Business interruption coverage can be vital in mitigating the income losses incurred following a hurricane, terrorist attack or other disaster. In recent years, this has been proven time and time again with Hurricane Katrina, September 11 and the four hurricanes that ravaged Florida in 2004-all grinding operations to a halt for countless companies.

Of course, your company is already protected by business interruption coverage, so you have nothing to worry about. Or do you?

Risk managers should not assume that their company is covered for all types of interruptions, even if they have purchased a policy with seemingly comprehensive business interruption coverage. In some cases, policyholders have found themselves left without coverage even though they purchased business interruption coverage with civil authority, ingress/egress and contingent business interruption provisions. Depending upon the subtle differences in the specific nature of the interruption, the language of the insurance policy, and the court’s interpretation of that language, you may not be covered.

See Business Interruption: Are You Covered for the Next Disaster? by John E. Heintz, Andrew S. Wein and Elissa O. Tomanda.

=============================================

For more insights on the issue of risk management as well as how it impacts business continuity, be sure to read A Risk Management Approach to Business Continuity: Aligning Business Continuity with Corporate Governance.

Tags: Business interruption coverage, insurance, Risk Management

“Over the years I’ve found that many people stumble upon the emergency management profession with the notion it’s interesting, one that’s focused on helping people and is exciting as portrayed in the movies and on television.

Continue reading The New Emergency Management Professional

Tags: careers, emergency management, emergency manager, Jobs

Four years ago, the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security found the agency’s IT disaster recovery plans were below par. While the DHS’s situation has improved somewhat with the addition of two new data centers, a new inspector general report finds the department’s disaster recovery plans still aren’t up to snuff.

Continue reading DHS Disaster Recovery Plans Lacking, Report Finds

Tags: Department of Homeland Security, DHS

Although areas affected by earthquakes are often off-limits immediately following the event, the Virtual Disaster Viewer allows users to access information about building damage, humanitarian response, infrastructure loss, and landslides on the fly.

Continue reading Virtual Disaster Viewer

Tags: Earthquakes, Infrastructure Damage, satellite imagery

The ongoing global economic crisis is having a severe impact on business continuity management (BCM), in the United States and elsewhere. Senior managers are being downsized to cut head count and compensation costs. Recovery projects and enhancements are being delayed or canceled altogether as IT budgets are slashed.

Continue reading How Can the BCM Profession Survive the Worldwide Economic Crisis?

Tags: BCM, budget, Business Continuity, economy, expenditures, gartner

In a typical Continuity of Operation Plan (COOP) for a school or university, the primary objectives are the maintenance of life support and environmental health services. Often, schools and universities focus on responding to emergency events and place less emphasis on continuity planning.

Continue reading Colleges and Universities: When Disaster Strikes

Tags: collegem university

Business continuity planning efforts are made or broken by the testing program that is implemented to validate strategies, rehearse those who will play a role in recovery, and provide essential input to change management processes.

Continue reading Simplifying Testing

Tags: disaster recovery test, exercise, Testing

The Disaster Recovery Journal”s Editorial Advisory Board has compiled a list of business continuity rules and regulations.

Continue reading Rules & Regulations … The Source

Tags: BCM, Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery Journal, DRJ, international, regulations, Standards

A natural disaster or industrial accident can be a deathblow for a company that isn’t prepared to get back on its feet in a matter of a few hours. Protecting business-critical data and being able to recover it if it’s lost in a disaster requires a detailed, written and constantly updated plan of action.

See Getting Back to Business After Disaster Strikes by Brace Rennels, , ECommerce Times.

“The year 2008 will be remembered in China for several contrasting events. Early in the year the country was blanketed by heavy snowstorms across central and southern regions, and later shaken by a devastating earthquake in the south-western province of Sichuan. The second half of the year was dominated by the successful staging of the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Continue reading KPMG Study: Business Resilience in China

Tags: Business Continuity, Business Resilience, china, international

According to Forrester Research in a survey published in September 2007 , most firms are not ready for a disaster.  This is despite a series of recent highly publicized, wide-scale disasters and disruptions that include 9/11, Madrid train bombings, Asian tsunami, Northeastern U.S. blackout, European floods, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and now the California wildfires of October 2007.  This article explores why (1) C-level executives need to care and (2) some recommendations for action.

See C-Level Management BCM Needs and Action Steps

by Chris Alvord, CBCP in New European Economy.

Tags: BCM, Business Continuity Management