PROTOCOL ALPHA: CONTINUITY UNDER DURESS
STEP 01
IDENTIFY THE IRREDUCIBLE CORE
List the five systems that cannot fail. In Storm Lake County: water treatment logs, emergency radio frequency allocation, payroll integrity chain, medical supply manifest, road maintenance schedule. Anything outside this ring is expendable.
STEP 02
ESTABLISH MANUAL REDUNDANCY
For each core system, maintain a paper backup stored in fireproof case B-7. Update weekly. Test quarterly. Digital is convenient; ink is eternal.
STEP 03
ASSIGN THE ANCHOR PERSON
One individual retains final authority to halt all non-core operations. This person does not seek consensus. This person preserves continuity. Rotate annually to prevent burnout.
"When the storm hits, you do not debate whether to save the library or the hospital. You saved both in October. Now you execute."
PROTOCOL BETA: RESOURCE TRIAGE MATRIX
STEP 01
MEASURE THE DROP
Calculate percentage loss against baseline. Below 15%: normal operations continue. 15-40%: activate conservation protocols. Above 40%: initiate Anchor Protocol Alpha.
STEP 02
ALLOCATE BY NEED, NOT SENIORITY
Heating fuel goes to the infant ward before the archives. Generator runtime prioritizes life-support over data centers. This is not cruelty—it is arithmetic.
STEP 03
LOG EVERY DECISION
Each cut, each preservation, each reroute gets timestamped and signed. The ledger is not for blame. It is for learning what worked when the lights went out.
FIELD CHECKLIST: PRE-STORM VERIFICATION