Coordinate partner and referral communications after an earthquake

Include partners in the service boundary

A paused agency can still receive new commitments through referral partners, resellers or subcontractors. If partners do not know the operating limits, they may continue promising meetings, delivery dates or response times. Treat partner communication as a separate continuity task rather than assuming a public notice will reach everyone.

Share verified service information, not personal details about affected employees or unconfirmed explanations of local conditions. Direct public safety questions to the relevant authorities and official earthquake guidance. A commercial partner message should not present the agency as an emergency information source.

Define what partners may say and do

Provide a short approved statement describing the affected service, referral intake status and designated business contact. Explain whether partners should pause introductions, hold proposed dates or send only essential account questions. Avoid vague instructions such as 'continue as normal where possible.'

Check the scope of each relationship. A referral partner may only need intake guidance, while a delivery subcontractor may need a detailed account handover. Use appropriate channels and disclose the minimum necessary information. Contractual questions should be reviewed against the actual agreement, not resolved through assumed universal crisis rules.

Build a partner coordination worksheet

The following illustrative record makes authority and acknowledgement visible. It is not a request for partners to contact affected individuals repeatedly or to provide personal situation reports.

• Partner type: referral agency; affected activity: new consultation introductions.
• Instruction: pause date commitments and use the designated intake contact.
• Approved wording: service availability is under review; no restart date confirmed.
• Acknowledgement: partner representative confirms receipt through the agreed channel.
• Open issue: one previously promised meeting assigned to a named account owner.

Reopen referral flows deliberately

When limited service resumes, tell partners which offers, markets and appointment slots are available. Do not issue an unrestricted 'we are back' message if the team can only accept a small workload. Make it easy for partners to ask before committing the agency.

Reconcile referrals received during the pause, including duplicates and contacts who asked not to proceed. Review whether old partner materials still contain outdated service promises. Ready.gov's continuity resources support coordinating and testing responsibilities; QuakeSmart provides a broader organizational preparedness framework. The partner worksheet translates those planning principles into a suggested agency operating practice.