States all along the Eastern seaboard are feeling the wrath of Hurricane Sandy, as the megastorm made landfall on the U.S. late on Sunday night. Reports say that an area up to 800 miles – from the East Coast to the Great Lakes region – will be affected. Companies that don't have a current business continuity plan could likely be feeling the aftermath for days.

As reported by the Associated Press, President Barack Obama issued a state of emergency for Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, authorizing federal relief work to begin well ahead of time.

"Airlines canceled more than 7,200 flights and Amtrak began suspending passenger train service across the Northeast," reported Fox News. "New York and Philadelphia shut down their subways, buses and commuter trains Sunday night and announced that schools would be closed on Monday. Boston, Washington and Baltimore also called off school."

Non-essential city workers were encouraged to work from home, as officials cautioned individuals to stay off the roads to keep themselves safe.

Hurricane Sandy should remind organization decision makers that comprehensive business continuity planning should account for situations where employees are unable to come into the office. If hot sites are not created for team members to conduct business from, then employees at all levels should be made aware of the proper protocol for them to work from home.

Business resumption will happen faster when a company has taken the time to educate all employees on how to react to a multitude of different situations. Working with a consultant on disaster recovery planning will be highly beneficial and can help ensure that daily operations can continue through dangerous weather.