For the government, continuity of operations (COOP) ensures that critical agencies and departments are capable of functioning after a wide variety of situations, including natural and man-made disasters. For the rest of us, COOP is creating a plan to ensure our family, or survival group, is capable of continuing on after an emergency — even if someone is lost along the way.
Charley Hogwood, on the YouTube channel “Survival Dispatch,” has some tips on how to plan for your family’s continuity.
A good COOP should have plans and roles in place for everyone, preferably outlined in hard copies. This extra precaution makes it easier to reassign tasks and get things done should anyone become incapacitated. As uncomfortable as it is, a plan should be created for what to do should anyone within the group perish. Disasters come with harsh realities, and having a plan just in case the worst happens can ease the burden on those who survive.
One way of ensuring everyone is capable of carrying on is by keeping hard copies of important information at the ready. Usernames, passwords, and a list of names and numbers of high priority family members and friends is a good start. Legal documents should be signed and copied, this way if you can’t provide the information, your family can.
A few examples of things you’ll want to account for in your emergency continuation plans include:
- Managing children who might be home if schools and daycares shut down
- Adjusting to create new means of income or trade (depending on the situation)
- Stocking up on supplies
- Managing pet care
- Assigning tasks, and how to accomplish them
- Reassigning responsibilities should anyone be injured, or worse
Once you make your plan, it’s time for the next step; Plan B. As you know, things don’t always go smoothly, so it helps to have other options and people you can rely on. At the end of the day, it’s up to you and your family to come up with a plan to ensure continued survival — you likely don’t have the luxury of a government think tank to create your COOP for you.
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