CORPORATE-MADE DISASTER

Layoffs

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the definition of a Mass Layoff is a situation involving least 50 persons at the same establishment, each of whom has filed an initial claim for unemployment benefits during a consecutive five-week period. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 18,963 Mass Layoff Events in 2003.

Alan Downs wrote in the cover flap of his book Corporate Executions (1995) that "Layoffs are utterly destructive of everything they are mistakenly thought to fix. The twisted carnage of human dignity and squandered corporate assets left in the layoff wake must be brought into the light of public inquiry and debate." In 2004, the discussion must include the highly charged, politically rabid debates over the Outsourcing of America and Corporate Greed Scandals. These high drama events are matched daily by small disasters like the loss of a retirement fund, pension plan, health care plan, or early retirement program.

Outsourcing

Outsourcing is a concept that has evolved over the last few decades into something more complicated than just sending jobs elsewhere. Companies have always looked for cheaper labor and have found a willing marketplace in third world countries . But researchers (Forrester Research, 2004) have reported that over 79% of 700 people surveyed think it will eventually hurt the U.S. economy; more than 40% of 7,300 top executives thought the same; and, approximately 3.32 million jobs will be outsourced by 2015. Service professionals are feeling a backlash of losing jobs to workers overseas and then not finding a replacement job at home. These same researchers believe as many as 200,000 service jobs may be lost each year for the next decade . Some corporate thinkers see this as opportunity. Others see it as a disaster. Whatever the outcome of the debate, emotions are running high.

John Cook writes in the March 10, 2004 Seattle Post-Intelligencer that the word outsourcing "has evoked far-reaching emotions in the past year, prompting presidential candidates and labor groups to decry its practice and economists and chief executives to defend it as a natural progression of the economy." Albert Marcella, author of Outsourcing, Downsizing, and Reengineering (1995,2004) identifies eight categories of potential victims of outsourcing and downsizing:

• Senior executive management

• Line management and human resources staff

• Downsized or Outsourced Employees - the "Victims"

• Remaining Employees - the "Survivors"

• Spouse, significant other, life partner of the "Victims"

• Children of the "Victims"

• Local Communities

• Society at Large

Beyond the fiscal risks and political opinions surrounding the topic of outsourcing and downsizing, the soft risks of human feelings and emotions are plentiful. Human emotional capital risks rapidly translate to fiscal risks. Emotional Continuity Management planning means that the long- term emotional needs of human beings are factored into risk categories and approached with interventions that maintain the energy flow of the system.

Some Potential Emotional Risks of Outsourcing

• • Loss of concentration

  • Decreased resilience

  • Elevated anxiety

  • Distraction

  • Altered moods

  • Passivity

  • Disorientation

  • Disempowerment

  • Invalidation

  • Dejection

  • Aggression

• Isolation

• Passive-Aggression

• Discouragement

• Betrayal

• Fear

• Despair

• Disassociation

• Distrust

• Failure

• Depression

Case Example

Ed had been earning $72,300 a year. He was laid off because his job was outsourced overseas. He lost his retirement nest egg in the recent stock market crunches. He is collecting unemployment and trying to sell some of his collectibles online and in antique markets. He said, "I lost my job and it isn't coming back."

Learning Byte

Although there are fiscal benefits to using outsourcing to compete in trade markets there is a strong emotional backlash that is becoming a hot political topic as the export of local jobs, trained people, and skilled workers is seen as risk by some and opportunity by others. This probably depends upon where your job security stands. Fears about outsourcing may become more critical to risk than actual outsourcing.

DO THIS : Find out all you can about the pros and cons of outsourcing.

DON'T : Panic. Grieving tools will help you adjust to any changes that you may need to make.

 

Greed and Scandal

Is it true that taking a paper clip home from work is a crime? Where is the line between grabbing a paperclip to avoid stopping at the store on the way home, taking a box of paper clips because you are not being watched, taking a case of paperclips because you are entitled, and selling paperclips out the back door to the Paper Clip Black Market?

