Welcome to hurricane season 2023! While you may have seen some of these before, I hope that the practical insight I provide as someone who has navigated quite a few hurricanes here on the coast of Virginia might help you.

• I just read this fact:  Hurricanes with women's names are more deadly than those with men's. Not because they are worse, but because people don't prepare as much. Prepare for the worst, regardless of the name of the storm or the forecast. My most damaging hurricane was Isabelle, who was just a Cat 2 when it went over my property. This is because the combination of wet ground, lots of rain and then a bit of wind is the most deadly combination for trees.  
• Mark, keep track, and clear your drains.  Throughout your property there should be little stormwater drains.  These often get covered by grass (especially bermudagrass here in VA), mud and leaves as time goes on. If you are on a new property, please make a drain map!  It will be so handy for future you.  When the drains are covered, you will see small puddles on your property walks after a heavy rain, but probably won't think much about it.  During torrential rainfalls, however, you will be missing the drainage these little grids provide. They can make or break the water that invades your property. Also, if you have run off ditches or drains, make sure that you ask your landscaping team to clear out plant growth right before a big storm and try to get the mud cleared regularly.  Keeping the property from flooding is priority one, as that usually does more damage than wind. 
• Walk the curbs.  I know your landscaper should keep your curbs clean, but I can almost guarantee in the very back of your property there's some dirt, debris and leaves in your curb. Some properties build up silt that can't be blown away by the landscaping provider. This debris creates little dams and water can flood over the road during hard rains.  Make sure that you are inspecting curbs and keeping storm drains clear. Removing silt is a pain and a big and heavy project, but should be done periodically to keep the curb gutter flowing correctly and also helps your literal curb appeal. Ha!
• Inspect and clean your gutters.  One of my issues was definitely caused by a gutter overflowing.  There was an issue with the joint on the gutter that was catching debris and it happened to run water right down over a back door.  A lot of water, because it was a very wet storm. The hurricane revealed a lot of issues with this particular unit, as when we peeled back the carpet the tack strips and moulding were rotten under the carpet, and there were water stains on the pad. The door had been leaking for a while but the resident hadn't noticed.  Because we weren't seeing the gutter during the rain, we were also unaware of the problem. I'm not sure that we could have seen it on a dry day, but I know that gutter cleaning is often a task put off on site. If you have high buildings, your team might not be comfortable cleaning gutters in house, which means it is a once a year budget item that often gets cut. Fight for it. 
• Call vendors before the storm.  Y'all.  I had a tree on a building and it took a few days to get someone out because they were all busy.  For small trees, your landscaping team can usually handle them, and will make you a priority if you nurture that relationship and pay your bills promptly.  But the tree on the building is a special project that they might not have the equipment for, so prepare ahead.  Tree companies come from out of town looking for work, but it helps to have a local on call.  Try to clean out your trees before the storm and remove dead/dying branches.  Again, an item that often gets cut from budgets, but it ends up costing more when it falls on a fence or roof. You likely know a remediation company locally and have a favorite to use.  Call your rep before the storm and ask how they are going to prioritize clean up. Tell them that you want to use your loyalty points and they should help you first. ;)  I did have to call a new company in because my favorite was too busy for me.  Make sure you have a list of approved vendors handy for backup after storms.  Try to get as many as possible added prior to needing them (your accounting team hates me right now). Off the top of my head, you may need: landscaper, tree removal, window replacement, water remediation, temporary housing, electrician, etc.
• Prepare the office.  My area was without power for up to 14 days.  Pull a Rentroll with all residents, occupants, and contact information if you can. I recommend doing this monthly as part of your emergency prep, and keeping it in a locked drawer or the locked key box. During a major storm, I recommend the Property Manager or Service Supervisor take one home. This might be against your policy, but if there is a power outage and another emergency, you can quickly find your residents and help emergency workers know who and how many people live in an apartment. You should mark those with disabilities or who need extra assistance and check in on these residents.  
• Have two emergency kits: one in the shop and one in the office, or if they are connected, put one in the model.
