possible to member requests and leave recorded messages for member retrieval with general information on access to resources and statewide bulletins. This requires remote access to the answering machine or voice mail and the ability to forward LPN calls in the case that the administrator is displaced. Should such an event last for more than a few weeks, LPN would strive to distribute by mail to all available addressees, a hard copy listing of addresses and phone contacts for LPN members within 4 – 6 weeks. Promotion Key to the success of the Communications System will be the promotion of it as a resource for the community before a potential emergency situation. The following strategies are important in ensuring that potential users have the information they need on the web communication interface available through LPN in case of emergency. For members we will distribute a short brochure describing the five components of the LPN Statewide Communications System. Part of the brochure will be 2-3 business card sized panels which can be cut out with details on how to access the web interface so that key personnel can carry this information with them. For non members in the broader arts community, we will send out an e-mail highlighting the non-member accessible components of the Communication System. Finally, patrons who already use the calendar will be made aware of the preparations for emergency communication with a „feature‟ ad beside the calendar. Patrons who may not be aware of the calendar or the access to information through the LPN website will be reached through a ticket campaign with LPN members in which we will ask them to print the website on their tickets or enclose a short information piece on the LPN site in their ticket envelopes. Testing It will be necessary to test several components of the Statewide Communications System. Ideally, a small community would be used to simulate an emergency situation with key pieces of information planted in the community for communication. These community members would receive the information on the System per the promotion plan and we would assess the speed, -5- Louisiana Presenter’s Network Statewide Emergency Response Plan accuracy and effectiveness of information transfer through the System and make changes as appropriate. PART TWO – Resources for Organizational Continuity & Recovery Planning To support the LPN membership community and other arts organizations in Louisiana, the LPN has developed a resource to guide organizations in creating plans for the continuity and recovery of their operations in the case of a major organizational, local or statewide emergency. Information and advice was assembled from the community affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and from other sectors to guide organizations in their planning process. Intentions The resources for organizational continuity & recovery planning are intended to assist organizations in creating their own protocols and plans. These tools will guide organizations through the process of considering and developing their:    Document security and access prior to, during and after an emergency Emergency communication plans to reach staff, community networks and stakeholders Contingencies for continuity of operations in case of a major emergency The intention is to provide a simple template that will help organizations put into place a basic plan for recovery and continuity of their operations. Individual organizations should customize and build on these plans to create an infrastructure that meets their specific needs for emergency preparation. This resource is intended as a planning tool for the recovery of the organization‟s operations. It does not address issues related to human survival or health. In any emergency situation, survival and health of all individuals will be the top priorities and planning for evacuation, emergency medical, shelter and transportation should be part of every organization‟s emergency plans. These issues are not addressed in this plan. More information on emergency planning in these areas can be found at the following sites: American Red Cross http://www.redcross.org/ Center for Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov/ The Resource Guide Document Protection and Access All organizations have a variety of information that is required for the continuity and success of their operations including financial documents, databases, contracts, applications and meeting minutes. Different types of information have different levels of importance and different levels of urgency for the organization. Broadly speaking, for arts organizations, the key information resources can be classified as: First Priority – Important and Urgent documents These are the documents that are critical to communications and the recovery of the organization. They need to be preserved, in many cases securely, and accessed during or immediately after an emergency. Each organization should make a list of which documents are First Priority including such things as: -6- Louisiana Presenter’s Network Statewide Emergency Response Plan Critical contacts list Personnel Information including Health Insurance if applicable Banking Documents Leases or Deeds to property Second Priority – Important and less Urgent documents These are the documents that will be significant in recovering effectively for the organization but will not be immediately required during the emergency. These documents include information that is legally required to be maintained. A list of Second Priority documents should include such things as: Fundraising, sales, membership and student registration databases (securely stored, if they contain credit card information) Financial Records related to operations for the last 3 - 6* years Audits/Financial Statements for 10 years 990s for 10 years Records of charitable gifts Bylaws and incorporation papers Statements of Mission, Vision, Values Minutes of Board meetings Current Contracts Documents related to government grants for the last 3 years Third Priority – Less Important but useful documents These are the documents that are used in the day to day operations of the organization. They could be recreated if needed, but it would be time consuming to restore the information. Third priority documents include such things as: Templates for applications. letters and reports. Correspondence – e-mail and letters Promotional materials *“Exempt organizations must keep records as long as they may be needed to administer provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Generally, this means you must keep records that support an item of income or deduction on a return until the period of limitations for that return runs out. The period of limitations is the period of time in which an organization can amend its return to claim a credit or refund, or the IRS can assess additional tax. The most common limitations period is three years after the date the return is due or filed, whichever is later.” Compliance Guide for 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Organizations Internal Revenue Service Prior to an Emergency To ensure that your information is safe and accessible in the case of an emergency, it is important to regularly backup your information. Depending on the amount of information that is regularly updated, most organizations should back up computer files and operating systems anywhere from once a day to once every two weeks. Backups can be stored on portable media – CD-ROMs, ZIP drives, USB drives – and stored offsite or can be uploaded using a file transfer protocol (FTP) to a secure offsite server through the internet. These backups will be used to access information in case the organization is displaced or to restore information in case equipment is damaged in an emergency. Not only should an organization back this information up regularly, but the backup should be tested from time to time to make sure that information can be restored from it if needed. -7- Louisiana Presenter’s Network Statewide Emergency Response Plan Computers and peripherals should be properly shut down and turned off when not in use or should be connected to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). This will help to protect information in case of a power outage or other interruption and will prevent power surges from damaging computer equipment. Paper copies of documents and materials are more vulnerable to damage and are more cumbersome to store and preserve. Proper storage of documents will help to minimize risk of damage or loss in an emergency. Documents stored in files in secure filing cabinets are less likely to be damaged by fire or water than those stacked on open surfaces, stored in cardboard boxes or left on or near the floor. First and Second Priority documents should be photocopied or scanned so that copies can be maintained in a second location. Scans of important documents can be stored with electronic file backups for added security. To ensure that first priority information is available in case of an emergency even if no one is able to return to the office, a employee designated as the information resource person should maintain a current backup of all first priority information at home and at work so that it is easily accessible in case of evacuation. During an Emergency If the power supply is knocked out or likely to be knocked out, turn off or disconnect computers and peripherals. Take the most recent portable media backup and first priority information with you when you evacuate. After an Emergency The information resource person will need to restore the first priority information and distribute it to those who need it immediately following an emergency. This person should ensure that information is secure and accessible as soon as possible. If the organization is going to be displaced for an extended period of time, second and third priority information may need to be restored onto a temporary system to allow work to continue. If the organization is able to return to its offices, the information resource person should make an assessment of the condition of documents to ensure that no information has been damaged or lost. If so, information will need to be restored from backups. Communications Keeping people informed in an emergency is very important. Depending on the nature of the emergency, employees, suppliers and stakeholders may be dispersed from their normal locations and activities. Reconnecting them to your organization is the key role of your communications system following an emergency. To ensure that communication continues even if one of the organization‟s communication link is not available, it is wise to build a system with more than one level of interaction. First level of communication The first level of communication is the regular system of communication within the organization – the e-mail, phone and web connections that are used for day to day communications. If power is disrupted by the emergency, phone, voice mail and e-mail may not be useable. If people are displaced, they can lose access to this system unless there is a remote access option built in. In these cases, there should be a second level of communication available. Second level of communication The second level of communication is emergency communication coordinated through a designated key contact person and a backup contact person. The contact persons should have access to the critical contact list and all employees/collaborators/trustees should know -8- Louisiana Presenter’s Network Statewide Emergency Response Plan the phone and e-mail contact information to reach the key contact person and backup contact person in case of emergency. Third level of communication The third level of communication is emergency communication coordinated through an off-site hub. In cases in which all local or statewide communication systems are down or both the contact persons become unavailable, it may be necessary to have an off-site communications hub. An arts organization might, for example, partner with another arts organization located such that it is unlikely to be affected by the same emergency. This partner organization would then become an off-site hub that employees, collaborators and trustees could contact to convey and receive information about the state of the organization during and after an emergency. Such an arrangement could be a reciprocal, in case of an emergency in the partner organization‟s community. Alternatively, a service organization located remotely from the organization might be chosen as the offsite hub for communication. In either case, the off-site hub location should be aware of and agree to the arrangement and employees, collaborators and trustees should know to contact the off-site hub if they are unable to connect with the organization‟s key or backup contact