Hurricane season officially begins June 1, and given last year's remarkable string of storms and floods, owner–operators can't do too much too soon to safeguard their apartment communities in 2018.
Experts recommend taking the following steps to minimize a property’s vulnerability to extreme weather:
- Relocate or protect equipment that shouldn’t be exposed to water.
- Provide floodwater entry and exit points.
- Use water-resistant building materials below the design flood elevation (DFE).
- Seal all cracks and openings in exterior walls below the DFE.
- Install backwater control plugs in floor drains, and permanently seal floor drains that are no longer in use. Before anticipated flooding, sandbag the floor drains.
- Obtain waterproof covers for vents and louvers located under the DFE and install them before an anticipated flood.
- Permanently replace first-floor doors with sealed-gasket flood doors and install removable floodgates over entryways.
- Regularly inspect outdoor fixtures for signs of rust and corrosion.
- Keep electronic elevator controls above the DFE in the rooftop machine room (for conventional-traction elevators) or in a mechanical closet adjacent to the elevator shaft on an upper floor (for MRL traction elevators).
- Ensure that all equipment located on the roof and attached to the building is properly anchored.
To read our coverage of Hurricane Maria's devastation and the rebuild efforts underway in Puerto Rico, click here.
