Multi Housing News August 2012 : Page 36
property management FOOLPROOF YOUR D A s we enter the summer hurricane season, emergency preparedness experts say many property man-agement companies need to pay close attention to their disaster plans. Effective preparedness starts with evaluating the risks, securing the property, putting to-gether a written plan and having a strong commitment to disaster planning at all levels of the organization. PUT YOUR PLANS IN WRITING Scott McCurdy, co-owner of Coastal Reconstruction Group in Winter Park, Fla., is an associate member of the Greater Orlando Apartment Association and conducts disaster preparedness seminars around the state. He says di-saster and emergency planning starts at the top and needs to be made a priority throughout all levels of the organization. According to McCurdy, having an emer-gency manual or handbook is critical be-cause it lays out expectations, responsi-bilities and proper procedures for on-site multi-housing managers. Gerry Henigsman, executive vice president of the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas, adds that emergency plans should clearly identify the roles and responsibilities of the manage-ment and staff before, during and after the disaster. This should include plans for pre-paring the property, communicating with residents and dealing with the aftermath. There should also be a plan for putting resi-dents in touch with appropriate federal or non-profi t agencies for assistance in the event of a large natural disaster that might include FEMA. Henigsman also notes that there should be written plans for housing tenants at sister properties in the event their apart-ments are damaged. Some communities Redundancy and back-up of data are critical to access rent rolls and contact information By Craig Guillot, Contributing Editor 36 August 2012 | Multi-Housing News
Operations: Disaster Planning
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