Effective Property Management Means Being Well-Prepared for Hurricanes and Major Storms

8/16/2019 (Permalink)

Property management is a massive responsibility. There’s a reason they are usually carefully chosen, and competence in a range of specialties is required to excel. One area you can’t possibly overdo in Olathe, KS, is storm preparedness – especially before a hurricane. Here’s some ideas to consider that should make your life a lot easier once it passes.

Planning, Planning, Planning!

Being abundantly well-prepared is what defines a top property manager. Seriously – be ready! Begin by downloading the free app from the American Red Cross titled “Hurricane;” it’s an excellent resource. A major hurricane is like the end of the world where the eye hits. This must start far in advance of one predicted to hit you.

Start by building a playbook. Some items it should include are


Staff phone numbers and addresses as well as their roles and responsibilities.
Designation of essential personnel.
Pre-storm procedures.
Emergency contact numbers.
All insurance information.


Key Steps to Storm Preparedness

After the playbook is ready, make sure you have all your insurance information recorded in numerous places. Read the fine print of your insurance policies to learn of limits and exclusions and that everything is up to date. When a storm is forecast, take pictures or video of everything you can and store them on the cloud for irrefutable evidence of storm-caused damage. This is an excellent time to store copies of everything possible on the cloud for 24-hour access anywhere, any time.

Designate top personnel to stay (temporarily) behind after a general evacuation as well as a liaison to work with emergency personnel. Once winds reach around 45 miles per hour, they should initiate quick, last-minute actions to mitigate further damage. They must act with deliberation and haste and then evacuate as soon as possible – under no circumstances should someone remain behind.

After the Storm

Do a full inspection, documenting all damage. Be ready to answer tenant questions – consider posting social media updates to keep everyone informed. Hire professionals to do a proper cleanup and restoration. Storm preparedness is one of the more tedious tasks for property managers, but it’s critical in Olathe, KS, and when one is coming, it’s too late.