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Halloween is but a few days off, and the first article this week seemed to be appropriate for the season. But it then got us thinking about how we would plan for some disruptions or disasters that simply aren't predictable - and may never be. This could be a good test for your business continuity plan… how could you adapt what you have to respond to some of the situations in this week's articles?

You haven't planned for a zombie invasion, have you? (Item #1)   This molasses manufacturer might have wished he had a disaster plan. (Item #2)   Should we be preparing for a mega tsunami to hit the east coast? (Item #3)  

The dog ate my homework is nothing compared to what happened to some of this data. (Item #4)   Was this really the last great subsistence crisis in the US? (Item #5)   How likely is it that you have considered destruction from a meteorite in your business continuity plan? (Item #6)  

As always, we look forward to hearing about your concerns with regards to business continuity. If you have a topic you'd like to see covered, please email me at bmellinger@attainium.net

Best Regards,

Bob Mellinger
President
Attainium Corp

Quote of the Week

"Some things are so unexpected that no one is prepared for them."
- Leo Rosten -

Articles

1. Thank goodness! UF has a plan for zombie invasions
A plan to deal with a campus zombie attack was posted among disaster preparation exercises on the university's e-Learning Web site, before being removed late Thursday afternoon. The plan includes medical information on "zombieism" and a form allowing UF employees to explain why they killed infected co-workers, such as those workers making "references to wanting to eat brains."
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20091001/ARTICLES/910019935/1002?Title=Thank-goodness-UF-ha

2. The Boston Molasses Disaster of January 15, 1919
The Boston Molasses Disaster, also known as the Great Molasses Flood and the Great Boston Molasses Tragedy, occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts in the United States. A large molasses storage tank burst, and a wave of molasses rushed through the streets at an estimated 35 mph (56 km/h), and 2-3 feet deep, killing 21 and injuring 150.
http://edp.org/molyank.htm

3. Mega Tsunami: Could it really happen?
Studies of previous eruptions on the Isla de La Palma have the potential of creating a mega-tsunami that could reach the United States, posing a serious threat to Miami, the New York coast and parts of Boston. Will it happen? Not likely, say some scientists, but should you be thinking about redundant operations on the west coast?
http://scienceray.com/earth-sciences/the-worlds-most-glorified-and-bizarre-mega-disasters-in-the-making/

4. Top 10 Weird Data Disasters
Ant infestations, oil and failed parachute jumps are some of the unusual fates which have befallen innocent data storage devices. Perhaps you need to provide additional training on data protection?
http://software.silicon.com/security/0,39024655,39169374,00.htm

5. Year without a Summer
The Year without a Summer (also known as the Poverty Year, Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death, and the Year There Was No Summer) was 1816, in which severe summer climate abnormalities destroyed crops in Northern Europe, the Northeastern United States and eastern Canada. Historian John D. Post has called this "the last great subsistence crisis in the Western world."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_without_a_summer

6. Tunguska explosion event
The Tunguska Event was a powerful explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya (Lower Stony) Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai of Russia, at around 7:14 a.m. on June 30, 1908. Although the cause of the explosion is the subject of debate, it is commonly believed to have been caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet fragment at an altitude of 3-6 miles above the Earth's surface. Different studies have yielded varying estimates of the object's size, with general agreement that it was a few tens of meters across. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event