Disaster planning: the calm before the storm.

Forecasters predicted an especially busy hurricane season last year, and they were certainly proven right. The wind damage, teamed with associated tornadoes, landslides and flooding, created an exceptionally dangerous situation for Florida, the Atlantic seaboard and the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico.

Today, experts know much more about hurricane behavior and predictability than in the past, and meteorologists can provide as much as a week's notice to communities and states before the storm makes landfall. Although people cannot prevent hurricanes, a disaster plan can prevent substantial damages through preparations before the hurricane ever hits land.

Getting ready for a potentially deadly event involves much more than boarding up apartment communities and stockpiling food supplies. For community and business owners, having a planned quick response strategy for before and "after a storm is critical to minimizing recovery cost and downtime.

Hurricanes create chaos when they come ashore. Any unfortunate city or town in a hurricane's path or vicinity will likely experience flooding, loss of electricity and phone communications and inundation by water and debris. Hundreds of homes and businesses may be destroyed.

Last year, 50 to 60 apartment communities along the East Coast were in the path of major hurricanes and sustained the brunt of the storms' fury; they suffered downed trees and roofs damaged by fallen trees, which kept residents from being evacuated or in other cases from entering their homes.

Loss of utilities and flooded units caused structure and content damage. Residents had to be relocated inland while repairs took place.

The majority of apartment owners will be miles away from their communities in safe zones, leaving them unable to react quickly once the storm passes. So, how can owners limit potential financial and property losses in the event of a hurricane?

"Before the storm, there's not much that you can do initially beyond boarding up the windows and evacuating the area," said Russ Lannom, Senior Vice President of Marketing at InStar Services Group, a disaster response and property restoration company.

According to Lannom, the most important thing is to create and implement a detailed reaction plan well before catastrophe strikes. Disaster response consultants can help businesses develop and implement this critical plan, greatly reducing damage and getting repairs and recovery underway quickly and systematically.

Developing a Plan

Initial information is gathered concerning a facility's location and size, the location of emergency cutoff systems, and communications, data and power needs at each site. Specifically, management should identify:

* The size of water shutoffs and the tools needed to ensure they can be turned on and off quickly;

* Utility locations, which should be mapped out by qualified personnel to ensure they are accessible at the time of an emergency;

* Sprinkler system cutoffs per building and main system shut down location; and

* If the electrical supply cutoff source is per unit or per building. In case of flooding, onsite personnel can determine if they must enter a building and go through standing water to cut off power.

Then, working with community management, a set of response priorities is determined, including evacuation and first aid; emergency cutoffs of utilities; securing a community; bringing in generators; contacting utility companies; and plans for relocating residents and office operations.

Before the Storm

Before the storm hits, management should identify reliable contractors--which can be an impossible task after a big storm--and assess what it will take to get back in business. It is critical to mobilize crews long before a hurricane hits land.

"As soon as a storm gets named, we begin planning our response," Lannom said. Thanks to advance prediction and tracking techniques, "we usually know a week out if a hurricane is likely to hit, and we have our clients in the affected areas on the phone, preparing to go to work."

Prior to a hurricane's approach, management should review response plans, contact insurance adjusters and identify which business locations lay in the storm's path.

To help track and predict inclement weather in the area, management should stay informed on current and future weather predictions through local and national news, The Weather Channel and Internet sources and purchase an emergency weather radio, with battery backup and fresh batteries.

To prevent water damage, management should store critical documents in lock boxes, fireproof safes, waterproof plastic containers or safe deposit boxes. Also scan critical documents to a computer and store on a backup disk. Keep this media in a separate location from the community.

In the Aftermath

As soon as the hurricane has passed, crews should already be moving in and beginning the emergency response phase. A power supply must be established, tarps must be brought in for the roof, as well as more plywood, generators and drying equipment. Experienced contractors, such as estimators, carpenters, roofers and water removal technicians should be in place.

After a disaster, critical points to be covered include:

* Securing the building;

* Evaluating overall damage of property;

* Clearing debris from entrances, driveways and sidewalks so residents can pass safely;

* Drying property from water intrusion, roof damage and broken windows, as these situations can create secondary damage; and

* Removing tree damage around and on buildings.

The next step entails recovering documents and moving any valuable items to a safe location. This phase may involve recovering damaged documents using freeze-drying and other restorative techniques.

It's not only the physical loss after a storm that can be financially devastating, but the cost of shutting down operations involuntarily that can quickly outstrip property damage. It is critical to focus heavily on getting a company up and running as quickly as possible. This may include finding and securing interim facilities until the original ones can be restored. Once those needs have been met, the longer term task of restoring the damaged buildings to their previous condition can begin.

To begin restoration, secure the safety of residents and employees by clearing fallen trees, standing water and broken glass. Next, secure the building to prevent further damage, such as emergency roofing, water remediation and utility lines; start immediate structural drying. The community is then secured on a temporary basis. Await the assessed value of damage in order to expedite the repairs.

Fortunately, hurricanes have become far less deadly over the past 100 years as the technology for predicting them has vastly improved.

However, they have become much more costly in terms of business loss and property damage, causing billions of dollars in damage. With advanced planning by a qualified and reputable disaster response team before the storm, and quick, expert reaction after the storm, property owners and managers can minimize losses, hasten recovery and get back to business.

Planning for disaster

A disaster packet should contain in the following items:

* The phone number and contact names of your disaster restoration contractor;

* Assigned "chain of command" responsibility listings to clearly define roles;

* Insurance information, including agent's name, phone number, coverage limits, deductibles and policy numbers;

* Location of utility shutoffs, security system procedures, sprinkler systems and emergency lighting and generators;

* Blueprints of the community;

* Several sets of keys;

* List of critical computers, media and files; and

* A relocation plan.

In addition, maintain current resident information, including the number of people per unit, which units are vacant, residents needing special assistance in case of evacuation, units that have children and their ages and residents with special medical equipment.