Dealing with Disaster (JPM)
IREM Members survive the Midwest floods of 2008
by Janice Rosenberg
The following is an excerpt from the Jul/Aug 2009 issue (Volume 74, Number 4) of JPM�, Journal of Property Management.
Even during the best of times, property managers know they must be ready for disaster to strike. Building emergencies (fires, power outages, bomb threats, medical emergencies, etc.), weather-related emergencies (tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, wild fires, etc.), geologic emergencies (e.g. earthquakes, landslides) and other types of emergencies (including nuclear accidents, acts of terrorism and even swine flu outbreaks) are beyond the property manager�s control. Yet, while disasters such as these cannot be prevented entirely, their effects can be mitigated and losses minimized through effective planning and timely action.
The opportunity for effective action greatly increases if property managers are prepared before a disaster occurs. Every property should have emergency procedures and business continuity plans in place that address the property�s unique needs, in order to minimize damage and facilitate a coordinated, proactive response. IREM Members have risen to the challenge through many adverse situations, and have learned from past disasters how to become even more prepared for the future. The Midwest Floods of 2008 are examples of disasters that tested the mettle of many property managers who responded quickly to preserve their assets.
Disaster Strikes The Midwest
It has been more than a year since the floods of 2008 � brought on by heavy rainfall in early June � barraged the Midwest and left behind a wake of devastation. Even today, many homes and businesses are still struggling to recover from the catastrophic damage wreaked by the deluge.
Great damage was immediately evident: the loss of life, displacement of people, and failure of power, sewage and transportation systems. The floods stopped businesses in their tracks, destroyed residential areas and sent property managers scrambling to protect their assets. Those with disaster plans in place were best positioned to mitigate, if not prevent, the results of these calamities.
After the waters receded, the crisis was far from over. According to Bob Anderson, public affairs officer for the Mississippi Valley Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, water damage � to furniture, carpeting, electronics and other property � and potentially deadly mold were only two of the many aftereffects that Midwesterners faced.
�Flooding no doubt can cause total devastation to a facility,� said Douglas Papineau, director of the U.S. General Service Administration�s Iowa property management office in Des Moines. �Knowing the potential risks and having a plan to minimize the impacts is paramount.�
The full article is available as an online exclusive in the Jul/Aug 2009 JPM� issue.�
IREM Members have free access to the JPM� online archives and the �Online Exclusives,� articles that are only available on the IREM Web site. Non-members can subscribe to JPM� at www.irem.org/jpm