Which statement best differentiates disaster recovery planning from emergency operations planning?

• A. Disaster recovery plans focus on immediate response and life-safety actions during an incident.
• B. Emergency operations plans focus on restoring information systems after a disruption.
• C. Disaster recovery plans focus on restoring information systems and essential operations after a major disruption.
• D. They are identical.

Answer: (C)

Disaster recovery planning is about the work needed to bring information systems and essential operations back after a major disruption. It focuses on restoring IT infrastructure, data, applications, and the critical services the organization relies on once the immediate incident is under control. Emergency operations planning, by contrast, is concerned with the immediate actions taken during an incident to protect people, stabilize the situation, and manage field-response activities.

That difference is why the best statement is the one describing disaster recovery as restoring information systems and essential operations after a major disruption. It correctly separates the recovery mindset from the on-scene, life-safety–driven actions that emergency operations plans cover. The other statements mix the scopes or suggest the plans are identical, which they are not.