Is Disaster Planning Necessary for Michigan Residents? (Part IV of IV)
Business as Usual
The third detail to which the association must pay special attention is maintaining the business of the association after a disaster. Community association boards should look into the possibility of contracting with vendors ahead of time, as every clean up crew in the county will be busy in the days and weeks following major disasters. Associations should also duplicate important records and keep them offsite. Such planning is very prudent as the association will be able to maintain a continuity of business if records are not destroyed.
In the weeks and months following September 11th, as well as the hurricanes which destroyed the Gulf Coast, we learned of the importance of disaster planning and how simple preparation can save a life. In light of what we now know, association boards should not take disaster planning nonchalantly. The better prepared and informed a community is, the better its chances of rising above the fray during unexpected disasters and perhaps saving its members time, frustration, and even lives.