If greed is a desire to have more of something than is actually needed, managing the emotions of a corporate gluttony or self- indulgence means using some sort of a moral compass to define boundaries for desire based on entitlement. Desire is an emotion that is human and therefore manageable. Desire to the point of greed is dysfunctional and can be pathology.

A Review of Corporate Scandal

(Compilation adapted from www.CitizenWorks.org )

1. Adelphia Communications; John Rigas (quit) ” Under investigations by the SEC and two federal grand juries for multibillion dollar, off-balance -sheet loans to its founders, the Rigas family. Former CEO Rigas, his son and former CFO Timothy Rigas were arrested for securities fraud. SEC, 2 federal grand juries and an internal investigation. Stock drop since 1/14/2000: -99.75%.

2. AES; Dennis W. Bake ” Use of secured equity-linked loans (SELL) that grossly inflated revenues and bolstered stock prices. These loans are not carried on the company expense sheets, since they are paid back by issuing stocks--further diluting value and ownership of company. Posted $445 million loss so far this year (2002).

3. AOL Time Warner; Robert Pittman ” Accused of erroneously inflating advertisement revenue to keep stock prices inflated assuring greater stock price through mega-merger with Time Warner. Stock down 59% in 2002.

4. Arthur Andersen LLP; Joseph Berardino (quit) ” Company found guilty of obstruction of justice ; David B Duncan, former partner, accused of ordering the destruction of Enron- related papers, plead guilty to obstruction of justice. Obstructed justice in the Enron investigation. Other scandals include: WorldCom (3.9 billion in hidden expenses); Boston Market Trustee Corp (Agreed to pay $10.3 million to in suit claiming a fa §ade of corporate solvency);. Baptist Foundation of Arizona ($217 million settlement); Department 66 ($11 million settlement); Sunbeam ($110 million settlement); 6. Colonial Reality ($90M settlement); Waste Management ($75 million settlement ) DOJ investigation.

5. Bristol Myers; Fred Schiff (resigned); Peter Dolan ” Accused of purposefully inflating sales by offering incentives to wholesalers--including warnings that it planned to raise prices--in order to meet last year's revenue expectations. SEC investigation. Posted lowest stock price since 1996

6. Cendant; Henry Silverman ” paid $2.83 billion to shareholders after internal audits revealed CUC Intl. (which merged with HFS to form Cendant) inflated income by $500M through fraud and accounting errors.

7. Citigroup; Sanford I. Weill ” Congressional investigators testified that CitiGroup helped Enron Corp and others set up "sham" transactions to alter their finances. These transactions included loans that allowed Enron to hide nearly $4 billion of debt. Stock down 48%.

8. CMS Energy; William T. McCormick Jr., CEO (resigned); Rodger Kershner, general counsel and senior vice-president (resigned) ” Disclosed it overstated revenue by nearly $4.4 billion in 2000 and 2001 by using artificial "round trip" energy trades. Number of lost jobs: 50; stock drop since 1/14/2000: -56.78%

9. Computer Associates; Charles Wang ” Agreed to a $638,000 penalty in April to settle charges with the Justice Department that it violated pre-merger rules after announcing it would acquire Platinum Technology Inc. SEC investigation. Stock drop since 1/14/2000: -73.58%

10. Cornell Companies Inc.; Steven W. Logan (removed) ” Pending Class action suit claims Cornell and its officials of making misleading statements on behalf of shareholders. Arthur Andersen questions "unusual $3.7 million retainer" to Lehman Bros Holdings Inc. Stock down over 50%

11. Duke Energy; R. Priory ” Investigations into "round trip" energy trades with other energy producers to inflate volumes and revenues. These falsified trades added $1B to revenues over three years . SEC, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and CA state regulators and attorney general class action lawsuits. $8,831,475 in total compensations.

12. Dynegy; Chuck Watson (ousted) ” Tried to merge with Enron; target of several federal probes into alleged sham trades aimed at artificially pumping up revenue and volume. Dynegy's longtime chief executive, Chuck Watson, resigned in May, and it has announced a major restructuring. SEC, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and California state regulators and attorney general. Stock drop since 1/14/2000: -64.97%.

