Whether facing flash flooding, an electrical fire, a hurricane, or a burst pipe on the floor above, non-profit offices must be prepared to evacuate on a moment’s notice. When disaster strikes, panic sets in; staff scramble to save physical paper files while essential technical records and disaster recovery assets are left behind. Preparing a dedicated, pre-packaged “IT Disaster Grab-Bag” ensures your organization can resume operations from an alternate location within hours.

Prepare a Rugged, Waterproof IT Grab-Bag

Designate a high-visibility, waterproof backpack or durable Pelican-style case positioned in an accessible, secure administrative area. This grab-bag should not contain heavy desktop monitors, but rather essential recovery gear: an encrypted offline backup hard drive holding your agency’s vital records, a pre-configured cellular Wi-Fi hotspot with an active data plan, extra universal laptop chargers, multi-plug power strips, and basic networking patch cables.

Pack an Offline Operational Continuity Binder

In a catastrophic regional emergency, cell towers may be overloaded and power grids offline. Do not rely entirely on cloud storage to retrieve emergency numbers. Place a laminated, physical emergency binder inside the kit. This binder must include your emergency ISP account numbers, your cyber insurance policy contact information, emergency phone trees for staff and board members, and offline restoration keys for encrypted backup archives. Store this binder in a fire-resistant, water-sealed document pouch.

Establish Remote Communications Rerouting Procedures

Once staff are safely relocated, client services cannot remain in the dark. Your evacuation SOP must document how to remotely forward incoming office telephone lines to cloud-based softphones or mobile numbers. Have pre-drafted community announcements ready to publish on your agency’s website and social media channels notifying donors, volunteers, and clients of your temporary operating status. Practicing this evacuation drill once a year guarantees your team stays calm and prepared when real emergencies occur.