I had not planned on working at home just yet but necessity being the mother of invention, I am now living a possibility I only talked about.  And no I am not yet sure if I like it or not but am attempting to evaluate the experience as it happens.

Hurricane Sandy has come and gone (mostly), but the impact on 50 million Americans daily lives is sure to be felt for a long time.  I won’t post photos as there are so many vivid ones that can be easily viewed – as long as you have internet service.

From a corporate perspective, being that I no longer have employees on a payroll I feel much more at ease than if had a number of people that were being paid but not able to work.   There’s a big difference between understanding the human element of a disaster and having a company pay employees while they are unable to be productive.   And right now people cannot work normally, and may not on the U.S. east coast until next week.  I wonder if cases could be made for businesses applying for Federal Disaster Relief?

Professional service businesses have to find a way to keep performing during a crisis even if it is a huge undertaking.   How a business handles the crisis can pay great dividends if done correctly.  The converse is also true.

A friend of mine who operates a number of restaurants in and around Connecticut sent out the following message Tuesday morning:

To everyone in the greater CT area –

By 12:00 today we hope to have all of the Barcelonas the Bartacos open, with the exception of Bar Taco in Port Chester.  We will have working bathrooms, outlets available for charging, and free WiFi for internet.   Please feel free to come in and use them as you like.

No purchase required;  in fact, feel free to bring in your own food, if you like.

Wishing everyone a safe and speedy recovery,

Andy@Barcelona

I think that’s just about the perfect way to handle a situation and yes I know I am biased but glad that I have friends who think and act this way.

We are also dealing with our own challenges running the www.yourcover.com business since currently our offices and printing facilities are without power – with no timetable on its return.  While we can keep our customers informed, shipping out physical orders has been delayed and we are working on alternative solutions.

With no train or subway service to, from, or in Manhattan, it does not seem as if I will be in the big town for a while.   The disconnect between people is palpable and even if only a few days old, just a bit odd.    The world for many has become very small and insular.

It’s not quite the days the earth stood still, but I do believe the secondary impact from Sandy in loss of business and how far it will set people and companies back, will be greater than people yet realize.

These are the days the U.S. East Coast world stood still.   I’m already tired of standing.