13. El Paso; William Wise ” Identified 125 "round trip" trades used to bolster revenues and market share. SEC, CFTC, Houston US Attorney's office lawsuits.

14. Enron; Ken Lay (left company) ” Once the nation's largest energy trader , collapsed into the largest-ever U.S. bankruptcy on Dec. 2 amid an investigation surrounding off-the-book partnerships that were allegedly used to hide debt and inflate profits. SEC and DOJ investigations; team of attorneys representing investors and employees in civil lawsuits. Stock drop since 1/14/2000: -99.80% layoffs: 6,100.

15. General Electric Corporation ” Jack Welch ( retired ); Jeffrey Immelt: (1) GE Capital is a primary financial backer to WorldCom, providing a financial crutch to the corporation that would go on to file the largest bankruptcy claim in the history of the US; (2) Largest corporation to lack an independent board; (3) 77% of GE's 401k's was invested in company stock as of 2001; (4) GE paid its independent auditor three times as much for non-audit fees in 2000, Congressional inquiry into the lending practices of JP Morgan and Citigroup, both of which were partners with GE in lending to WorldCom. The stock down 38% on the year.

16. Global Crossing; Leo Hindery, Gary Winnick ” faces probes by the SEC and the FBI regarding its accounting practice and for allegedly engaging in network capacity swaps with other telecommunications firms to inflate revenue; CEO acknowledges that Global Crossing's actions "may in some fashion [have] misled the market." SEC, DOJ; pending; over 60 investor fraud lawsuits in total. Stock drop since 1/14/2000: -99.87%.

17. HPL Technologies, Inc.; David Lepejian (former CEO, founder) ” Facing charges that corrupt accounting practices inflated stock prices following IPO, allowing executives to sell 85,500 shares at inflated prices. Also facing charges of violating Security Exchange Act of 1934. Company expects to restate profits for 2001 and 2002. Class action lawsuit pending. Company stock halted on NASDAQ since 7/26/2002 following 72% drop.

18. ImClone Systems Inc.; Samuel Waksal (arrested) ” Charged with insider trading, under investigation by a congressional committee to determine if it correctly informed investors that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had declined to accept for review its experimental cancer drug; Samuel Waksal, former chief executive of ImClone, was arrested June 12 on insider trading charges. DOJ, Congressional litigation. Pending. Company stock drop since 1/14/2000: -52.34%

19. JP Morgan Chase & Co.; William B. Harrison ” Congressional investigators testified that JP Morgan Chase helped Enron Corp and others set up "sham" transactions to alter their finances. These transactions included loans that allowed Enron to hide nearly $4B of debt. Senate committee on government affairs.

20. Kmart; Charles Conaway ” SEC investigating accounting and other practices. The company investigated whether it improperly accounted for vendor allowances and has since changed its practices. SEC, and internal investigations. Company stock drop since 1/14/2000: -91.02%.

21. KPMG; Michael J. Donahue ” SEC alleges accounting missteps by KPMG that allowed Xerox to post knowingly erroneous profits/earnings SEC investigations.

22. Lucent Technologies; Henry Schact ” Adjusted 2000 revenues by $679 million, spurring SEC investigation. Also investigating whether vendor financing played an improper role in sales. Company stock drop since 1/14/2000: -93.39%

23. Merrill Lynch & Co.; David H. Komansky ” Agreed to $100 million settlement with New York State Attorney General regarding charges it tailored stock research to win investment banking business. Suspended two employees including Martha Stewart's broker after an internal probe relating to sale of ImClone shares.

24. MicroStrategy; Michael J. Saylor ” Settled without admitting wrongdoing an SEC suit accusing it of backdating sales contracts to meet quarterly financial estimates and other improper revenue recognition practices. Company stock drop since 1/14/2000: -99.07%

25. Network Associates; George Samenuk ” Investigations regarding whether it hid expenses and overstated revenue from 1998 to 2000. Company stock drop since 1/14/2000: -28.25%

26. Pricewaterhouse Coopers; Sam DiPiazza ” Accounting scandals include: (1) Phar-Mor: overestimation of profits; (2) Gazprom: suits over false and misleading statements; (3) Pinnacle Holdings: accounting violations; (4) Avon Products: accounting violations; (5) PwC Securities: independence standards. SEC investigations: settled three investigations involving Pinnacle Holdings, Avon and PwC Securities with SEC with $5 million fine.

