Yes indeed, preparation is going corporate.

Credit: Christopher Wink

Today, there was an emergency preparedness event where I work that featured a handful of exhibitors.  This was a part of National Preparedness Month which is a part of FEMA‘s effort to get more Americans better prepared.  Overall it was a modest event with a handful of participants, but the more important aspect of the event was the fact it was taking place.

The company I work at is a large (>18,000 employee) investment brokerage company headquartered in…San Francisco.  Normally one would associate financial firms to be more concerned with golf, fine arts, and feel-good commercials about investing in the future.  However, issues like business continuity are a major concern for large Fortune 500 companies, so having prepared employees makes sense.  After all, businesses can’t run for very long without people.

This shows that being prepared for disasters is not just for loners who live in rural counties.  Everybody can benefit from being better prepared, especially those of us who live and work in major cities.