A catastrophic event that impacts a large geographic area and requires emergency services and civil authorities to take control.

The component of recovery and continuity which deals specifically with the relocation of a key function or department in the event of a disaster, including multiple elements, e.g.: personnel, essential records, equipment supplies, work space, communication facilities, work station computer processing capability, fax, copy machines, mail services. Office recovery environment complete with necessary office infrastructure (desk, telephone, workstation, hardware, communications). Restoration of office activities at an alternative location which provides desks, telephony, office systems and networking capability.

Alternative procedures that may be used by a functional unit(s) to enable it to continue to perform its critical functions during temporary unavailability of specific application systems, electronic or hard copy data, voice or data communication systems, specialized equipment, office facilities, personnel, or external services.