27. Qwest Communications; Joseph P. Nacchio (quit) ” Under investigations to determine if it inflated revenue for 2000 and 2001 through capacity swaps and equipment sales SEC investigations. Department of Justice, FBI, Denver US Attorney's office Company stock drop since 1/14/2000: -88.35%

28. Reliant Energy; R. Steve Letbetter ” Admitted it inflated revenue by counting artificial "round trip" energy trades. Under SEC investigation for accounting matters and energy trades relating to restatement of profits. Number of lost jobs: 50.

29. Rite Aid; Robert G. Miller ” Indicted for fraud after it inflated profits by $1.6 billion from 1997 “1999. Scandal missed by auditor KPMG which resigns as auditor for company.

30. Sunbeam; Al Dunlap (ousted) ” SEC files accounting fraud suit against 4 executives. Executive Albert J. Dunlap settles for $15 million. Auditor Arthur Anderson settles shareholder suit for $110 million.

31. Tyco International. Ltd.; L. Dennis Kozlowski (quit and indicted on 11 felony counts) ” Under investigation into whether executives used corporate cash to buy art and a home. Tyco's former chairman, Dennis Kozlowski, resigned June 3, a day before being indicted for evading about $1 million in sales taxes from art purchases. Accused of improperly creating "cookie jar" reserves that were supposed to cover merger costs but instead were drawn on to boost profits; and improperly "spring loaded" earnings from acquisitions by accelerating their pre-merger outlays. SEC, Manhattan District Attorney's office and company's internal investigation. Pricewaterhouse Coopers: collected $37.9 million in consulting fees in 2001 Company stock drop since 1/14/2000: -55.15% layoffs: 11,000.

32. Vivendi Universal; John-Marie Messier (forced to quit) ” May incur $1.1 billion charge as the result of off-balance-sheet accounting. Attempted to add $1.5 billion in net profit in deal relating to sale of British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC (MSNBC 7/02/2002). Moody's relegated Vivendi's credit rating to "junk bond status" ( New York Times 7/02/2002)

33. Waste Management; Maurice Myers ” Overstated income from 1992 “1996 by more than $1 billion; Anderson pays $7 million fine to SEC for issuing false and misleading reports as well as part of $229 million shareholder settlement.

34. WorldCom Inc.; Bernard Ebbers (quit; under fire for borrowing $408M from WorldCom to cover margin calls), John Sidgmore ” Hid $3.85 billion in expenses, allowing it to post net income of $1.38 billion in 2001, instead of a loss. Charged with fraud by SEC. New York State pension fund files $300 million suit. New York State Comptroller filed a motion in Federal District Court saying New York State pension fund lost more than $300 million because of fall in stock price; House Financial Services Committee subpoena four executives to testify, and all take the fifth. Number of lost jobs: 17,000; stock drop since 1/14/2000: -96.90%

35. Xerox; / Rick Thoman ” Xerox said June 28 it would restate five years of results to reclassify more than $6 billion in revenues. In April, the company settled charges that it used "accounting tricks" to defraud investors. Allaire also sold $16 million in stock before earnings were recalculated and shares fell nearly 80% ( New York Times 4/7/2002). Number of lost jobs:1,500; stock drop since 1/14/2000: -67.53%.

Other Disaster Data: Costs and Frequency

There are many other kinds of disasters. There are technological disasters, biological disasters, communicable disease disasters, chemical disasters, financial disasters, weapons-of-mass-destruction disasters, sociological disasters, and some would say there are symbolic and political disasters. What all kinds of disasters have in common is that they are expensive and they are frequent.

