Condo communities ready to meet all residents’ needs in natural disasters.
Houston weather can be unpredictable to say the least, so its important to be prepared whatever your living situation.
Whether it be a flood, tornado or lightning strike, what are the things you should know about when living in a condominium?
If a natural disaster strikes, high-rise living doesn’t have to be stressful. Property management not only has you covered, but also has the answers to your questions should a problem arise.
Knowing which questions to ask is a great starting point for residents.
An “act of God” as defined by insurance companies, according to Kim Smith, general manager at The Wilshire condominium community, is an occurrence which people have no control over.
Examples of these could be a lightning strike or flooding. Building management takes these possibilities as “significantly important,” and strive to manage and reduce the risk, Smith said.
“We do so by making sure our insurance program provides coverage for these types of occurrences. While we attempt to secure proper insurance, we prepare the building to prevent damages caused by such occurrences. For example, the installation of lightning rods will enhance the protection of a tower against unexpected lightning,” Smith said.
Highland Towers Condominiums, which was 100 percent operational during Hurricane Harvey, was equipped with a generator backup, and did preventative maintenance with an up-front overall check on the building to ensure all aspects were in working order. It also offers 24/7 concierge service on a daily basis to ensure the safety of the building.
Knowing you’ll be in safe hands while living in a condo during a natural weather incident is a great sense of security. The chain of command begins with the general manager.
As general manager, Smith said she is able to initiate all communications regarding emergency situations to residents, and for some reason is Smith isn’t available, the concierge on duty maintains command until a general manager arrives.
If a situation occurs, getting residents back in their homes is a first priority, but knowing the process of how that happens if a building is damaged is also important.
“We advise owners and residents to maintain their condo insurance coverage including coverage for lodging accommodation,” Smith said. “When a building is damaged, we move quickly into the recovery phase. This may require residents to leave the building while we make sure it is safe to reoccupy the building. While building insurance and homeowners’ independent policies will play a big part, our staff and management will work toward the restoration of the property as efficiently as possible.”
If the unexpected happens where a building needs major repairs or is inhabitable, not to worry.
Building management is prepared for that as well.
“Our experience in building management indicates that all conditions caused be natural disasters can be addressed, and the building can be restored. Our job is to restore the property as soon as we can, and we often find ways to make certain corrections to our property to prevent future occurrences,” Smith said.