Articles

Lessons Learned from Ike

Christopher's Hurricane Log...

Friday, Sept 12

• Hurricane Ike is near the shores of Galveston, and local flooding has already begun. Tolls have been suspended and evacuation of low lying areas is in full force. Most businesses, in Houston and surrounding areas, have had time to prepare for the major power outage and potential damage to come and many employees have not come to work today as they prepare their residences for the storm. Most schools have suspended classes.
• H I T Solutions began sending emails and contacting clients two days ago detailing the steps to secure networks and properly shut down. We are preparing our home and answering last-minute questions for our clients.

Saturday, Sept 13

• Most of us still "hunkered down" as Hurricane Ike runs its course.
• Positive Note - Ike remained a Cat 2 storm. Hopefully damage was minimal.
• We'll be eating cold steak and playing cards by candle light tonight. I cannot reach family, friends, or customers. I hope everyone is OK.

Sunday, Sept 14

• Approximately 2 million people are now without power. Communications are down for most and transportation is impeded by downed trees, debris, and flooding. Curfews have been implemented.
• Positive Note - At least the hurricane passed through quickly & didn't hang around dumping rain for days.
• Cold chicken tonight. I'm glad Vicki thought to cook all the meat on Friday. Hopefully I can use the lack of light to help me cheat when we play cards tonight.

Monday, Sept 15

• Major roadways have been cleared and the community is venturing out to assess the damage. Some businesses must open this day, on generators, as they provide vital services. There is still flooding in some areas and gas is scarce.
• H I T Solutions is available. We have found spotty cell phone service on the freeway, and are supporting clients that must come up on generator. In communication with most clients on this day, even those who have evacuated. Clients who evacuated and have a disaster recovery strategy in place can also function.

Tuesday, Sept 16

• Discovered that Galveston is in shambles. In Houston, reportedly 1.5 million people are still without power. Gas is scarce. Food is scarce. Some people are without homes. Even so, city workers ordered to return to work. Parts of the city are coming back online, slowly.
• Positive Note - Some gas stations are open. FEMA Pods in place with ice/water around the city.
• Most H I T customers still have not returned to work. We have setup shop in a mall parking lot to get cell phone signal and are supporting customers from there. I have driven to a few client sites nearby to check on their power and damage. Why do I only crave fast food when I can't have it?

Wednesday, Sept 17

• Many reports of violence at gas lines, including a shooting. People lined up for blocks at an HEB, treating clerks and store workers badly. Shouldn't we be coming together?
• Positive Note - Church youth out in the Woodlands helping to remove debris - teens with chain saws scare me, but there's hope.
• Discovered another client has power during a 5AM "freeway patrol". Got network back up with little issue. Continued phone support and contact with many clients today.

Thursday, Sept 18

• 57% of CenterPoint customers in Harris County still without power. Entergy having trouble in Montgomery County due to trees on power lines. Jersey Village, Meyerland, Humble, Pasadena, and of course, Galveston all still without power. Many school districts closed "until further notice." Businesses on day 4 with no power in many cases.
• Positive Note - The Galleria is reopening. Shoes anyone? Houston Rockets assisting at FEMA pod site in southeast Houston.
• H I T Solutions assisted with the temporary relocation of a network to the business owner's home. He carried nearly all of his equipment down 4 flights of stairs with no A/C and in the dark. I carried one printer and needed a nap - a Disaster Recovery plan is definitely in order! Lines are longer at McDonald's than at Shell - I'll stick with an MRE for lunch.

Friday, Sept 19

• Customer PCs losing power supplies due to problems with power surges and generators. Others still no power, some still don't have running water, and repairs could still be a week away. Curfew still in place, but hours extended in most areas. Travel downtown still a bit risky as cleanup efforts of glass and other materials continue.
• H I T Solutions assisting several more clients with power-up procedures. I think I'll end this journal today. Though it'll take months for everything to get back to normal, restaurants are opening (lost my craving for fast food of course), people seem to be calming down, and everyone is doing their best as the lights come back on, to get back to normal as quickly as possible.