All disasters are costly financially . A single-family home fire can cost millions to a family living in a low-income housing project dwelling . A chemical spill can deplete city emergency responder funds. A technology disaster can level a company. A corporate scam can leave thousands of people without their nest egg. An emotional disaster is usually attached to every disaster. The emotional costs, not those defined by mental health and counseling fees, can leave an individual, family, or company unable to recoup losses. A disaster crosses all boundaries of mental, physical, emotional and spiritual safety causing serious loss, destruction, hardship, unhappiness, and sometimes death. The following collection of data is only a sampling of statistics from recent incidents. There are a number of web sites that offer daily updates and yearly archival information. For example, The Disaster Center web site, www.disastercenter.com , offers extensive data on disasters and disaster management. It is worth your time to open the site just to review the collection regarding:

• The 100 most expensive natural disasters of the 20 ^th century

• The 100 most deadly natural disasters of the 20 ^th century

• The 100 most expensive technological disasters of the 20 ^th century

• The 100 most deadly technological disasters of the 20 ^th century.

The following compilations are small samplings of disaster costs and frequencies.

(The following statistics were released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in April 2004; http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/reports/billionz.html )

COSTS

--- 2003 ----

• Southern California Wildfires, Late October to early November, 2003. Dry weather, high winds, and resulting wildfires in Southern California. More than 743,000 acres of brush and timber burned, over 3700 homes destroyed ; at least $2.5 billion damage/costs; 22 deaths.

• Hurricane Isabel, September, 2003. Category 2 hurricane makes landfall in eastern North Carolina, causing considerable storm surge damage along the coasts of NC, VA, and MD, with wind damage and some flooding due to 4 “12 inch rains in NC, VA, MD, DE, WV, NJ, NY, and PA; estimate of over $4 billion in damages/costs; at least 47 deaths.

• Severe Storms and Tornadoes, Early May, 2003. Numerous tornadoes over the Midwest, MS valley, OH/TN valleys and portions of the southeast , with a modern record one-week total of approximately 400 tornadoes reported; over $ 3.1 billion in damages/costs; 41 deaths.

• Storms and Hail, Early April, 2003. Severe storms and large hail over the southern plains and lower MS valley, with Texas hardest hit, and much of the monetary losses due to hail; over $1.6 billion in damages/costs: no deaths reported.

---- 2002 ----

• Widespread Drought, Spring through early Fall, 2002. Moderate to Extreme drought over large portions of 30 states, including the western states, the Great Plains, and much of the eastern U.S.; estimate of over $10.0 billion in damages/costs; no deaths.

• Western Fire Season , Spring through Fall, 2002. Major fires over 11 western states from the Rockies to the west coast , due to drought and periodic high winds, with over 7.1 million acres burned; over $2.0 billion in damages/costs; 21 deaths.

---- 2001 ----

• Tropical Storm Allison, June, 2001. The persistent remnants of Tropical Storm Allison produces rainfall amounts of 30 “40 inches in portions of coastal Texas and Louisiana, causing severe flooding especially in the Houston area, then moves slowly northeastward; fatalities and significant damage reported in TX, LA, MS, FL, VA, and PA; estimate of approximately $5.1 billion in damage/costs; at least 43 deaths.

• Midwest and Ohio Valley Hail and Tornadoes, April, 2001. Storms, tornadoes, and hail in the states of TX, OK, KS, NE, IA, MO, IL, IN, WI, MI, OH, KY, WV, and PA, over a 6-day period; over $1.9 billion in damage/costs, with the most significant losses due to hail; at least 3 deaths.

---- 2000 ----

• Drought/Heat Wave, Spring-Summer, 2000. Severe drought and persistent heat over south-central and southeastern states causing significant losses to agriculture and related industries; estimate of $4.2 billion in damage/costs; estimated 140 deaths nationwide .

• Western Fire Season, Spring-Summer, 2000. Severe fire season in western states due to drought and frequent winds, with nearly 7 million acres burned; estimate of $2.1 billion in damage/costs (includes fire suppression); no deaths reported.

