Many agricultural experiment station superintendents either have faced or will face a natural disaster at their location sometime in their career.  As a unit manager, we are responsible for our location from a personnel and infrastructure perspective.  I have had three experiences with natural disasters at our location (tornado, ice storm, and straight line wind).  While it is always a challenge to deal with these events, there are numerous preparation components which greatly minimizes the impact.  Components to be discussed include the need for key relationships with local, state, and federal agencies; safety issues; intraagency relationships; and the processes involved in the recovery phase.