The one thing I wonder most though, for my clients, and even myself is what will we do differently NEXT time? Most of our clients cannot afford to be down for a week. Had Ike been worse, more equipment would have been damaged and power that is still not up for everyone would be down much longer. At what point does a business need access to critical data? The day after the storm? A week later? These questions are the start of a business preparedness plan that ALL H I T Solutions clients need.

Disaster Preparedness - Getting Started...

Since Ike has affected all of us, now seems to be a good time to discuss Disaster Preparedness, but keep in mind that a Category 2 hurricane is only one of a number of possible disasters that could affect your business. Fire, flooding, tornadoes, power outages due to lightening strikes, theft; these are just a few of the many causes of business down time. How long can you afford to be down? Are you a retail business whose primary need is to open your doors, or a service business whose primary need is to communicate? Can you operate on generator power or do you need to move to a location out of the danger zone and resume business?

Looking at the current situation, for my family, my business, and my clients, I've examined the following conditions and possibilities:

• Do I need a generator? One of my retail clients, who needed to be back in business immediately after the storm so that they could provide essential services such as propane, generators, burners, and roofing materials, has an industrial generator that powers all of their essential equipment, including their network. I can only imagine the number of people, including essential city service workers that were able to function thanks to the foresight of this business owner. For my business and family, Ike didn't warrant this need as we took plenty of precautions to keep us going without a generator. Thankfully the weather after Ike was the most comfortable it's been all summer, and a small battery backup unit was enough to provide the little power we needed. Another consideration is the availability of fuel to power the generator and the amount of power required to run your network and other needed systems.

• Do I need a spare server, a "super" laptop to replace my server, or are there other options? In the example of the client above, they have a spare server and workstation being stored off-site, with step-by-step instructions for the setup and data restoration process. Again, this client needs to be functional immediately following the storm, and they need that functionality right where they are located. For others, this solution may not be practical. Some clients can work from anywhere as long as they have access to their data and effective communications. For very small clients, not needing to share information, with no server-side applications, the right laptop and cell phone solutions and a solid relocation plan may be all they need. Still other clients may need to share data, or have a combination of needs that would warrant a co-location solution, where their data could be restored to a server well outside of the disaster area, that each user could connect to remotely and resume business.

• What sort of phone and Internet service should I use? When power goes out, for whatever reason, traditional phone lines with traditional phones typically continue to work. During Ike, however, most of these "land-lines" still went out. Many cell phone towers were destroyed. Internet access went down with the power and hasn't come back up with the power in all cases. Wi-Fi cards are tied to the same towers as the cell phones. If communications are critical to your business, the ability to relocate and access your data becomes essential. For someone needing to stay in place, at least for a few days, solutions may involve a backup power source, such as battery backup units instead of generators, a traditional land-line phone, and a cell phone provider that's different from your Wi-Fi provider in case one companies towers are knocked out and the other's aren't.

Over the next several weeks, I will be re-examining my personal and business Disaster Preparedness strategies and those of my clients who have them in place. I will be updating all of them, making sure that each answers the essential questions for an effective plan. Some of those questions include:

• What is our critical data and is it safe?
• Who are our critical personnel and what is our key business requirements related to a disaster?
• How do we recover our data if equipment or power is lost?
• What is our plan, long term and immediately prior to a disaster (if we know its coming)?
• What additional systems do we need to implement this plan?
• DOES THIS PLAN WORK?

For those of you without a Disaster Preparedness plan in place, first I will be making sure that your businesses are back up and operational, but then I will begin actively pursuing each of you to implement one. We cannot afford to wait for the next hurricane, fire, or other disaster to protect your business.

If you have any questions or would like to get started immediately, please call me - Chris 832-978-6336.