No matter what part of the world you are located, we all must deal with natural disasters of some sort. Whether that be flooding, seismic activities, hurricanes or typhoons, or thunderstorms, these natural disasters throw our regions and communities into chaos.
First Responder services are stretched thin, utilities are damaged, and our personnel have their personal situations to deal with on top of work challenges. These factors all contribute to our organizations becoming more vulnerable to cyber intrusions and the compromise of our physical security measures.
Anthony Hurley, CPP, PCI, PSP, has 40 years of experience working in the utility sector, and specializes in operations, emergency management, and physical security. He is presenting on natural disaster preparedness, mitigation, and business continuity activities in the free 8 September webinar, Natural Disasters: When an Organization is Most Vulnerable. The ASIS Blog spoke with him about the importance of being prepared.
Why should security professionals have natural disasters on their radar?
AH: Bad actors do not take the day off just because a natural event has occurred, and many may actually plan their bad deeds for such natural disaster opportunities.
When deployed to many natural disasters over my career, I have observed physical security barriers decimated. Trees that have crushed fences and walls, debris blown thrown through tempered glass windows, and massive power outages.
Security, both cyber and physical, is not just a ‘blue sky day’ assignment. It is a 24/7/365 responsibility. Organizations who take these threats seriously can actually strengthen their procedures and protocols during natural disasters.
