In a decade marked globally by natural disastersand terrorist attacks, there have been some valuable lessons learned about preparedness for business disruption, disaster recovery, and business continuity. Considering disaster preparedness, this paper explores a range of unforseen situations, highlight lessons learned, and defines communications strategies that can prepare us for meeting the needs of unforeseen events.

Communication is critical when an emergency or disaster occurs for government and private enterprises. Every business or operation should have a continuity and disaster recovery plan that addresses communications backup considerations. Emergency communications solutions must be designed for end-to-end capability and to cover a wide range of situations.