Recovery & Reporting

Table of Contents

Cleanup, Salvage and Recovery

Following an emergency, maintenance, risk management and other college personnel should act quickly to initiate cleanup and salvage operations. These efforts should include the following:

  1. Separate undamaged property from damaged property.
  2. Make temporary repairs as to minimize further damage.
  3. Arrange for decontamination, if necessary.
  4. Notify insurance carriers, vendors and other firms or agencies involved in damage assessment and property replacement.
  5. Contact government agencies and private organizations that can assist in the recovery process. For example, government agencies can (and, in some cases must) help with inspections, permits, certificates of occupancy and the removal/disposal of some types of debris. Insurance carriers not only can help with damage assessments, but also can provide technical (e.g., engineering) assistance.
  6. Put into effect pre-loss agreements for alternate facilities, services, etc.
  7. Itemize and document damages and losses (e.g. with photographs).
  8. Draft a recovery schedule and estimate the costs of recovery.

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Initial Disaster Report

  1. Narrative (What happened? e.g., type of incident)
  2. Time of incident
  3. Location of incident
  4. Extent of damage or loss
  5. Estimate of casualties
  6. Estimate of relocates
  7. Type and extent of assistance required (if known)
  8. Additional remarks pertinent to incident

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After Action Report

The After Action Report is to be completed by all university departments responding to a particular critical incident.

  1. Keep a record of staff and management activities

    It is essential that all departments compile and maintain a systematic means of recording the activities of management and staff in order to assure:

    • A means of determining the sequence of causative events and corrective actions.
    • A means of determining responsibility and/or liability, in the event of suits, judgments and other court actions arising from the emergency.
    • A means of furnishing other supporting agencies with substantiating documentation should the need arise.
    • A means by which the response and action of university agencies may be evaluated.
  2. The following are the primary items to be addressed in an After Action Report. Supporting documentation should be maintained by the Primary Incident Commander, supervisor, or the on-the-scene manager of each department.

    1. General
      • Description of the emergency
      • Time your department received the call
      • Location (be as exact as possible)
      • Sites
      • Dates
    2. Strengths (include personnel committed to incident)
      • Management
      • Clerical
      • Administrative
      • Other
    3. Operations summary – include all significant events on a time-phase basis:
      • Planning – preparation
      • Alerting – warning
      • Operations – response
      • Post operations – recovery
      • Communications – operations, means and equipment
      • Training – prior and subsequent to the emergency. Indicate in what specific areas.
    4. Administration
      • Information and education activities
      • Special affairs
      • Internal – morale and discipline problems
      • Property losses/ human casualties
    5. Supplies and equipment
      • Special supplies and equipment used
      • Needed supplies and equipment, available
    6. Problems
      • Personnel
      • Information – planning, etc.
      • Operations
      • Organization
      • Training
      • Supplies and equipment
      • Communications
    7. Lessons learned and/or recommendations for the future
  3.  Damage assessment should be done as soon as practical, but only when the safety of the personnel doing the assessment is not in jeopardy. Damage assessment should consider not only immediate or obvious damage but should also include imminent damage potential, which may occur if prompt salvage activities are not initiated.

    • Injuries
    • Property damage
    • Business interruption
    • Prioritize salvage/repair efforts

Outside Organization Identification and Assistance:

In the event of a widespread disaster, a number of organizations will be available to assist with recovery efforts.

NOTE: The information regarding the After Action Report is taken from the recovery section of the disaster guide of the Travelers Property Casualty.

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