persons. Prior to an emergency Organizations should be aware of the limitations of their current communications technology and should plan to adjust their technology as feasible to minimize communication break downs. The following questions will guide organizational preparation of internal communication systems: Is our e-mail server local or located somewhere unlikely to be affected by an emergency in our area? Can employees access their work e-mail accounts remotely through a web interface? Is our phone service dependent on the local power supply? Do we have any telephone access that is not linked to the electrical supply? Would our voice mail system or answering machine be disabled by a disruption of the local power supply? Can employees access the voice mail system remotely? Is our website server local or located somewhere unlikely to be affected by an emergency in our area? It is important to have current and complete contact information for employees, collaborators, trustees and critical suppliers. Create a document that will be part of your first priority document list of critical contacts for the organization. Include all employees, trustees and the suppliers you will need to contact in case of emergency. These may include: Your insurance broker or company Your landlord Your venues Your bank Your payroll provider Your internet provider Your phone company -9- Louisiana Presenter’s Network Statewide Emergency Response Plan Major funders For each employee/collaborator/trustee, you should record: Name Title or connection to the organization Home address Home phone Cell phone Personal e-mail Emergency contact name and contact number Out of town relation or close friend (if applicable) This information should be considered highly confidential and should be used only on an „as needed‟ basis. Because of the personal nature of the information, you will need to provide assurances of the intent of use and the protection provided for the information. For each supplier, you should record: Business name Key contact name and title Business address Business phone number e-mail address for key contact web address Head office address and phone number (if applicable) Your account number (if applicable) Someone within your organization should be designated to maintain the critical contact list. It should be updated at least once a year and more frequently if possible. It will need to be backed up with your first priority document list. Your key and backup communications person should have a current copy of the critical contact list at home and at work at all times. During an emergency Unless it is critical to safety or security, phones should not be used during an emergency because excessive phone traffic will tie up phone lines and prevent important emergency communications. If an emergency scatters employees, an e-mail should be sent by the key communications person to all employees personal and work e-mail addresses to request that they respond to indicate their safety and location. This can be facilitated if the key contact person maintains an up-to-date emergency contact group in his/her e-mail program or PDA. Employees who do not respond within a reasonable amount of time (this will depend on the nature of the emergency) should be contacted by the key or backup communications person using their cell phone and emergency phone contact numbers to determine that they are safe. After an emergency Following an emergency, it is important to maintain communications with employees, collaborators, trustees and critical suppliers through the recovery process. It can also become important to communicate with your key stakeholders (donors and audience members) depending on the length of the recovery period. The key contact person should establish contact with all employees after an emergency and maintain periodic updates on the status of the organization and other important information. Each employee should have the e-mail and telephone contact information for the key and backup contact persons. If he/she has not been contacted after an emergency, the employee - 10 - Louisiana Presenter’s Network Statewide Emergency Response Plan should try to contact the key and backup contact person. If neither contact can be reached, the employee should contact the organization‟s designated off-site communications hub. If the organization will be displaced, unable to operate or canceling or changing its services for an extended period of time following an emergency, communication should be extended to critical suppliers (including funders) and stakeholders (donors and audience members). While it may be possible to contact critical suppliers directly using phone or e-mail contacts, contacting all stakeholders directly may be unrealistic. If this is the case, a message on the organization‟s website, an advertisement or posting in local media or with local, state or national service organizations are effective ways to more widely disseminate this important information. Continuity of Activities Immediately following an emergency, there will be a need for the organization to ensure continuity of some significant activities in addition to the recovery of information and the communication system. Financial continuity Some financial activities will need to continue in the period immediately following an emergency. While many creditors will forgive delays in payment and contracts may be delayed or cancelled per an „act of God‟ clause, there are some financial transactions which will be vital for the organization and its employees. Foremost among these will likely be maintaining payroll. If employees have evacuated the immediate area, delivering payroll checks may be difficult. If the company has a payroll service and a direct deposit system, money may be accessible to employees more immediately following the emergency. In addition, many organizations will need to return to income generation activities as soon as possible after an emergency. This will require the resumption of fundraising activities and ticket sales as soon as it is feasible. While it is a difficult time to approach the community for support with the great financial needs of recovery affecting everyone, reaching out to patrons and supporters with hopeful messages about the recovery of the arts in their community can be a very positive message and one that people have demonstrated they embrace following an emergency. In addition, resources