Build a practical earthquake continuity plan for a small agency

Start with a realistic operating objective

A small agency's earthquake continuity objective need not be uninterrupted sales. A more realistic objective may be to support staff welfare, pause automated promises, communicate accurately and preserve essential records. State these priorities before choosing tools or writing a long document.

Separate the business plan from emergency guidance. Link official earthquake information, identify relevant local authority channels and avoid creating homemade rescue or premises-inspection instructions. Pakistan-based teams can include NDMA guidance while recognizing that current provincial and local directions may also apply.

Choose the minimum services worth preserving

List essential client obligations and identify which can pause, which need a notice and which require limited available coverage. For example, monitoring an agreed account inbox may be more useful than continuing prospecting. Do not label every normal activity critical.

Map the people, systems and suppliers required for each selected service. If one dependency is unavailable, specify a fallback or a deliberate stop. Avoid assuming the founder can personally perform every role. Ready.gov's continuity resources support organizing responsibilities and testing the plan rather than treating documentation alone as readiness.

Write a one-page planning worksheet

The following illustrative worksheet can become the front page of a larger plan. Keep supporting contacts and instructions in approved locations, and ensure the deputy can find them without relying on the founder's private account.

• Priority: people first; no expectation of immediate productivity or constant connectivity.
• Pause owner: named primary and deputy for campaigns, bookings and advertising.
• Minimum service: approved client notices through one monitored business channel.
• Records: protected contact register, temporary action log and tested recovery resources.
• Restart: applicable official restrictions respected, staffing confirmed and business approval recorded.

Test a small scenario and maintain the plan

Run a short exercise with the founder unavailable and the CRM inaccessible. Ask who pauses outreach, where the client contacts are and what can honestly be promised. Do not contact real customers or disrupt production systems unless that is explicitly part of an approved test.

Assign fixes for gaps and retest the important ones. Review the plan when staffing, suppliers or services change, not only on a calendar reminder. Keep the language plain enough for a temporary deputy to use. A concise plan with verified ownership and usable records is more valuable than a large template containing assumptions nobody has checked.