FREQUENCY
DISASTERS 2004 JANUARY 1-SEPTEMBER 20
Source: http://www.fema.gov/news/disasters.fema?year=2004

Major Disaster Declarations
09/20	West Virginia	Landslide, Severe Storm, Flooding
09/19	Pennsylvania	Tropical Depression
09/19	Ohio	Severe Storm, Flooding
09/19	Pennsylvania	Flooding, Severe Storm, Tropical Depression
09/18	Georgia	Hurricane
09/18	North Carolina	Hurricane
09/17	Puerto Rico	Landslide, Tropical Storm
09/16	Florida	Hurricane
09/15	Mississippi	Hurricane
09/15	Alabama	Hurricane
09/15	Louisiana	Hurricane
09/15	South Carolina	Tropical Storm
09/10	North Carolina	Tropical Storm
09/04	Florida	Hurricane
09/03	Virginia	Severe Storm, Tornado , Tropical Storm, Flooding
09/01	South Carolina	Hurricane
09/01	Indiana	Severe Storm, Tornado, Flooding
08/26	N. Mariana Islands	High Surf, High Winds, Typhoon, Flooding
08/26	Nevada	Fire
08/13	Florida	Tropical Storm, Hurricane
08/06	Pennsylvania	Severe Storm, Flooding
08/06	Kentucky	Severe Storm, Flooding
08/06	West Virginia	Landslide, Severe Storm, Flooding
08/03	Kansas	Severe Storm, Tornado, Flooding
08/03	New York	Severe Storm, Flooding
07/29	Guam	High Winds, Tropical Storm, Flooding
07/29	N. Mariana Islands	Flooding, High Surf, High Winds
07/20	South Dakota	Flooding, Severe Storm
07/16	New Jersey	Severe Storm, Flooding
06/30	California	Flooding
06/30	Arkansas	Flooding, Severe Storm
06/30	Michigan	Severe Storm, Tornado, Flooding
06/18	Wisconsin	Flooding, Severe Storm
06/15	Virginia	Flooding, Severe Storm, Tornado
06/11	Missouri	Flooding, Severe Storm, Tornado
06/10	Kentucky	Landslide, Severe Storm, Tornado, Flooding
06/07	West Virginia	Landslide, Severe Storm, Flooding
06/08	Louisiana	Severe Storm, Flooding
06/03	Indiana	Flooding, Severe Storm, Tornado
06/03	Ohio	Severe Storm, Flooding
05/25	Iowa	Severe Storm, Tornado, Flooding
05/25	Nebraska	Severe Storm, Tornado, Flooding
05/07	Arkansas	Landslide, Severe Storm, Flooding
05/05	North Dakota	Ground Saturation, Severe Storm, Flooding
04/29	New Mexico	Severe Storm, Flooding
04/23	Illinois	Tornado, Severe Storm
04/21	Massachusetts	Flooding
04/10	Federated States of Micronesia	Typhoon
02/19	Oregon	Winter Storm, Severe Storm
02/13	South Carolina	Ice Storm
02/05	Maine	Severe Storm, Flooding
01/26	Ohio	Landslide, Severe Storm, Flood
01/13	American Samoa	Heavy Rain, Surf, Cyclone
01/13	California	Earthquake

Emergency Declarations
04/02	North Dakota	Snow Storm
03/03	New York	Snow Storm
01/26	Maine	Snow Storm
01/15	New Hampshire	Snow Storm
01/15	Connecticut	Snow Storm
01/15	Massachusetts	Snow Storm
01/15	Maine	Snow Storm

