Founded in February of 2002, (announced officially in June of that same year) the National Center for Crisis and Continuity Coordination (NC4) is a for-profit division of the Candle Corporation, one of the world’s largest software and technology services companies.  NC4, headquartered in Reston, VA, was created to promote communication and coordination between emergency management professionals and the private sector business and economic worlds.

NC4 works to enhance business and economic continuity in the wake of disasters by encouraging pro-active and timely communications between public and private sector organizations.  Through education, research, practice exercises and drills, NC4 has already had an impact on the way the private sector is involved during the time of disasters.  

Some planned activities sponsored by the NC4 include:

· September 24, 2002: Homeland Security Alert Drill – Irvine, CA
· October 1, 2002: Financial Services and NYC Government Forum – New York, NY
· October 30, 2002: Health Services Communications Exercise – Los Angeles, CA
· November 29, 2002:  Management of Bio-Terrorism Incident Drill – Washington, DC 
 
As the public sector relies more heavily on private sector resources in the recovery from disasters, it is more critical than ever before that businesses and governmental agencies be in constant communication before and during times of crises.  Not only is it important that businesses be returned to operation as quickly as possible, but private sector resources can prove invaluable in the public sector’s efforts to recover from disasters.  Illustratively, local businesses experienced significant hurdles in returning to their offices to recover business-critical documents, systems, etc. as a result of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.  The ability of local businesses to return to production was significantly delayed by confusion and uncertainty in site-access, communications, and control.  Had a better system of ‘authorization’ been in place, businesses could have more rapidly returned to work, increased the speed of local economic recovery, and more effectively stayed clear of critical relief work in certain areas.

Given the devastating impact the September 11 attacks had on local, state, national, and world economies, the NC4 will work to mitigate future potential for drastic economic impact due to a disaster, crisis, or terrorist attack.  The Candle Corporation and NC4 is already working closely with the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) to enhance its ability to plan for and react to terrorist attacks against the nation’s water supplies.

NC4 has partnered with several organizations to help fulfill its mission:

· Capco (www.capco.com) – a technology solutions company focusing specifically on the financial services industry;
· Borden/Lee (www.bordenlee.com) – a consulting firm specializing in emergency and security management programs;
· E Team Inc. (www.eteam.com) – a software development company specializing in emergency and event management applications.

For Further Information:

· The National Center for Crisis and Continuity Coordination – www.nc4.com
· The Candle Corporation – www.candle.com
· NetworkWorldFusion – “What has Changed?”  Discusses the steps business executives are taking as a result of the 9/11 attacks and what they’ve learned in the months following the attacks: www.nwfusion.com/news/2002/0902lessons.html 
NetworkWorldFusion – “Business Start the Recovery Process” Discusses the challenges companies in lower Manhattan faced as a result of the WTC attacks: http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2001/0912rec.html