Mastering Community Safety: Your Guide to Emergency Preparedness
While we are only recently recovering from the 2024 storms and flooding, we must continue our diligence in preparing for what may come in the 2025 predicted above-average storm season. To ensure readiness, planning is critical to overcoming a disaster quickly and smoothly.
Designate volunteer emergency coordinators and establish and document a disaster plan.
- Gather resident/employee emergency contacts and advance evacuation plans.
- Create preparation checklists for residents, including supplies to stock, plans for pets and home access, and removal of vehicles from underground garages, as well as electric cars, bicycles, golf carts, or other lithium-ion powered equipment.
- Create a building checklist for emergency coordinators in the event of a mandatory evacuation. Be sure to include clear procedures for raising and shutting down elevators, preparing generators, opening and securing gates, or other necessary steps to prepare the building or community for a potential loss of power or significant water intrusion.
Select service providers in advance and create a response protocol and checklist for initial access and mitigation.
- Outline an agreement with a restoration vendor for both immediate and overall repair needs.
- Document all service providers, including insurance, management, building components, recreational facilities, grounds, amenities, security, etc.
- Complete a pre-storm condition inspection, including photographs that may be needed for possible insurance claims.
- Prepare a duplicate asset inventory, including building plans, maps, plats, and access keys, to be stored in an off-site location for immediate access.
- Save hard copies of insurance policies and other essential service agreements in an off-site location for access if the community or office is inaccessible and the internet is compromised.
Establish a system for mass communication with residents, leveraging multiple communication channels for redundancy, including phone, text messaging, and email, and outline the planned response protocol in advance.
- Test communication in advance and communicate frequently.
It is essential to collaborate with your Management team on disaster preparedness before storm season arrives. Your Community Manager may be coordinating services and preparations for multiple communities, as well as preparing their families and homes for predicted severe weather. Having your customized playbook and designated volunteers ready will save crucial hours and potentially thousands of dollars in mitigated loss.
With over 30 years in community association management across the U.S., Annette Byrd brings executive leadership, legislative advocacy, and a passion for serving HOA and condo boards with integrity and expertise. She is the visionary behind CopperDoor’s commitment to exceptional service and practical guidance for communities.