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How Crisis Management Teams Can Support Companies, Employees, And Communities


Nefferty Santiago
Nefferty Santiago

Verizon

Nefferty Santiago, Verizon Wireless’ Manager of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery.

This post is sponsored by Verizon Wireless.

Nefferty Santiago’s job is to prepare Verizon Wireless for the worst-case scenario.

As a member of the Verizon Wireless Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BC/DR) team, she’s qualified to handle any destructive scenario, whether it’s a tornado or an earthquake, and to make sure crisis management teams (CMTs) across the country are equipped to handle it all.

Santiago has spent more than 15 years in BC/DR, eight of those overseeing the Verizon Wireless Crisis Response Team (VCRT) program, which helps government agencies like FEMA and American Red Cross and affected communities during disasters. Her team leads more than 1,500 employees through yearly simulation exercises to prepare for potential threats.

“We purposely create scenarios that may feel somewhat unrealistic, and we do it on purpose to push leadership teams out of their comfort zones a bit and exhaust their resources,” says Santiago. “A lot of the time the reaction we get is, ‘This will never happen.’ Well, you know what? It may happen and when it does, we will be better prepared for it.”

Hurricane Sandy was one such scenario. In October 2012, the storm racked up $65 billion in damages, making it the second costliest hurricane in US history. Santiago, along with millions of others in the Tri-State area, was affected by Sandy and describes it as a challenging time.

“We, the BC/DR team, were relying on backup communication tools, inverters, chargers, generators, and flashlights to support our response teams, employees, customers, and communities,” she says. And Sandy’s vast geographical reach meant it was all hands on deck for the BC/DR team. “Dana Pfeiffer on our team was on point managing the Northeast activities, while our other team members were wearing multiple hats to support the company’s response.”

Nefferty Santiago Demo Day
Nefferty Santiago Demo Day

Verizon Wireless

Santiago speaks to Verizon Wireless employees inside an inflatable shelter that’s been used for several response efforts, including Hurricane Sandy.

Santiago is quick to point that responding to disasters like Sandy involve a huge team effort. “There are many team members and volunteer employees that come together to manage a crisis,” she says. “Our BC/DR team is equipped to provide assistance remotely, but when needed, we will deploy to provide onsite support to the local teams managing the crisis like what we did with Sandy.”

Traditionally, private sector companies activate in response to operational and customer impact, but Verizon Wireless is unique in how it mobilizes employee volunteers. Santiago recalls the mine explosion in Montcoal, W.Va., as an example: “With Montcoal there was zero impact to our employees, our operations or customers. So why activate? Our local team immediately saw the community would benefit from the command and control structure we have in place. They mobilized a relief site with volunteer employees, including deployment of network assets, within 24 hours.”

Santiago helped develop training and online resource tools to increase employee awareness of the Verizon Wireless business continuity and crisis management program. “When Verizon Wireless deploys a community response center into disaster impacted communities, our employees want to get involved,” she says. “They are our most important resource, and we leverage that.”

The BC/DR team also develops strong relationships with the public safety community. “We take every opportunity possible to partner with agencies at all levels of government and the emergency responder community,” says Santiago. “Having these relationships helps us anticipate our needs and the needs of those working to bring back our communities.”

During Sandy, the BC/DR team worked around the clock — coordinating with FEMA, the American Red Cross, and other agencies, and setting up more than 30 charging stations in the impacted areas where hundreds of citizens made free phone calls, charged their phones, and accessed the Internet.

When asked what she loves most about her job, Santiago says, “I’m very fortunate that I get to do something that helps our customers, employees and the community. It is both humbling and empowering. We learn something new with every event we support and we strive to do it better the next time.”

Learn more about how Verizon Wireless and how it manages crises around the country.

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