may become available specifically to assist organizations in recovering after an emergency. Staying connected to your service organizations (LPN, LPArts, APAP) will help to keep you up to date about resources that might be available to you. In addition, government organizations such as FEMA, the NEA and city and state business, arts and community development agencies can help to identify funding and other support programs. Physical Plant Continuity An emergency might make your office, studios, performance spaces or storage spaces inaccessible or un-useable. If you are displaced for an extended period of time, you may need to locate temporary spaces to carry on the regular activities of your organization. You may need to work with insurance companies, landlords, inspectors and other parties in determining and repairing damage to your properties to make them useable for your purposes. Leases, deeds and insurance documents will all make it easier for you to work through the physical plant issues that might arise following an emergency. These documents should be included in your first or second priority document list so that they will be accessible when needed in the recovery period. If your organization will be working in a temporary location, this information should be communicated to employees/collaborators/trustees and stakeholders. - 11 - Louisiana Presenter’s Network Statewide Emergency Response Plan Technology Guide This guide to technology is taken from entries in the online encyclopedia, wikipedia. Document Storage CD-ROMs – A Compact Disc (CD) is an optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio. Compact disc technology was later adapted for use as a data storage device, known as a CD-ROM, and to include record-once and re-writable media (CD-R and CDRW). ZIP DRIVES – The Zip drive is a medium-capacity removable disk storage system, introduced by Iomega in late 1994. Originally it had a capacity of 100 MB, but later versions increased this to first 250 MB and then 750 MB. The format became the most popular of the super-floppy type products but never reached the status of a quasi-standard to replace the 3.5-inch floppy disk. USB FLASH DRIVES –are data storage devices integrated with a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface. They are typically small, lightweight, removable and rewritable. As of November 2006, memory capacities for USB Flash Drives range from 32 megabytes up to 64 gigabytes. USB flash drives are more compact, generally faster, hold more data, and may be more reliable (due to their lack of moving parts) than floppy disks. A flash drive consists of a small printed circuit board encased in a plastic or metal casing, making the drive sturdy enough to be carried about in a pocket, as a key fob, or on a lanyard. Only the USB connector protrudes from this protection, and is usually covered by a removable cap. Most flash drives can be connected directly to a port on a personal computer and are active only when powered by a USB computer connection. FTP – or file transfer protocol is used to connect two computers over the Internet so that the user of one computer can transfer files and perform file commands on the other computer. There are two computers involved in an FTP transfer: a server and a client. The FTP server, running FTP server software, listens on the network for connection requests from other computers. The client computer, running FTP client software, initiates a connection to the server. Once connected, the client can do a number of file manipulation operations such as uploading files to the server, download files from the server, rename or delete files on the server and so on. SERVER - The typical server is a computer system that operates continuously on a network and waits for requests for services from other computers on the network. Many servers are dedicated to this role, but some may also be used simultaneously for other purposes, particularly when the demands placed upon them as servers are modest. For example, in a small office, a large desktop computer may act as both a desktop workstation for one person in the office and as a server for all the other computers in the office. The term 'Server' originates from the word 'Serve', therefore this computer system is mainly serving the whole network that it is connected to in any form, whether by queueing up the printing jobs of several users, to even acting as a file server for applications that online terminals could access. The name 'Server' is another term given to 'Host computers'. Web WEB HOSTING - A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to provide their own websites accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own for use by their clients as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data center. ROBOT FORM SPAM - is a form of spam (unsolicited or undesired bulk electronic messages). It is done by automatically posting random comments, promoting commercial services, to publicly accessible online discussion boards, blogs or databases through click through links or online forms. - 12 - Louisiana Presenter’s Network Statewide Emergency Response Plan Communication technologies TEXTING OR TEXT MESSAGING - Short Message Service (SMS) is a service available on most digital mobile phones that permits the sending of short messages (also known as text messages, or more colloquially SMSes, texts or even txts) between mobile phones, other handheld devices and even landline telephones. There are also many services available on the Internet that allow users to send text messages free of charge. PDAs - Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are handheld devices that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years. PDAs have many uses: calculating, use as a clock and calendar, playing computer games, accessing the Internet, sending and receiving e-mail, use as a radio or stereo, video recording, recording notes, use as an address book, GPS and use as a spreadsheet. Newer PDAs also have both color screens and audio capabilities, enabling them to be used as mobile phones, web browsers or portable media players. Resources Sample Disaster Recovery Plans and other valuable tools http://www.drj.com/new2dr/toolchest/drjtools.htm One Hundred and One Uses for Emergency Notification http://www.messageone.com/resources Disaster Resource Guide http://www.disaster-resource.com/ FEMA http://www.fema.gov/ - 13 -