Second Edition by Jim Bell and Anna Marie Tomasek, Finance Director, Ashland, OH on behalf of the Association of Public Treasurers
This easy-to-follow guide will walk you through the steps necessary to minimize the impact a potential disaster could have on your finance or treasury department. There is no telling when a disaster, man made or natural could occur, but there are strategies, training and techniques that you can count on to protect the public's assets and your office operations.
Disasters are certainly not a new phenomenon or a passing trend. Regrettably, they are here to stay. How public finance and treasury officials prepare for disasters is critical in terms of minimizing the damage they pose to the financial operations and overall services provided by state and local governments.
Since the release of the Association’s Disaster Preparedness Guide, First Edition, we have witnessed countless major disasters such as: terrorist bombings here in the US; 200,000 lives lost in the earthquake in India and Pakistan; complete devastation of New Orleans and much of the South due to hurricanes; and 80,000 lives taken by the Indian Ocean tsunami.
These are the highly publicized disasters, however, there are many events, such as robberies or civil disorder, that can have devastating impacts on public finance and treasury offices and are truly disasters that need to be anticipated.
How do public officials brace for the consequences that a disaster may have on their community? What are the burdens and how do you prepare? Is putting together a disaster preparedness plan high on your to-do list?
There is no question, disasters are a part of our reality and the only way we know to minimize their impact is to prepare, prepare, prepare!
Public officials observations:
“The devastation was just unbelievable. The total loss of government and the inability of government to provide for the people; I think that is what stays with me the most”.
“I have a new appreciation for the importance of protecting records and that just rebuilding the birth, employment tax and real estate records can take years”
“Having seen the devastation, I think that any public official would agree; they were not prepared. It makes me rethink my position as a public official about redundancy and recommending that the public safety department be self sufficient on the ground for up to three weeks in a crisis and able to rely on their supplies and communications until reinforcements arrive”
“In an emergency, cities and towns can call federal and state agencies, but the locals are the ones on the front lines”.
The top priority of a Public Treasurer is to protect the assets of the local government entity. This guide will assist you to begin the disaster preparedness planning process.
