Owning an IT business comes with its fair share of surprises—most of them digital. But every so often, Mother Nature reminds you that not all disasters come in the form of ransomware.
This past week, the rain came down hard in Mount Joy. The streets filled, gutters backed up, and the familiar murmur of “is it going to flood again?” crept back into our conversations. You could feel it in the building, a quiet tension and collective flashback. For me, it wasn’t just a feeling, it was a memory.
Labor Day 2018
In 2018, our building flooded.
Not a trickle in the basement. Not a leaky ceiling we could patch with duct tape. I’m talking about several inches of standing water across a large portion of the office. We lost some equipment, documents, even several team member vehicles. The office was unusable for weeks as we opened walls and looked to dry everything out.
I’ve spent the better part of my career helping advise others on the importance of planning for the unexpected as it surrounds their IT and business environments. Internally we talk about “preparedness” regularly, but as it turns out sometimes real-life disasters make you rethink even the most well intended plans. (Quick side note: Our office in Mount Joy is not in a “flood prone area” nor do we have any rivers or streams in the vicinity. The thought of flooding or even flood insurance for that matter was not on the radar.)
How We Responded in 2018
After that flood, we made a promise: never again.
We invested in changes. Not the flashy kind, but the quiet ones that keep you running. Equipment was raised off the floor, shelving was purchased for servers and storage cabinets, cameras were better positioned externally. Power strips and UPS units were elevated, and we introduced a habit of unplugging non-essential items when storms rolled in. It was a mix of common sense and experience, the kind of knowledge you earn the hard way.
We had a confidence that we were better prepared as a team if an event like this was to ever happen again… but we were told this was a “Once in a Lifetime” event!
It Can’t Be Happening Again
As the rain relentlessly came down earlier this week, we kept an anxious eye on the swells and roads around our office. We could not fathom that a “once in a lifetime event” could possibly be happening a short 7 years later. We quickly move vehicles to high ground and ensured team members on the road were safe.
Fortunately, this time was different. The swells just barely held, and the rain slowed just in time to limit any measurable water damage. (We know others in our area were not as fortunate, as Mount Joy was hit very hard. Our thoughts are with those who are still attempting to dry out.)
Lessons Learned?
As the rains receded, I received a message from a team member that was present in 2018 The message started like this:
“Given the events that have been happening this week with all of the rain, I thought it would be a good idea to walk through the building to see if we learned our lessons from the flood in 2018…”
That line stuck with me. “See if we learned our lessons.” The report that followed was honest and actionable. To start, we had done a lot right. Our critical systems were still in safe positions. Our habits had mostly stuck, and created real change, but by no means were we satisfied.
Room to Grow
There’s something subtle and dangerous about time. It dulls urgency. Even painful lessons, if left unchecked, can become stories we tell instead of habits we keep. Here are a few things we uncovered that we hope can spur conversations for others.
- We realized we had not trained our new team members on proper “Flood Preparedness”.
- We lacked documentation to help ensure all team members were on the same page.
- We never implemented a routine “self-check” to ensure we were meeting our best practices.
With report in hand, we got to work. We’ve recommitted to a walkthrough to hold ourselves accountable. It’s now officially part of our annual calendar. We’ve added flood-prep to our onboarding materials, so every new hire knows how to protect the tools we rely on to serve our clients. We’re adding reminders about where things should be stored, and ensuring we raise a handful of UPS off the ground. We are investing in water sensors to help alert us in a situation where we are not in the office.
1% Better Every Day
None of these changes are glamorous, however we truly hope our experience acts a friendly reminder on the importance of processes, procedures and the constant pursuit of getting 1% better. (It’s not about perfect.) If you have a chance to walk around your office today, take it. If there’s something you’ve been meaning to revisit or improve, now’s the time. Business brings plenty of challenges beyond your control—so focus on strengthening what you can.
~ Shawn Sweigart