Attention Property Managers:
Are you properly equipped to handle the wide-range of emergency situations that can take place at, or around, your property? Are your preparedness measures in the event of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, up to date? Bisnow recently posted an article to their website, entitled ‘Six Months After Sandy: Six Lessons Learned.’ The article contains 6 valuable takeaways, from the events leading up to, during and after Hurricane Sandy that should prove useful to any property manager. Among the lessons contained within the article, here are several points that stood out to us: On preparing for future events: “The past six months have been about tackling the low-hanging fruit, they say, like improving communication systems, preparing emergency contact lists within organizations, and prepping buildings with facilities (think showers), backup batteries, and food supplies to shelter employees for several days if public transit is down.” On the importance of strong relationships, within a building: “Other steps that can be taken by property managers: strengthening building IT, forming redundant communications systems, and learning all critical systems that will allow for a controlled property shutdown in case electricity, gas, steam, or water is affected.” On the importance of communication: “The biggest impact was felt in communications, particularly when cell phone coverage became spotty. “The primary lesson: You need to use every channel at your disposal to communicate with residents,” he says. That includes robo-dialing, email blasts, portal websites (each building has one), and social media. It’s also critical to coordinate centralized communication to avoid miscommunication, he warns—when buildings are impacted for a major period of time (in this case, 10 days), the absence of such structure allows rumors to take over, and then you lose ability to communicate effectively.” Click here to learn more about ETS’ “Prepared Property” Turn-key Application
Electronic Tenant Solutions Blog 