Contributed by Alexis Shea
When a Category 5 hurricane is barreling toward your community association, the last thing you want to discover is that you are unprepared. Resident life and safety may be at risk in the coming days or hours.
As a portfolio community manager with experience managing associations in both Florida and Hawaii during natural disasters, I’ve found implementing a disaster preparation plan early on can limit property loss, reduce risks, and speed the association’s recovery.
Planning in advance can strengthen a community association’s ability to mitigate risk and alleviates some of the unnecessary chaos that comes with an emergency. There are many resources available to begin putting together your community’s emergency plan. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, local emergency management agencies, and the association’s insurance agent are great places to begin your research. Many insurance carriers also will provide a risk assessment upon request.
Here are some things to consider when developing a plan:
Involve your residents. Create a committee to develop a disaster preparation action plan. Most residents are ready and willing to get involved. Committee members can be recruited at board meetings, posting announcements in the community newsletter and on the website, and via email blasts. Committee size will vary depending upon the size and needs of your association.
Know who is on site. Are owner registration forms updated and accessible during an emergency? Keep a physical binder on site in case of loss of electricity. Obtain a list of emergency contacts and residents with disabilities or who may need special assistance evacuating.
Review insurance policies. Take note of policy deductibles. Review your association’s budget and financials. Is the total building replacement amount accurate? In the event of a disaster, can the association pay the deductible? Is financing an option? Review policy exclusions with your insurance agent and ensure the association has the correct coverage. Plan and budget in advance. Be sure to keep physical copies of active insurance policies accessible.
Vendor lists and contract review. Review contracts and expected response times following a disaster. Expected response time can be written into contracts. Create a vendor contact list and share it with the board and committee. Have your insurance agent confirm vendors carry the proper coverage limits. Always use licensed and insured contractors.
Secure hard copies of physical component documents. Compile important documents such as warranties and manuals for security, gate, fire, and irrigation systems as well as plat map and blueprints and ensure they are physically accessible. Locate specific meters and shut off valves. Back up computers to an external drive or the cloud so information isn’t lost.
Assign specific roles, responsibilities, and a chain of command. Create a specific evacuation plan that sets an assembly point to meet. Run annual drills to improve procedures. Take notes and review the findings with your committee to make them more efficient.
Inform owners. Be sure to share plans with residents. Host town halls and invite local experts to speak to boost community knowledge and involvement. It also increases residents’ sense of safety and security and gives homeowners confidence that management and the board are protecting their most valuable asset — their homes.
Alexis Shea is senior director, management services – Oahu with Associa in Honolulu.
>> Read more about natural disaster preparation in Common Ground July/August 2025.
