THE VOB EPISODE 8- EAAS CONSULTING

It was March 11, 2011. A 9.0 earthquake hit off the coast of Fukushima, Japan. Shortly after, the PA system went off announcing the risk of tsunamis - even thousands of miles away from the epicenter. 

Life after was not normal. At least not for awhile. 

Immediately after the first hit, the train system which is the primary mode of transportation, was shut down forcing many to have to walk to/from home or work. Many people even had to walk for several hours in the cold. Homes and police stations along major roads opened up to give pedestrians a place to stop to warm up. 

Traffic on the roads were backed up - causing what normally would have been a 30 minute drive to take several hours in gridlock because traffic lights were out and many people were trying to find alternate modes of transportation, or were in a hurry to run to the store for provisions. 

Children were separated from family members for extended amounts of time. Cell phone lines were so tied up that many couldn’t even reach their loved ones by phone. Power was out in many areas. 

Days later, media announced not only was there a double natural disaster, but also a nuclear disaster. There was an issue with not just one, but three of the reactors. The reactors were successfully shut down in time, but there wasn’t enough power, causing cooling systems to fail. 

For many months, Japan felt the aftermath of these disasters. Some lost their lives or loved ones. Others lost their homes. Many lost power in rolling blackouts - even hundreds of miles outside of the Fukushima area for many weeks. 

While this situation seems a bit of an overkill, it is, in fact, a real life situation. No one was prepared for all of these events to take place at one time. This caused confusion and panic, which made things even more dangerous than the actual disaster themselves. 

Disaster preparedness is not something that should be taken lightly. While we can’t plan for every possibly scenario, having a general outline of solutions for a variety of possible disasters is important. 

Fire plans. Escape plans. Active shooters. Equipment failure. And many other possible scenarios. 

How prepared are you and your employees? 

Do they all know what to do, where to go, and who to call in the event of an unforeseen emergency? 

What about if cell service is down or limited? Do you have a landline to call for help? 

How often are plans that are in place reviewed and rehearsed? 

How will your business and employees be able to recover in the event of a disaster? 

Meet Erika Andresen. CBCP, JD, MPA, and founder of EaaS Consulting LLC. 

EaaS (Erika as a Service) provides consultation services to help businesses with disaster preparedness and business continuity. She helps them plan for a disaster, survive the disruption, and survive the aftermath. Because, let’s face it - the effects of a disaster are felt long after the disaster itself is over. 

While she’s worked in the industry for more than 9 years, this veteran owned business only came about in 2021 - after her active duty service in the US Army as a JAG. 

“It’s very difficult to plan for something that may or may not happen, but you’d rather have something that’s just in case versus just in time, or nothing.” 

You won’t want to miss this discussion with lots of insight that you may or may not have considered to help better prepare you and your company with being ready to face a disruption, recover, and resume operations as quickly as possible. Plus, there are great resources Erika provides for aspiring business owners.

And if you are in need of someone to review your company’s existing program and help you fill the gaps or to tailor a plan if you don’t have one yet, Erika offers services nationwide. Her services are built for medium and large-sized companies, but she is also working on a program for small business owners as well.

To learn more about EaaS, visit www.eaasc.com 

Erika can be reached by emailing info@eassc.com