Homeowner associations' special disaster preparedness needs

Every homeowner needs to prepare for disaster, but those who live in HOA communities have some special disaster preparedness needs related to the shared lifestyle of HOA living -- everyone in the community needs to be aware of and part of the plan, says the National Board of Certification for Community Association Managers

by Broderick Perkins
© 2011 DeadlineNews.Com

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Deadline Newsroom - If you live in a condo, townhome or other community governed by homeowners association (HOA), take a lesson from Judy Rosen who lives in a 70-unit HOA in St. Louis, MO.

When the "Good Friday-Earth Day" tornado in April this year carved a 22-mile swath of destruction through town, damaging 200 homes and leaving thousands without power, Rosen's community residents were huddled in the community's underground windowless garage.

Luckily, their community wasn't damaged but residents were assured by knowing what to do and where to go because of a disaster preparedness plan already in place.

"I would be just panicked if something happened to the people who live in my community," said Judy Rosen, a community manager with more than 30 years' experience.

"But because I took the time to sit down and write an emergency preparedness plan, I know I had done my job. That prepares me, and that prepares my community, for whatever can happen," Rosen said.

Californians rarely see tornados. but they are no strangers to earthquakes, floods, mudslides, wildfires and other Wild West disasters.

Every homeowner needs to prepare for disaster, but those who live in HOA communities have some special disaster preparedness needs related to the shared lifestyle of HOA living -- everyone in the community needs to be aware of and part of the plan, says the National Board of Certification for Community Association Managers .



According to the American Red Cross, writing a disaster preparedness plan has six steps:

• Commitment. The HOA board, management company and others in leadership roles should become committed to disaster planning. Members can play a role by encouraging leadership to get committed.

• Assessment. Determine what components of the community are vulnerable to hazards. Is earthquake retrofitting necessary? How would a flood impact the community? Learning weak points is a proactive way to shore them up.

• Response. Develop an emergency response plan. The plan should include many "what ifs," for example "What if some or all of the community is no longer habitable?" Learning disaster scenarios will help produce a response for each scenario.

• Testing. Test your response plan. Run test drills based on the scenarios developed in the response plan. Emergency plans should be reviewed annually.

• Communicate. Disseminate information about your disaster preparedness plans in newsletters, bill inserts, bulletin boards (online and around the common area).

• Assistance. A commitment to disaster preparedness is a commitment to helping others. Some communities adopt a local school or church or host a blood drive or get involved in some other community outreach activity associated with a location that could be impacted in a disaster.

Broderick Perkins operates a Silicon Valley, CA-based digital news service, the DeadlineNews Group. Contact him at news@deadlinenews.com

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Broderick Perkins, an award-winning consumer journalist, parlayed 30 years of old-school journalism into a digital real estate news service, the San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews Group, including DeadlineNews.Com, a real estate news and consulting service and Web site, and the Deadline Newsroom, DeadlineNews.Com's news back shop.

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