It's not over when it's over

There is plenty of talk about the prep and lead-up to the disaster, the response and the recovery. But one thing I almost never see anything about (in advance) is how life goes on afterwards...the getting back to normal that isn't part of the response and recovery.

Let me explain.

With 24 hours before the recent destructive ice storm was about to hit my location (it wound up skirting WNC by a few miles), I cooked four days' worth of breakfast, lunch, and dinner in advance. I had shelf-stable food to eat after that if need be. As I sat there, watching the weather and ready, I thought, "Hmm, I'm going to need some fresh food again after this." I knew that wasn't going to be easy for a few days.

Never mind the stock-outs that pre-storm panic causes at all the markets. I was thinking about the trucks that are needed to bring deliveries of stock to the stores. If the roads were icy and blocked by downed trees and powerlines, that would be a problem for the supply chain, specifically what's called the last mile (the last part of the supply chain where the item gets delivered to its destination). Are there issues further out beyond that last mile? You bet!

I was listening to a FEMA conference call specifically about the ice storm. The FEMA Regions on the call were the ones impacted the worst by the storm. As the week went on, the daily calls were shorter and Region representatives dropped out when they were graduating out of the biggest issues. The Region that includes Louisiana had an interesting nugget to offer: while fuel wasn't impacted in the ports, there were some issues at the distribution sites. Why would anyone not in LA care? You need fuel for the trucks that will be making the re-supplies.

Or how about how Memphis fared after the storm? Why would you care about Memphis? FedEx is headquartered there. As are some medical device and pharma companies.

Oh, yes, it gets huge. Then add the winter snowstorm that was coming the week after. There was a short turnaround for that last mile.

I often speak about the ecosystem that supports a business. One that is well beyond the four walls of the business itself. Just being aware puts you so much further ahead in general, not just of your competitors, but also of you now.

The macro look is so, so important, because its impact on your micro can be devastating.