  • Emergency plan and contact list
  • Duct tape
  • Battery operated radio
  • Flashlights
  • Batteries
  • First aid kit
  • Plastic Sheeting
  • Protective gloves
  • Rope
  • Hammer & nails
  • Plywood
  • Plastic garbage bags
  • Caution tape
  • Snacks and Water
  • Cooling neck wraps
  • Small fire extinguisher
• Lower your pool water.  Don't throw your chairs in the pool, but stack and secure them.  My first hurricane I threw the chairs in the pool.  It's really fun.  Very hard to get them out. I mean they don't blow anywhere, but dang, getting them out almost killed us.  I also think chairs are usually made of different material now and might have a reaction to the chemicals, too.  Stacking and securing them next to the building has been good for us so far up to Cat 2.  Take out the glass tops of any table and put them inside if you can.  Lay down your umbrellas. Remove cushions and move planters next to the building (especially the tall skinny topiaries).  If you have flags, don't forget you should be taking them down at 25 MPH. Remove your pole flags, A-frames, boot signs, and anything else you have out.  Pole signs won't hurt anyone, but will be shredded by the wind. Lowering the pool water helps prevent flooding.  Keep an eye on how much water the storm is bringing in and adjust accordingly.
• If you have units prone to flooding, sandbag and prepare the residents.  I am never sure how much to say if I have a unit that has flooded during a prior hurricane. Maybe we tried to fix the drainage and we don't know if it works because we haven't had a big storm yet.  One time, we went 10 years without the unit flooding and thought we fixed it, but then it happened again. To be on the safe side, if you have low-lying apartments and are expecting a lot of rain, do your due diligence to protect these homes, and ask the resident to be on alert for the possibility.
• Find out your insurance deductible.  On site I didn't often use our insurance for much, and while it usually doesn't cover flooding, it would cover wind and rain damage, like the door and the tree on the building.  Make sure you speak with your regional about who calls in claims, when, for what, and what the process is before the storm.  Have the number available and familiarize yourself with the process before you need it.
• Meet with your team.  Discuss what will happen if the team can't make it to work, or if they have their own emergency. If you have people living on site, clarify their responsibilities as first responders to any incidents, and what is expected and how they will be compensated for it.  If no one lives on site, strategize if you need to have someone stay. Agree on list of priorities and make sure everybody knows where emergency kits and information are. You should have two sets, one in the office and one in the shop or model if the shop is connected to the office, in case one is inaccessible. How will you operate if your phones are down for 3 days?  What if cell service is down? Discuss and plan. Provide multiple people with your preferred vendor list. You should have a general plan for this as part of your emergency preparedness, but get detailed for this storm.  Be sure to understand that the team should and will care for their own home and family first.  The property is their job, not their life. 
• Communicate. Fun fact: 100% of your residents will never follow instructions to remove stuff from the patio/balcony or prepare a hurricane kit, or read your emails at all. At best, maybe 78% will do as you ask, but you have to try.  Send updates on office hours, how key fobs work with no power, how emergency service works when the phones are off, and general tips for hurricanes. Send them several times before the storm.  Post them by the mailbox.  Be prepared to not be able to communicate during the storm and for a few days after.  Hopefully, that won't be the case, but you should prepare for it.

Let me know below anything you've found to be helpful when dealing with hurricanes or other natural disasters on your property.  Let's help one another get through this season.

Bonus: here's a how to get an emergency plan started:

First, have a phone tree of who calls who, including your regional and other interested parties.

Then, have some written details about where your team will meet (and a back up) and who is responsible for what task.  This was recommended to me by a fire chief, who said that sometimes no one knows who should get the keys to open doors and it takes to long to get them, so firemen kick them in. He also suggested a meeting place for each building or group of buildings so that firemen and on-site team can check on everyone.  

Here's a sample responsibility list:

Maintenance personnel are responsible for safely repairing any building or property damages and/or contacting vendors for additional repairs needed.

Office personnel are responsible for contacting & safely helping residents in need.

MSDS books are located in the manager's office & maintenance shop and should be updated when new supplies are purchased or once a year by assistant manager.