At the time I was a systems admin for a small biz in the Houston area. We made plans well ahead of time to procure a 40,000kw generator which I knew that when tied in, would service our building and then some (best case being an in place generator, but expensive). We packed up our equipment which included seven ob/gyn ultrasound units. All equipment was waterproofed and stored offsite a few days before the storm when we knew it was tracking straight for our area, in a building that was high and dry that we knew would survive the storm along with three sets of data at various locations in addition to existing backups.

The day after the storm blew through our building suffered no serious damage and we were up and running early that afternoon shortly after they rolled in the 40k and tied in. As far as internet service, I remember we had a dedicated redundant 3 meg pipe, but I can't remember how long it was down or if it was at all.

I was lucky in the run up to the storm as far as securing the equipment because our plan called for a halt to activity in a timely manner. That's not always going to be the case as some may want to work right up to the last minute, leaving out that the employee has to make provisions for the safety of their own homes and family, so last minute planning can get hectic. Don't wait until the last minute and don't forget to remind your employer that you have to make personal preparations as well. Employers who do wait until the last minute will most likely see employees choose the safety and security of their own homes and families over that of their place of employment and should it come to it, the safety of their job. I know I would.

While we had a basic disaster plan in place, being a growing small biz our environment was constantly changing and so in turn our plan, with some of those changes occurring at the last minute. Even with last minute changes everything went so smooth I think the biggest pain in the rear for me was having to refuel the diesel generator.

My advice is that if you have no plan in place, make one. If it's not documented then do so, you can even begin using the excellent checklist above. At the very least make sure it's verbal and discussed often so everyone is on the same page and knows their role. Our plan was not only documented, but discussed and updated at every meeting with input from all encouraged. TechRepublic has some good disaster plan templates that you can use or get some good ideas from.

HippieKarl's advice should be heeded as well. As soon as the storm passed and I knew my personal property was secure, the plan called for a certain set of persons to make sure the owner was on site to secure the building, and if for some reason that wasn't possible, a relative. Even if your site receives no damage, that doesn't mean a criminal won't take a good long look. In the aftermath of a disaster, they know that local resources are stressed and that some areas may make for easy pickings. How you choose to protect your site is up to you, just keep in mind that just because a criminal knows you're there doesn't mean they are going to walk away, and they are not there for tea and crumpets.

While I realize not all situations are the same as mine relates to our small biz and a storm that we had time to prepare for, Ike was pretty nasty. One of the worst things about a moderate storm to even a typical tropical storm is you never know what kind of flooding it will produce or how many tornadoes it will spawn that can quickly reduce your building to a clean slab of concrete. Sudden and catastrophic disasters such as an earthquake, fire, or powerful storm can and do happen so up to the minute planning and preparation should be a priority in any size organization.