Ensure Continuity of Operations During Emergencies

What It Is

Every agency should have policies and procedures in place to address how they will manage their website and other digital assets during disasters or emergencies.

Why It's Important

The public depends on the government to provide information and services, especially during emergencies. It’s also critical for agencies to work together during emergencies to ensure that information provided to the public is consistent and accurate across agencies. During an emergency, the Federal Web Managers Council coordinates with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure agency Web managers understand their information dissemination responsibilities, stay in their “lane,” and collaborate with responder agencies to provide accurate information to the public.

OMB Policies for Federal Public Websites require agencies to (#1A) "disseminate information to the public in a timely, equitable, efficient and appropriate manner" and (#2A) "maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information and services provided to the public. This includes making information and services available on a timely and equitable basis." By planning ahead and establishing procedures to use in emergencies, you can ensure that the public will get the information and services they want and need.

How to Implement

Your agency should develop plans to address what you will do with your website during disasters or emergencies. At a minimum, you should have policies and procedures for:

• Taking websites off-line
• Bringing websites back on-line and ensuring access to systems
• Updating, approving, and maintaining content in an emergency
• Providing critical information that the public needs most
• Collaborating with other agencies to minimize redundancy and to ensure that similar information is consistent and accurate across agencies

Website plans should be documented in, and be consistent with, your organization's Continuity of Operations plans.

Examples

• Hurricane Katrina response guidance was coordinated by the Department of Homeland Security and developed in collaboration with more than 20 federal agencies to help Web managers post government-wide information related to the hurricane
• H1N1 (swine) flu guidance and a widget were developed by the Federal Web Managers Council in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services
• HUD's Web policies describe, in detail, the process for posting to the website during emergencies
• The Department of Commerce's IT Security Program ensures contingency planning for all systems. While content managers might not be responsible for contingency planning, they should be involved in the process and know what their role is in any plans that have been out into place for their websites.

Many agencies follow this best practice, which is part of the guidelines and best practices published by the Interagency Committee on Government Information to aid agencies' implementation of OMB's Policies for Federal Public Websites.