Planning for disaster

Planning for disaster may seem a fruitless exercise, as we can never accurately forecast the nature, duration and impact of the event. However there is always a need for leaders to guide groups and organisations through unfamiliar situations.

For the power industry, responding to the damage caused by earthquakes, hurricanes, floods or other disasters, while rare, is a distinct possibility. When a disaster occurs, there is little opportunity to stand back and consider the desired strategic outcome. During natural disasters, the decisions of electricity executives may have life and death implications and it makes sense to prepare for such unlikely situations.