how to prepare your home & community for a hurricane

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WHEN A HURRICANE HITS, WILL YOUR COMMUNITY BE PREPARED? You can’t predict what will happen during hurricane season, but you can control its impact on your community.

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Page 1: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

WHEN A HURRICANE HITS,

WILL YOUR COMMUNITY

BE PREPARED?

You can’t predict what will happen

during hurricane season, but you can

control its impact on your community.

Page 2: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW

Page 3: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW

Hurricanes are serious business. When you manage a property, it’s your

responsibility to make sure everyone who lives and works there is fully prepared.

Make A Plan

• Create a hurricane preparedness plan

• Share your plan with board members,

employees and residents

• Train your staff

• Advise residents on how to secure

their private property

• Instruct vendors to secure equipment

Page 4: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW

Think Digitally

• Back up your community’s records

and files using a remote server

• Store records and files on an offsite

hard drive

• Store hard drives and important

documents in a fireproof, waterproof safe

• Confirm that you can pay emergency expenses electronically in case

signatories are displaced after the storm

• Videotape your community, all your assets, equipment, artwork and

furnishings. Make sure it’s time- and date-stamped

Page 5: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW

Page 6: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW

Review Your Contracts

• What can you expect from your landscaping,

security and construction vendors?

• Check your insurance policies to make sure

they’re active

• Know your limits, exclusions and deductibles

Page 7: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW

Train Your Staff

• Clearly define roles and responsibilities

• Cross-train team members

• Role play pre- and post-storm procedures

Page 8: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW

Make Sure You’re Covered

• Secure an additional line of credit

to cover extra costs due to

storm damages

• Engage with a reputable

insurance adjustor

• Beware of fly-by-night operations that

prey on desperate clients after storms

Page 9: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW

Check and double-check

• Test generators and fuel supply

• Trim your trees

• Remove debris

Page 10: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

AS THE STORM APPROACHES

Page 11: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

AS THE STORM APPROACHES

Prepare Your Facilities

• Remove landscaping debris

• Secure all building materials and equipment properly

• Empty dumpsters

• Double-check generators

• Store or secure outdoor furniture

• Prepare your pool and spa

• Shut down HVAC systems and elevators for the duration

Page 12: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

AS THE STORM APPROACHES

Tell Your Residents

• Storm-ready your residence

• Save receipts for expenses incurred

for insurance purposes

• Management will enter your premises if units

need to be drained or dried

Provide people with special needs the

Municipal Vulnerable Persons registry.

Page 13: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

AS THE STORM APPROACHES

Communicate!

• Pre-storm plans

• Storm procedures

• Disaster relief information

• Shelter locations and hours

• Evacuation routes

• Emergency response numbers

• Information on shut downs of major building systems

Page 14: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

Remind Your Staff

• Provide a list of supervisors’ phone numbers

• Estimate when they should report back to work after the storm

• Worker IDs will be needed to get past checkpoints following a storm

Helping residents secure their units

Make sure waivers of liability are in place.

AS THE STORM APPROACHES

Page 15: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

AFTER THE STORM

Page 16: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

AFTER THE STORM

Act Quickly

• Ensure it’s safe to re-enter your property

• Place tarps over open roofs, broken windows and open doors

• Remove debris

• Take steps to secure the community from vandals and looters

• Designate a person who helps residents share information

• Assign a liaison to coordinate with emergency service providers

• Provide post-storm questionnaires for residents to document

damage to their units or common areas

Page 17: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

AFTER THE STORM

Prep For Rebuilding

• Determine construction needs and associated costs

• Do not accept any offers for money in exchange for releases or

insurance settlements

• Suspend services you won’t need for a while, like lawn or pool

maintenance

• Complete your proof of loss forms with your insurance company

• Meet with licensed professionals for rebuilding

Page 18: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

AFTER THE STORM

Document any damage with photos to assess

replacement costs and future needs!

Page 19: How to Prepare your Home & Community for a Hurricane

Weather any storm with the support of North

America’s leading property management company,

FirstService Residential.

Learn more about how we can make a difference in

your community.

www.fsresidential.com