five ways to prepare for a disaster

Five ways to prepare for a disasterA guide for property managersSpring 2016

1A simple vendor contract is insuffi cient. Engage critical vendors regularly and make them feel like an extension of the property team. Working with those vendors to ensure the property is operating properly today will help minimize the impact of a disaster tomorrow.

“My biggest push whenever I talk about disaster recovery is maintaining close alliances with those critical vendors,” says Jacques Legrand, JLL’s senior chief engineer at 1515 and 1555 Poydras in New Orleans.

Establish close working relationships with tenants and visitors

Have a formal disaster plan in place2Develop a detailed plan for how your team would react to every type of disaster, whether caused by natural causes, human action or failures in building operations.

Share each plan with vendors and tenants, so everyone can respond in concert if and when the disaster occurs. Meet regularly to keep the plans current.

Know your property inside and out3Walk through your building regularly, taking note of any changes or abnormalities in structure. Memorize where every shutoff, fi re extinguisher and emergency generator lives, and regularly service all of those items to ensure they are in good working order for when you need them.

Understand your property’s energy supply4In the event of a disaster, recovery efforts often push building systems beyond their normal usage levels. Emergency lighting, extra fans and vacuums, for example, can over-extend the building’s back-up systems, making the problem even worse.

Ensure the property is properly insured5Work with an agent or attorney to secure the appropriate amount of coverage. Be sure the plan covers the people who work at the property, not just the structure itself, and re-evaluate the program annually. And since insurance can’t cover everything, also have a backup plan, like an emergency fund to turn to if coverage is insuffi cient for the disaster at hand.

Jacques LegrandSenior Chief EngineerProperty Management+1 504 585 2670Jacques.Legrand@am.jll.com

Contact Jacques Legrand.

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