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September 4, 2005
Disaster - But Who Do I Contact and How?
Short of a major earthquake in California, the U.S. isn't likely to see another disaster as great as the one Hurricane Katrina just caused in Louisiana, Mississipi and Alabama. I don't have to repeat what everyone has seen on the news, but I would like to point out how its going to affect our industry. Management companies no longer have offices or communications systems. They don't know where or how to contact board members and owners and vice versa. The vendor list is useless, contractors have evacuated and have no means of communicating even if they knew where the managers are. Banks are closed. Records may be destroyed, including insurance policies. Backups may also be missing or destroyed. Condo buildings may be leveled or still under water. And, no one is in a position to give them any answers. It was a "perfect storm".
CAN is going to try and help out by creating the ability for management companies and associations to post basic information to the internet. It is likely that they internet will be the main source of communication for the impacted areas in the near future. Check the main page of our site as to when that will be ready.
I imagine management and boards will be thinking about their own disaster planning. Katrina adds a new dimension to those by displacing both companies and owners at the same time. You will probably never have to deal with something this big, but it doesn't hurt to have a plan in place (and a backup someplace else) that at least addresses most of the issues they are going to be facing in the months to come. What would you do?
Posted by joewest at September 4, 2005 2:14 PM