Be It Wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, or floods, most areas are at risk of a natural disaster at some point — and just after the devastation occurs, there's the cleanup. Sanitation departments and private waste handlers that are prepared in advance have a major advantage over those that are not.

“Many municipal planners will question the cost incurred in preparing thoroughly for a disaster that may never come,” says Veronica White, director of sanitation for New Orleans, which experienced one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history when Hurricane Katrina struck the city in 2005. “Citizens and businesses affected by a natural disaster will often lead themselves out of the wilderness. Many are frozen into inaction, others are uncertain of where to start and yet others are waiting for information from their leadership as to what to do.”

White says the failure of a local government to plan for a disaster robs residents of the ability to recover some semblance of their old lives and increases the likelihood they will experience price gouging and delays of relief efforts. “The lessons of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath should stand as a lesson to all local governments that preparation is never a bad thing, and that the costs associated with preparing thoroughly for a disaster and its aftermath are miniscule compared with the costs of poor planning,” she says.

Like New Orleans, a number of cities and waste management organizations have learned the hard way about the importance of preparing in advance for disasters. “As disasters occur throughout the United States, take the time to review the circumstances and mitigation that took place and work on improving it,” says Richard Myles, division manager with the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, adding that the best time to plan is when disaster seems farthest away. “There's no time to rethink and plan when you're in the middle of it.”

Starting From Scratch

The first step in planning for a disaster is determining what types of events a community is likely to confront. “Look at where you're located,” says Mike Cordesman, president and chief operating officer of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Republic Services, which operates in 21 states. “If you're in a potential earthquake area, plan for that. If your area is prone to tornadoes, plan for that. If your industrial park has you situated next to a chemical plant, plan for that.”

Once the potential risks are identified, waste management companies and municipalities should identify all of the processes and resources necessary for operation, such as information technology and fuel, Cordesman says. After creating a list of needs, they should then establish backup plans for the resources.

For instance, Republic recently made changes to protect its electronic data in the event of an emergency. Not only did the company move its data center to a secure location near the headquarters office, but it also established a mirror image of its Florida data center in Las Vegas. “Now, even if our main data center went down, a user would see only a blip on the screen,” Cordesman says. “He or she would still have access to all the computerized information needed.”

In addition to stabilizing computer systems, Cordesman suggests thinking about radio needs. “Do [the radios] have battery backup?” he says. “And if they operate off cell towers, keep in mind that cell towers can be blown down in high winds.” Recognizing this vulnerability, Republic shifted radio carriage to satellites.

Once a disaster recovery plan is in place, it should be continually tested and refined. Republic recently conducted a tabletop exercise to review readiness and response to a number of possible disasters as well as to isolate any potential trouble spots. “We are never complacent,” Flower says. “We are constantly updating our plans to ensure we are ready. Some events, such as a hurricane, typically provide some advance warning. Tornadoes, earthquakes and fires can strike with little warning. The bottom line is that you never know when a crisis will hit so you need to take time to be prepared.”

The best recovery plans are never complete because nimble waste management professionals are always incorporating new lessons. For instance, when the devastating Northridge earthquake hit southern California in 1994, Los Angeles did not have a debris management plan in place. It was forced to quickly develop one in the wake of the disaster. Fourteen years after the event, city sanitation officials say the most lasting result of the earthquake was an understanding of the need to plan.