Assign earthquake continuity roles without creating single points of failure

Assign business roles, not emergency expertise

A continuity role should describe an organizational responsibility such as pausing campaigns, coordinating client notices or recording restart decisions. It should not imply that an agency employee is qualified to assess buildings, direct rescues or override official instructions. Link public earthquake guidance separately and follow relevant local authorities.

Ready.gov recommends organizing a business continuity team and plan. For a small agency, the team can be modest, but each essential responsibility needs a clear owner and an alternative. A title alone does not prove that the person is available during a disruption.

Separate authority and execution

Distinguish who can decide from who can operate the platform. A continuity lead may authorize a pause while a campaign administrator executes it. Give deputies enough approved authority to act when the primary owner is unavailable, without granting broad access unrelated to their task.

Separate welfare coordination from sales performance supervision where practical. Personal information collected for support should not flow automatically into commercial reports. Also distinguish business restart approval from any external premises-access decision. These boundaries reduce conflicting expectations and prevent one role from becoming an informal authority on every issue.

Create a role-card worksheet

Use one short card per responsibility. The following illustrative card makes the decision boundary visible and can be understood by someone covering the role temporarily.

• Role: campaign pause coordinator; primary and deputy identified.
• Authority: suspend approved outbound channels without waiting for a revenue review.
• Execution access: named operator accounts; no shared credentials.
• Required output: channel status, evidence, unknowns and client-impact handoff.
• Limit: cannot authorize premises access, promise restoration dates or restart campaigns alone.

Check availability and exercise substitution

At activation, confirm who can accept each role without pressuring affected staff to participate. If both primary and deputy are unavailable, use the documented escalation route or keep the task paused. Do not silently assume an assignment has been accepted.

Exercise a scenario in which a key person cannot be contacted. Check whether the deputy can find the plan, understand the authority and record a decision without needing a private message from the usual owner. Review roles after staffing or platform changes. QuakeSmart's organizational planning framework can support this preparation, while the role-card structure remains a suggested agency practice rather than an official emergency command system.