Fire Management Assistance Declarations
09/14	Hawaii	Kawaihae Road Fire
09/13	California	Old Highway Fire
09/04	California	Geysers Fire
09/03	California	Pattison Fire
09/02	California	Bear Fire
09/01	Alaska	Taylor Complex Fire
08/26	Nevada	Andrew Fire
08/20	Oregon	Bland Mountain #2 Fire
08/14	California	French Fire
08/14	California	Lake Fire
08/12	Washington	Mud Lake Fire
08/11	Washington	Fischer Fire
08/11	California	Bear Fire
08/11	California	Oregon Fire
08/10	Alaska	Bolgen Creek Fire
08/08	California	Stevens Fire
08/07	California	Calaveras Fire Complex
08/04	Oregon	Redwood Highway Fire
07/30	Washington	Elk Heights Fire
07/30	Washington	Deep Harbor Fire
07/26	Nevada	Robbers Fire
07/21	California	Crown Fire
07/18	California	Melton Fire
07/18	California	Foothill Fire
07/14	Nevada	Waterfall Fire
07/14	California	Pine Fire
07/14	California	Mataguay Fire
07/14	California	Hollow Fire
07/14	California	Lakeview Fire
07/06	Washington	Beebe Fire
07/03	Colorado	McGruder Fire
07/01	Alaska	Boundary Fire
06/30	Nevada	Verdi Fire Complex
06/28	Arizona	Willow Fire
06/18	New Mexico	Bernardo Fire
06/16	Utah	Brookside Fire
06/09	Arizona	Three Forks Fire
06/05	California	Gaviota Fire
05/25	New Mexico	Peppin Fire
05/04	California	Eagle Fire
05/04	California	Cerritos Fire
04/01	Colorado	Picnic Rock

DISASTERS 2003

Major Disaster Declarations
12/19	Federated States of Micronesia	Typhoon
12/09	US Virgin Islands	Flooding
12/09	Virginia	Flooding, Severe Storm
11/21	Puerto Rico	Landslide, Severe Storm, Flooding
11/21	West Virginia	Landslide, Severe Storm, Flooding
11/07	Washington	Severe Storm, Flooding
10/27	California	Wildfire
09/26	Pennsylvania	Severe Storm, Tropical Storm, Flooding
09/23	West Virginia	Hurricane
09/23	Delaware	Tropical Storm
09/20	Delaware	Hurricane
09/20	District of Columbia	Hurricane
09/19	Maryland	Severe Storm, Hurricane
09/18	Virginia	Hurricane
09/18	North Carolina	Hurricane
09/12	New Hampshire	Severe Storm, Flooding
09/12	Vermont	Severe Storm, Flooding
09/05	Indiana	Severe Storm, Tornado, Flooding
08/29	New York	Severe Storm, Tornado, Flooding
08/23	Pennsylvania	Flooding, Severe Storm, Tornado
08/01	Ohio	Flooding, High Winds, Tornado
08/01	North Dakota	High Winds, Severe Storm
07/29	Tennessee	Heavy Rain, High Winds, Severe Storm
07/29	Florida	Severe Storm, Flooding
07/21	Nebraska	Tornado, Severe Storm
07/17	Texas	Hurricane
07/15	Ohio	Flooding, Severe Storm
07/14	Arizona	Wildfire
07/11	Indiana	Severe Storm, Tornado, Flooding
07/02	Kentucky	Flooding, Landslide, Tornado
06/21	West Virginia	Landslide, Severe Storm, Flooding
06/06	American Samoa	Flooding, Landslide
06/06	Arkansas	Severe Storm, Thunderstorms, Tornado
06/03	Kentucky	Landslide, Severe Storm, Tornado
05/23	Mississippi	Severe Storm, Tornado
05/15	Illinois	Severe Storm, Tornado, Thunderstorms
05/14	Maine	Winter Storm
05/12	New York	Winter Storm
05/12	Alabama	Severe Storm, Thunderstorms, Tornado,
05/10	Oklahoma	Tornado, Thunderstorms
05/08	Tennessee	Flooding, Severe Storm, Tornado
05/06	Missouri	Thunderstorms, Tornado, Flooding
05/06	Kansas	Thunderstorms, Flooding, Tornado
04/26	Alaska	Winter Storm
04/25	Florida	Tornado
04/24	Mississippi	Tornado, Flooding, Thunderstorms
03/27	Virginia	Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslide
03/27	North Carolina	Ice Storm
03/20	Tennessee	Winter Storm, Flooding
03/14	West Virginia	Winter Storm
03/14	Kentucky	Winter Storm
03/14	Ohio	Winter Storm
02/04	Oklahoma	Ice Storm
01/08	South Carolina	Ice Storm
01/06	Arkansas	Ice Storm
01/06	Federated States of Micronesia	Typhoon

