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 Earthquakes in Asia: Whole Lotta Shakin’ “We have a geological record back 1,000 years. It shows the region being hit by major quakes every 200 to 300 years. The last cluster of powerful quakes happened about 200 years ago. We are entering a new cluster,” said Prof. Kerry Sieh, director of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Earth Observatory, in Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper. Since May, Asia has been hit by three earthquakes of 6.0 or higher on the Richter scale, the magnitude at which earthquakes are generally considered destructive. The Wenchuan earthquake (magnitude 7.9) in China’s Sichuan province in May occurred in “an “unexpected” location” not previously considered at risk, according to Hong Kong-based
Then, on the night of September 11, 2008 (oh, the irony!), Hokkaido, Japan was hit by a 6.8-magnitude earthquake just off the coast, while at nearly the same moment and Halmahera, Indonesia was rocked by a 6.6-magnitude quake. So, earthquakes have been more frequent, they’ve been more serious, it’s likely that more are coming, and they might happen in places we don’t expect. Well, then. Prof C. G. Goh of the new Centre for Hazards Research at the National University of Singapore says, “a big earthquake is a low-probability but high-consequence event. That’s precisely the kind of risk for which business continuity management (BCM) is intended. In Singapore the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is co-funding a study to assess the impact of natural catastrophes on the financial sector. The Building & Construction Authority (BCA) is funding an earthquake vulnerability study as part of a “review (of) building codes and regulations after several major earthquakes in the region.” Property owners in Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur pay little or nothing for insurance that routinely includes earthquake cover. An insurance claims manager said of earthquake insurance, “We’re giving it away almost for free!” So insurance companies in Asia are about 6.5 Richter points away from a tsunami of claims they aren’t expecting… Read the full story at Nathaniel Forbes’ BCP Confidential blog
Mass Fatality Incident (MFI) Planning Security Awareness Putting up posters in your office might raise awareness of risk, security, audit, fraud, theft and naughty behavior, and New Zealand IT consulting company IsecT Limited publishes risk management posters at their NoticeBored web site. The company has been distributing free, high-resolution posters since May 2006; there are five or six new ones each month. (The April 2008 selection featuring auditors are amusing.) I’d like to be at a brain-storming session where these are dreamed up; I’ll bet that beer is involved… American training firm Native Intelligence also distributes security awareness posters online and in print. Some posters are free, but print versions without a watermark cost USD 7.50. Native Intelligence also produces 60-second animated presentations for video display. The company is owned by Native American women, hence the company’s name. (“Native American” is how Americans refer to American Indians, to distinguish them from people from India.) Emergency Excitement
Need help but can't afford a full-time BCP professional? We outsource qualified BCP professionals for as little as one (1) day or two (2) days per week on contract. Read our Capabilty Statement with case studies of our satisfied clients over 12 years. Nathaniel Forbes at nforbes@calamity.com.sg, or call +65 6324-3091 in Singapore (12 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time, 8 hours ahead of London).
Need help? In Singapore, call: +65 6324-3091 Fax: +65 6324-3093 |
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