Disaster Recovery: Managing the Recovery From the 2017 Northern California Wildfires

Abstract

On October 8th, 2017, multiple catastrophic wildfires broke out in Northern California, resulting in loss of life and $3.3 billion in damage. The fire displaced a significant portion of the community due to evacuations and destroyed homes. Keysight Technologies corporate headquarters and the homes of many employees, were located inside the burn perimeter of the Tubbs fire. After the fire, the site was inaccessible for several days, with only limited access thereafter. Several of the main Keysight buildings experienced smoke and water damage. These buildings house corporate activities, R&D, marketing and manufacturing operations, a standards laboratory and a testing laboratory. The primary impact from the smoke was a light coating of soot and a smoky odor inside the buildings, which required extensive cleaning. Water damage was minimal. While the condition of calibration standards and electronic testing equipment was initially unknown, testing revealed negligible impact from the smoke and soot. This paper discusses the processes for re-establishing calibration status and traceability, the challenges in bringing revenue generating operations back on-line and the value of business recovery planning.