This month in the July issue of the Florida Communities Association Journal, Crystal Clark, Envera’s Marketing Manager, wrote a featured article regarding the importance of disaster planning for your community.  Below is a repost of that article with links to the online addition for even more great articles on community affairs.

FLCAJ, July 2016 – The 2016 hurricane season is here, and with it homeowners are preparing their homes and communities for potential natural disasters. The threat of unfavorable weather, fires, contamination, HAZMAT, floods, and sinkholes is often uncontrollable; but an excellent security service provider should encourage proactive measures wherever possible. Creating a plan ahead of time will not only help during a time of crisis but will also aid in restoring your community back to normal.

Sometimes being prepared can also mean incorporating the help of a third-party service provider, such as professional cleaners, maintenance services, or technological sup-port. These providers can help in creating a safe environment on a daily basis but also will be there to help restore the community and neighborhood back to normal after a major storm or disaster.

Consider asking these questions to your security providers ahead of time:

• Does your community and security provider use backup power solutions, and if so, what are they and what do they control?
• How long can the security provider maintain monitoring at a location that has been hit directly?
• Does the security provider have a contingency solution if their place of business experiences severe physical damage?
• For access control solutions, do the doors or gates fail open or fail safe (locked)?

Maintaining effective communication with community residents and vendors will assist in coordinating emergency activities to implement the recovery plan. During seasons that characteristically have more severe weather and rain, keep common areas and lawns free of debris, and when possible, secure pool equipment, such as lounge chairs and umbrellas. Having a directory of emergency contacts to reach after a natural disaster or accident will be helpful in delivering assistance to homeowners. Establish a plan for on-site employees that clearly specifies when it is necessary to leave the premises as well as identifies when they should return to the neighborhood. Several retailers offer fireproof storage, which is a valuable investment to store important documents and keepsakes. In addition to important documents, backing up all virtual data to a cloud-based system or hard drive can be a quick and fairly easy step to implement.

Communities protected by an excellent security service provider can rest assured that if a disaster strikes, their security provider can recover quickly, thanks to advanced planning and thorough testing. Regardless of who protects your community, take the time to ensure you and your neighbors are prepared for whatever natural disasters or unfortunate events may occur.

For more great information and articles, Envera encourages it’s residents and managers to view the entire FLCAJ publication online version by clicking on the magazine image HERE: