Anyone who was living in the North Country during the Ice Storm of 1998 has powerful memories of that time. Dealing with issues many of us had never considered was certainly a wakeup call.

In this issue of Strictly Business we bring you the stories of people, businesses and agencies that have faced adversities and developed survival plans that will help them to cope with anything the future brings.

Our lead story will take you inside the Clinton County District Attorney’s office as it faced the challenges of the Dannemora prison escape this past summer. DA Andrew Wylie had a smooth running operation until a phone call changed priorities and brought him and his team into a new world.

Coping with the aftermath of Hurricane Irene in 2011 was the impetus for the creation of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster of the Adirondack Region (VOAD-ADK). Read about what the group has done to strengthen the North Country’s emergency preparedness.

In July a fire in the Lake Placid business district could have been devastating. Preplanning, good technology and businesses ready to deal with the aftermath made a difference. Service providers All Safe Fire Sprinkler Service and Leary Restoration offer insight on how to deal with the danger of fire.

Wells Communications has earned its reputation as a company that works in partnership with emergency services providers to deliver dependable communications. Meet Wells’ executives Maureen and Michael Milanese in this issue.

I’m a huge fan of Deena McCullough, the president of Northern Insuring, so it did not surprise me when I read our SB article about the disaster plan she and her staff have created. Her insight as an insurance professional and her experience during the Ice Storm have combined to provide common sense ideas that can help all of us do a better job of planning.

I believe our articles about the Clinton County Office of Emergency Services and the UVHN-CVPH Office of Emergency Management will go a long way toward helping us understand how much planning has gone into protecting our families and our businesses.

And do not put this issue of SB down until you read our Insight article featuring Karen Stehlin, the Executive Director of the North Country Small Business Development Center. Karen is great at what she does and is proof positive that nice people can finish first.

If you learn anything from this issue of Strictly Business I hope it will be that each of us as business leaders needs to ask one simple question. “If something happens, what should our first response be?” Once you can answer that, everything else will fall into place. And that will be good for business.