Ensure Continuity of Operations During Emergencies

What It Is

Every agency should have procedures to address what it will do with its website during disasters or emergencies.

Why It's Important

The public depends on government websites to provide information and services every day, around the clock. You need to plan how your agency will communicate vital information during an emergency and what services will be available to the public. Emergencies such as weather, fires or other natural disasters, or catastrophic accidents can have an impact on website operations. You need contingency plans to ensure that your website continues to provide essential information and services during an emergency. 

It is especially important to develop these kinds of procedures when the responsibility for the website is spread across several different parts of the organization; otherwise, everyone may assume that someone else will be responsible for the site in an emergency.

In addition, it’s critical for agencies to work together during times of emergencies to ensure that information provided to the public is consistent and accurate across agencies. 

OMB Policies for Federal Public Websites require agencies to (#1A) "disseminate information to the public in a timely, equitable, efficient and appropriate manner" and (#2A) "maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information and services provided to the public. This includes making information and services available on a timely and equitable basis." By planning ahead and establishing procedures to use in emergencies, you can ensure that the public will get the information and services they want and need, in a timely way.

Implementation Guidance

Your agency should develop plans to address what you will do with your website during disasters or emergencies. At a minimum, your plans should cover:

• Situations in which websites may need to be taken off-line
• Procedures for bringing websites back on-line and ensuring access to systems
• Procedures for updating, approving, and maintaining content in an emergency
• Procedures for providing critical information that the public expects and needs most
• Procedures for collaborating with other agencies to minimize redundancy and to ensure that similar information is consistent and accurate across agencies

Website plans should be documented in, and be consistent with, your organization's Continuity of Operations plans.

Examples

• Hurricane Katrina response guidance was coordinated by the Department of Homeland Security and developed in collaboration with over 20 federal agencies to help web managers post government-wide information related to the hurricane and relief efforts
• H1N1 (swine) flu guidance and a widget were developed by the Federal Web Managers Council in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services
• HUD's web policies describe, in detail, the process for posting to the website during emergencies
• The Department of Commerce's IT Security Program ensures contingency planning for all systems. While content managers might not be responsible for contingency planning, they should be involved in the process and know what their role is in any plans that have been out into place for their websites.

Many agencies follow this best practice, which is part of the guidelines and best practices published by the Interagency Committee on Government Information to aid agencies' implementation of OMB's Policies for Federal Public Websites.