Sixty Seconds to 10 Years: Why Contingency Planning is So Important

Sixty Seconds to 10 Years: Why Contingency Planning is So Important

Just a few weeks ago the city of Christchurch, New Zealand was struck by a major earthquake that did extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure. Most cities do strategic planning, but few conduct extensive contingency planning or adequately prepare for major disasters, let alone the long-term requirements.

A report on the Internet today indicates that the 60 second or less earthquake caused damage that will take 10 years to rebuild. One hopes the city planners in Christchurch have an organized strategic and contingency plan in place to deal with the clean up and rebuilding the city.

Of course a community can never totally rebuild what has been destroyed so it is wise for cities to revamp the strategic plan in an attempt to make the city better than it was prior to the disaster.

While the rebuilding is likely to take 10 years, the full impact of the new strategic plan is not likely to be felt for a generation or more. Such is the impact of long-term strategic planning.