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Buffalo area businesses plan for disaster response and continuity of operations planning

| 10.09.2007 | 08:03:189601 |
October 9 '07: Buffalo News reported area businesses working to develop disaster response and continuity of operations plans which will help them "cope with the loss of a major portion of staff, how to contain (a pandemic) disease, how to keep operations running, and how to serve customers. ... From insurers and banks to grocery store chains like Wegmans, companies large and small ... are developing contingency plans."
Patricia Buckley who works with Merchant Mutual Insurance Co., told the Buffalo News that her company has already been working on scenarios involving the "what-ifs" of pandemic planning.

The News reported, "As part of Merchants' disaster response team, the director of information technology operations had to make sure the company still had enough staff to function, run its operations and meet its customers' needs - including handling telephone calls and insurance claims."

Additionally the U.S. Department of Treasury sponsored a three-week pandemic training exercise that covered employee absenteeism, the transfer of money and the economic infrastructure's security during a bird flu outbreak.

Medical and disaster experts told the Buffalo News that planning for emergencies like a pandemic helps businesses see vulnerabilities. Those companies working in the Buffalo area - M&T Bank, Bank of America, Citi and KeyBank and others also have plans internationally, and nationally to address disaster preparedness and continuity of operations.

oshapandemic.pdf