# Prepping / Emergency Preparedness > General Emergency Preparedness >  Connecticut Light and Power chastised for not being prepared.

## Rick

I would bet someone(s) in their Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity group has been handed their head. They might even be working in the storeroom now. It sure demonstrates the necessity of personal planning when utilities are not in the position to respond when events occur. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...uKO_story.html

http://www.greenwich-post.com/online...nications.html

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## crashdive123

Sucks to be them.

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## Pal334

I am willing to bet that it was a "bean counter" decision. Corporations are more and more worrying only one financial report ahead. Some deserves to experience the unemployment line.

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## Rick

You know, my experience echos that post. Wall street commitments take precedent over customer commitments. It's sad but it's true. And the really sad part is it often costs $2.00 to save the $1.00 they are striving for. 

I'll relate a story that pretty much sums it up. We had an operating unit that lost a tad over $6 million one year. Their goal for the next year was to only lose $3 million. I said wait a minute. Shouldn't the goal be to make a profit and you would have thought I was a heretic. They wound up loosing $2.5 million, exceeded their stretch goal, and took all the managers to Hawaii to celebrate. Is that nuts or what?

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## LowKey

We have the same kind of thing going on up here in MA with National Grid, who everyone is saying was unprepared, though I personally think they did a damn good job getting everything up and running as quickly as they did. Unlike Unitil a few years ago that had to be bailed out by National Grid after NG got all their customers on line. 

Most of it stems from that "consumer angst". The storm was unexpectedly damaging over a wider area than expected. It took longer to get to some people than to others. The problem is, someone always has to be LAST. They can't all be first. Besides, if they all had their milk, eggs and bread, I'm not sure what they are *****in about. 

I'm glad the authorities are taking this time to examine their preparedness plans but it seems a little after the fact, doesn't it?

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## Pal334

The company I was with had to show a profit for the quarter before I left. Solution?  Layoff the skilled engineers needed to provide the product to the customer saving their salaries and bennies ("knowing" the engineers would come back). Result? Made their goals for profit for that quarter. Failed to deliver product as scheduled to the customer. A competitor hired the layed off engineers, customer gave them the work. No problems for "my" company, was a new fiscal quarter.  Hence my "love" for the *!@#$%^&*()* bean counters.

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## crashdive123

It doesn't matter if the bureaucrats (bean counters) are in the private sector or government - they always seem to foul up progress.

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## Rick

> I'm glad the authorities are taking this time to examine their  preparedness plans but it seems a little after the fact, doesn't it?


It has to be after the fact. You can plan and test all you want but you'll still be performing a post mortem after an even occurs. You have to determine what did and didn't work so you can adjust the plan as needed. That will happen after every event and every event will bring new things to the table that you didn't prepare for or didn't prepare well enough for. It's just the nature of the beast. 

Every quarter we flew back up tapes to a hot site and brought everything up on line. We documented every item that was missed or didn't work well. That was some serious dollars for testing. We still had things go belly up when the poop hit the fan. Stuff that had performed flawlessly in past tests or had never come up in past tests.

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## COWBOYSURVIVAL

I have experienced an example where the powers that be milked everything dry, "it'll last till' I retire" . Now, I have a boss that more than likely has ADHD. It is an extreme change and I have become the "Go To" guy. That is alright with me, I have a real chance to live my manufacturing dreams now. Currently designing a 2 million dollar powdercoat line that I only dreamed of before. Albeit a challenge, it is on and I am ready. My responsibilty is quickly progressing from 1 plant to 2 and the "new" one is a blank check. He he! I am gonna have fun with this! Tried to call a meeting and was told , "No need just do it how you need it to be and we are behind you". I ain't skeered, I set a goal of 20 yrs. a long time ago. I'll give it everything I have and have nothing to lose. it'll be right or it won't be.....

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