I was lucky. I worked an entire day from home as Hurricane Sandy howled outside my window and never lost power. People weren't so lucky south of here, from Cape Cod to the Carolinas. My thoughts are with those in New York and New Jersey in particular.

The question now is how quickly the East Coast will bounce back. Will business resume by week's end or are we looking at long-term disruption for millions of homes and businesses?

Time will tell.

Here at CSO, we look at the business side of these events. We focus on the basics of business continuity, emergency preparedness and disaster recovery. It can get pretty mechanical and academic, and the human side can get buried.

So let's focus squarely on the human side for the rest of this post. After all, our IT machinery and written policies are only as good as the people behind them.

I think the East Coast will bounce back fast, and business will be better than ever. Why? Because the folks in our profession -- IT and physical security, risk management, law enforcement and beyond -- are from sturdy stock. I know many of them. There are battle-hardened war veterans who found second lives and careers in the security community. There are emergency management professionals who have been through the horrors of Hurricane Katrina and other disasters on par with Sandy. And there are those in NYC who emerged from the horror of 9-11 stronger and more resilient.

All were ready for this storm, and I have all the confidence in the world that they will get the machinery of our neighborhoods and enterprises humming along in no time.

As a grateful survivor of Sandy, I just wanted to take this moment to thank you all for what you do every day.

I also want to give a nod to the folks at FEMA and other emergency agencies who responded to this event far more forcefully than Katrina in 2005.

You're showing that we can learn from past difficulties.