Earthquake Preparedness Month Inspires Public Service Campaign For Businesses

IRVINE, Calif. - April 24, 2014 - PRLog -- Selected businesses in Orange County California are receiving an unusual letter in the mail this week, asking them, as part of Earthquake Preparedness Month, to forward Business Continuation Planning information to their best customers and suppliers.

“The ‘Big One’ is 20 years overdue,” says Joseph Krueger, author of the letter and creator of the campaign. “And statistics aren’t good for business survival after a disaster.”

While large businesses may have the resources to invest in Business Continuation Planning, smaller businesses often overlook or simply ignore it as being too complicated.

Research shows that when there is no plan, or employees have received no training, their natural response in an emergency will be to abandon the workplace to try to get home to their families.

This leaves the business with no way to save essential assets or maintain the critical functions necessary to keep the business operating.

According to Krueger, even companies that think they have a good plan are often missing some key elements. This “Missing Pieces” campaign aims to bring awareness of these elements to the target businesses and then asks them to serve as a conduit for the information to customers and suppliers on whom they depend. This existing business relationship gives the campaign unique credibility and urgency.

“Missing Pieces” campaign materials – letter templates, checklists and planning suggestions -- are available online at www.EmergencyPlanGuide.org. Krueger and partner Virginia Nicols maintain the site, which offers realistic and reasonable emergency planning tips for individuals, neighborhoods and businesses.

“Even if you are well prepared, your chances of a safe survival are threatened if others around you are NOT prepared,” says Krueger. “This is doubly true in the workplace, where an earthquake could threaten not only the people and the buildings, but also their ongoing livlihood.”

Krueger and Nicols, with various CERT, FEMA and American Red Cross trainings to their credit, head up their neighborhood emergency response team. Throughout their 25+ year career in direct marketing, they have developed emergency planning programs for a wide range of businesses, from entrepreneurial firms to multi-nationals and non-profit organizations.