Meeting the Information Demand

One area in which organizations often overestimate their abilities to continue serving the public during a disaster is through their Web site, said Eric Holdeman, principal with ICF International's Emergency Management and Homeland Security Practice.

"If you look at any incident that has happened - any individual organization, agency or government or private sector - they don't anticipate the level of interest that's going to be on that and the demand placed on it. They don't need some surge capacity, they need to be able to ratchet way, way, way, way up," he said. "People everywhere can Google your organization, and they do."

For instance, he said after the Virginia Tech shootings, people immediately went to the school Web site for information such as the school's exact location and how many students attend. "It's not just news agencies," he said, "but average citizens who want to know more information."