In his , 乐竞体育赛事直播 President Don Wilkerson, CPM, weighed the forces of human nature against those of Nature itself: 鈥淚 guess it鈥檚 a part of human nature (notice the lower-case 鈥榥鈥�) that people tend to be self-congratulatory,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淲e look at all the advancements we鈥檝e made (consider technology and industry alone), and our mastery of the world is clear鈥攁nd clearly the reason for boasting.
鈥淭hat is, until Nature (with a capital 鈥楴鈥�) decides to show us how tenuous that control over our environment is,鈥� he continued. 鈥淚n the blinking of the eye, the comforts to which we鈥檝e grown accustomed can be literally washed or blown away, plunging us all into a primitive darkness.鈥�
As proof, he cited three recent, horrifying events:
- The May 3 eruption of the Kilauea Volcano;
- The summer wildfires of California;
- And, as JPM recounted earlier this year, the devastation of Hurricane Harvey.
鈥淚n a very real sense, for the nation鈥檚 stock of multifamily and commercial assets, property managers are the first line of defense against such devastating turns of nature,鈥� Wilkerson wrote. 鈥淭his is true both at the individual property level and nationally.鈥�
At the asset level, he said, emergency preparedness is key to ensuring life and property safety, and no matter the event, there are certain basic guidelines that hold true. 鈥淭o that extent, preparedness is also good business. In fact, it can be a cost-saving strategy, at the very least in terms of occupant retention when the emergency is handled with professionalism and thought.鈥�
But it is also a cost. As pointed out in the 乐竞体育赛事直播 handbook, Before and After Disaster Strikes, 鈥淭here will be upfront costs for emergency equipment and printing of emergency procedure manuals, in addition to costs incurred for the amount of time your staff spends creating the plan.鈥� Thorough prep, the book points out, may also call for upgrades in building systems, everything from sprinklers and alarms to windows.
鈥淔urther costs may be incurred if professional consulting services are solicited,鈥� the book warns. Key among them would be an attorney鈥攊f the prep is done properly鈥攂ecause she or he, 鈥渃an advise whether there are laws regarding public access or other issues that might affect your actions and/or liabilities in an emergency.鈥�
Sound burdensome? Consider then that, 鈥淟iabilities may also arise if you do not have an emergency plan in place or do not implement a plan to protect people and property.鈥�
But property managers cannot carry that burden alone. Therein lies the national awareness. As Wilkerson pointed out, a major imperative is the ongoing, in-place support of those efforts and assets that can come only from the federal government. Nowhere is that imperative clearer than in the move to create a permanent National Flood Insurance Program.
鈥淭he good news here is that Congress has extended the program through November 30 of this year,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut that frankly is not enough, and 乐竞体育赛事直播 is making that statement to our legislators in both national forums in Washington, D.C., and on the local level, where members around the country are meeting with their representatives away from the hustle and bustle of the nation鈥檚 capital.
鈥淎nd the message we鈥檙e relaying is constant,鈥� he continued. 鈥淢ore is needed, and a long-term reform bill should include reauthorization for at least five years; an increase in affordability through annual rate caps and lower surcharges; directing FEMA to develop more granular rate tables that better align rates with actual risk; funding of loans and grants to help mitigate flood risk; and increased access to private-market flood insurance.鈥�
He cited the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, and the July downpours in southwestern Japan that caused massive landslides and loss of lives and property as indicative of the dire impact a flood can have.
And while Japan would not be impacted by NFIP, 鈥渢he devastation of the area proves that no location is immune,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat event only underscores the need for ongoing protection here in the states.鈥�
And there is another lesson to be gleaned from the effects of nature, no matter where in the world they occur. 鈥淚n a very real sense, what happens anywhere happens to all property managers,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淭he lessons taught by such tragedies, whether they occur in California, Texas, Hawaii or Japan, inform us all. As a community of professionals, we learn and we grow from one another.
鈥淔rom our individual hardships, the community finds its collective strength,鈥� he concluded.
About the author
John Salustri is editor-in-chief of Salustri Content Solutions, Inc., a consultancy focused on enhancing the web and print content of clients around the nation. He is a regular contributor to JPM Magazine and a frequent blogger for 乐竞体育赛事直播. Prior to launching SCS, John was founding editor of GlobeSt.com, the industry鈥檚 premier real estate news website, where he managed the daily output of 25 international reporters, and prior to that, he was editor of Real Estate Forum Magazine. John is a four-time winner of the National Association of Real Estate Editors鈥� Award for Excellence in Journalism.