A Commitment to our Members
FHLBank Topeka manages business disruption and system failure by having in place at all times a disaster recovery plan, the purpose of which is to provide contingency plans for situations in which operations cannot be carried out in the normal manner. FHLBank maintains contingency plans that deal with business interruptions lasting from two hours to four weeks or longer. FHLBank also maintains an offsite recovery operations center that is an important component of its overall disaster recovery planning effort. The recovery center is maintained on a different power grid and is serviced by a different telephone central office than FHLBank’s main headquarters. An onsite permanent power generator supports the site in case of total power failure. The offsite recovery center is also used to store back-up tapes, supplies and other resources specifically acquired for disaster recovery purposes. Comprehensive testing is conducted at the offsite recovery location at least once each year with additional limited tests conducted on a quarterly basis. FHLBank’s contingency plans, including employee emergency contact lists, are reviewed and updated semi-annually.
In December 2002, FHLBank was approved for sponsorship in the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) program. GETS supports federal, state, and local government, industry and nonprofit organization personnel by providing emergency access and priority processing of local and long-distance telecommunications. In August 2006, the FHLBank was approved to utilize a Wireless Priority Service (WPS) which gives personnel priority access to available cellular resources during emergency situations. As stated, these programs are intended for use in an emergency or crisis situation during which the probability of completing a call through normal or cellular telecommunications is significantly reduced. The ability to complete telephone calls through the GETS and WPS programs is tested on a quarterly basis by designated FHLBank personnel.