Insights and Resources
After the Storm: A Business Recovery Checklist
Published 2026-08-31 by Mark Schilling · 8 min read
The August 11 derecho was a hard reminder that business continuity is not only an IT issue. Across Northwest Indiana and the Chicago metro, severe winds damaged trees and power infrastructure, leaving some communities without electricity for days and, in the hardest-hit areas, more than two weeks. [1] [2] The question for every organization is not whether the next interruption will happen, but whether your people can keep serving customers, communicating, and protecting critical data when it does.
What Did the August Derecho Reveal About Business Continuity?
The storm produced widespread 70 to locally 100-plus mph winds across northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana. The National Weather Service documented extensive damage to trees and electrical wires, while regional reporting described hundreds of thousands of utility customers losing service across Illinois and Indiana. [1] [3]
For a business, this type of event can interrupt far more than lights and air conditioning. It can affect office internet, phones, payment terminals, physical security, cloud access, remote-work coordination, vendor communication, and the ability to recover if a system also fails. A disaster recovery plan should assume that power and primary connectivity may be unavailable at the same time.
Why Should a Disaster Recovery Plan Cover Power and Connectivity Together?
A backup internet connection cannot help if the equipment that uses it has no power. Likewise, a generator alone does not restore communications if the primary circuit or local access equipment is damaged. These are connected business-continuity decisions that need to be planned together.
| Business dependency | Question to answer before the next outage | Practical planning step |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity | Which systems must remain available during a multi-day outage? | Document critical loads and determine whether UPS equipment, a generator, or both are appropriate. |
| Internet and phones | What happens if the primary circuit is unavailable? | Evaluate a secondary path that does not rely on the same local infrastructure, then test automatic or documented manual failover. |
| Business applications | Can staff reach essential systems from another safe location? | Confirm remote access, multi-factor authentication, licensing, and communication procedures. |
| Data and backups | Can you restore a critical file, application, or server within your required timeframe? | Perform a documented restore test and resolve any gap before an emergency. |
What Should Northwest Indiana and Chicago Businesses Test First?
Start with a short, practical review of the processes that keep the organization operating. The goal is not a thick binder that sits on a shelf. It is a plan that people can use during a disruption.
1. Identify the first day of disruption
List the functions that must continue in the first four, 24, and 72 hours. For many organizations, that includes phones, email, line-of-business access, payroll or payment workflows, customer updates, and physical access or security systems. Assign a primary and backup decision-maker for each function.
2. Test your backup and restore process
A backup is not a recovery plan until it has been restored successfully. Test a representative file, system, or application and record the actual recovery time. If the result does not meet the business need, revise the backup design and test again. Our managed IT services team can help document and test this process.
3. Build a realistic connectivity fallback
Evaluate a second internet path based on the building, the location, and the applications that matter most. A secondary wired circuit, fixed wireless, cellular, or satellite option may fit different sites. The important point is to validate availability, equipment power requirements, firewall configuration, and failover behavior before an outage.
4. Plan for a safe temporary workplace
Decide where people work if the primary location is unavailable. Confirm secure remote access, company-managed devices where needed, help procedures, and how employees will receive updates. Avoid sending sensitive data through personal email or unmanaged devices just because the normal office workflow is interrupted.
5. Establish a communication sequence
Prepare short templates for employees, customers, vendors, and facilities contacts. The first message should state what is known, what is being done, the next update time, and an alternate way to reach the business. Clear communication protects trust when restoration timing is uncertain.
How Should You Approach Backup Power and Internet Failover?
There is no single answer for every building. A small leased suite, a multi-tenant office, and a standalone facility have different constraints for equipment placement, landlord approval, wiring, fuel, roof access, and safety. Begin with the systems that truly need to remain up, then design the power and connectivity plan around that priority.
Uninterruptible power supplies are useful for keeping essential equipment running briefly and allowing controlled shutdown. For longer interruptions, organizations may need to evaluate a permanent standby generator or an alternate work location. For connectivity, a second path should be configured and tested at the firewall rather than left as an unopened box in a closet.
What Does a Practical Disaster Recovery Plan Include?
A practical plan combines people, technology, facilities, and communications. It should name owners, list dependencies, identify alternate procedures, and include test dates. The table below is a simple starting point for leadership and IT discussions.
| Plan component | Evidence of readiness | Review cadence |
|---|---|---|
| Critical systems list | Business owner and recovery priority are documented for each system. | Quarterly and after major changes |
| Backup restoration | A successful restore test has a recorded date, scope, and recovery time. | At least annually, with targeted checks more often |
| Power plan | Critical loads, UPS runtime, generator responsibilities, and shutdown steps are documented. | At least annually and before severe-weather season |
| Connectivity failover | Secondary-path availability and failover behavior have been tested. | At least annually and after carrier or firewall changes |
| Communications plan | Current contact lists and message templates are available to designated leaders. | Quarterly |
How Can Schilling IT Help With Disaster Recovery Planning?
Schilling IT helps organizations across Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland assess the practical parts of a disaster recovery plan: backup recoverability, remote access, cybersecurity controls, connectivity fallback, documentation, and the operating procedures that staff use during a disruption. We can work with your facilities contacts and existing vendors without requiring you to replace every part of your current setup.
The most useful next step is a focused review of what would happen if your office lost both power and its primary connection for several days. Talk with our team to schedule a disaster recovery and continuity review.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long were some Northwest Indiana communities without power after the August derecho?
The National Weather Service reported that some of the most significantly affected Northwest Indiana areas were without power for more than two weeks. Regional reporting also documented large restoration efforts in the days after the storm. [1] [2]
Does a UPS keep an office running during a multi-day outage?
Usually, no. A UPS is valuable for short runtime and orderly shutdown, but it is not typically sized to keep a full office operating for days. Organizations should decide which critical systems need longer-duration power and evaluate their facility options accordingly.
What is the best backup internet option for a business?
The best option depends on building access, coverage, application needs, budget, and the risk of shared infrastructure failure. The important step is to choose a genuinely independent path where possible and test the failover process before it is needed.
How often should a disaster recovery plan be tested?
Review the plan after major technology, staffing, or facility changes and run at least an annual recovery exercise. High-impact systems benefit from more frequent targeted restoration and failover tests.
Can Schilling IT help with a plan even if we already have vendors?
Yes. We can help evaluate gaps, document responsibilities, test recovery procedures, and coordinate the IT side of a continuity plan with your existing facilities, internet, backup, or security vendors.