Ever wonder how secure your belongings are in case of a disaster?

Photographs, family heirlooms, business records and more probably cross your mind. Whether you have everything saved on disk or files in a safe deposit box, you'd like to think your belongings are secure. Like you, we take care to know where our belongings are in case of an emergency as well, only on a larger scale. Utilities must continue providing service when disasters strike. Providing service, even in the midst of a storm, is clearly defined in our newly expanded Emergency Restoration Plan.

When you think of your electric cooperative, your first thought may include power lines, electric service and the like. Did you ever think about bill generation, secure customer account services or the information network necessary to control the generation and flow of power? In 2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and the Department of Homeland Security addressed these security issues and asked all electric cooperatives to expand their emergency preparation plans. RUS has always required electric cooperatives to have a plan that electric cooperatives use to recover from disasters and keep the utility operating. However, the new requirements mandate that electric cooperatives must complete vulnerability and risk assessment to identify critical assets and address possible terror threats to utilities.

"We've had a process for restoring our electric distribution system in place for years. This new requirement gives us a comprehensive plan that details how the entire company continues to operate, and how roles are defined in each district and department. Having a plan that identifies a step-by-step process to respond and recover from a crisis ensures that we continue providing service to our members even in the midst of a disaster," says Jim Smith, Jackson EMC vice-president of engineering and operations.

There are two main sections to the emergency restoration plan: system restoration and business continuity. Each section has a distinct set of processes in which each cooperative employee must be aware. For example, the new plan creates a remote technology backup site. This backup is equipped with redundant hardware and software necessary to continue customer service and company operations should corporate headquarters or other offices' information be jeopardized or damaged.

"Our plan serves as a blueprint of everyone's role in case the unexpected happens. This not only includes natural disasters like tornadoes and floods, but a terrorist attack or chemical spill as well. This process called for each cooperative to assess their current plans, and study ways to answer the question, 'What if a major disaster happens?' Once all of the 'What Ifs' were answered, our comprehensive plan was ready for the RUS review," says Smith.

Jackson EMC's plan was approved and actively in place January 2006. Several hundred pages thick, the Emergency Restoration Plan is now housed in each district office and online, and accounts for all employees and their responsibilities in emergencies. Our next step requires the cooperative to undergo annual drills or dry runs to be sure the plan best benefits how we continue to deliver service to you, even in the midst of the storm. The RUS requires that each plan be reviewed and updated on a regular basis.