Emergency Declarations
09/23	Michigan	Power Outage
09/23	New Jersey	Power Outage
09/23	Ohio	Power Outage
08/23	New York	Power Outage
04/09	Colorado	Winter Storm
03/27	New York	Winter Storm
03/20	Delaware	Winter Storm
03/27	Rhode Island	Snow Storm
03/20	New Jersey	Winter Storm
03/14	Pennsylvania	Winter Storm
03/14	Maryland	Winter Storm
03/14	District of Columbia	Winter Storm
03/11	New Hampshire	Winter Storm
03/11	Connecticut	Winter Storm
03/11	Massachusetts	Winter Storm
03/11	Maine	Winter Storm
02/26	New York	Winter Storm
02/01	Louisiana	Loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia
02/01	Texas	Loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia

Fire Management Assistance Declarations
11/20	South Dakota	Mill Road Fire
11/12	Colorado	Buckhorn Creek Fire
10/29	Colorado	Overland Fire
10/29	Colorado	Cherokee Ranch Fire
10/28	California	Whitmore Fire
10/26	California	Simi Fire
10/26	California	Cedar Fire
10/26	California	Paradise Fire
10/26	California	Mountain Fire
10/25	California	Verdale Fire
10/25	California	Old Fire
10/23	California	Grand Prix Fire
10/21	California	Pass Fire
09/06	Oregon	Cove Road Fire
09/06	Washington	Needle Fire
09/06	California	Bridge Fire
09/02	Oregon	Herman Creek Fire
08/21	Montana	Flathead Fire Zone
08/20	Colorado	Lincoln Complex Fire
08/20	Oregon	Booth Fire
08/19	California	Locust Fire
08/13	Montana	Cherry Creek Fire
08/13	Montana	Missoula/Mineral Fire Zone
08/11	Montana	Hobble Fire
07/25	California	Canyon Fire
07/25	Colorado	Cloudy Pass Fire
07/25	Montana	Robert Fire
07/25	Montana	Wedge Canyon Fire
07/23	Montana	Missouri Breaks Complex Fire
07/22	Oklahoma	Big Rock Fire
07/16	Washington	Okanogan City Fire
07/15	Nevada	Robb Fire
07/15	Utah	Causey Fire
07/14	Arizona	Kinishba Fire
07/12	Washington	Middle Fork Fire
07/11	Nevada	Red Rock Fire
07/03	California	Railroad Fire
06/29	California	Tejon Fire
06/28	California	Sawmill Fire
06/25	New Mexico	Atrisco Fire (Formerly Bosque Fire)
06/21	Arizona	Ash Fire
06/18	Arizona	Aspen Fire
06/17	Nevada	Highway-50 Fire (Formerly Spooner Fire)
05/18	Hawaii	Waikoloa Village Fire
05/10	New Mexico	Walker Fire
01/07	California	Pacific Fire

Learning Byte

It is never a question of "if" there will be an incident, only "when."

Case Example

The new manager was directed by her boss to write an emergency contingency plan that would take care of the staff. She was given a budget to hire a consultant. The consultant asked if she had written into the plan directions for sheltering in place. The manager didn't think it was necessary and didn't want to make waves.

Learning Byte

The physical location of the company was within five miles of a nuclear plant, within thirty miles of a chemical weapons storage facility, on an earthquake fault and in an area that has severe weather and a recent history of wildfires. The manager could not imagine a situation that would necessitate her staff being in the building overnight... much less for three or four days. The consultant asked the manager what kind of "emotional waves" would there be if the need arose and no one had been trained or prepared for the possibility. What do you think? Every company should have a shelter in place plan to manage such real incidents as a winter storm, chemical accident in the area, terrorist event, or any other surprise and unexpected reasons for a company shelter-in-place lockdown .