b'The Community Disaster Team anticipated, the primary leaders may not be available or able to man-Consider the best way to organize the community disaster age the response and recovery. Many disaster situations continue forcommittee or team, and decide who should serve on it. An effective weeks and months, making it physically impossible for one or twocommunity disaster team will include the following: persons to manage all responsibilities. General manager or executive director (chair) Authority: The disaster plan should provide clear authority for Board president (vice chair) policy decisions and association actions to ensure rapid and effective Facilities manager response. Who will have the authority to act on behalf of the com- Security manager munityinadisaster,bothinternallyandexternally,andwhois Communications manager authorizedtoactifthatpersonisnotavailable?Thereare Resident relations manager manydecisionstomakeafter a disaster, and the full board may Golf club/course managernot be able to convene to make these decisions. Marina manager FacilityOperations: Designateanalternateoperational Village president(s) sitewhereessentialfunctionscanbemanagedafteradisaster; Senior management staff thiswillbeespeciallynecessaryifthemanage-ment office is*Others as needed damaged or destroyed. The alternate operations site should havepower, restrooms, computers, printer, and pre-paid cell phones.Allteammembersshould Communication:Identifyhave an ID or badge to allow easy COMMUNITIES NEED A COMPREHENSIVE alternatewaystocommunicateaccess to the community during withresidentsandteammem-and after a natural disaster. The DISASTER PLAN THAT PROVIDES A bers (text alerts, CB radio, floorteam should have a code and/or DETAILED GUIDE FOR ASSOCIATION LEADERS ANDcommittees)andevaluatethecall-tree in place to use in a disas- reliabilityandredundancyofter.Whenneeded,theteam RESIDENTS TO WORK TOGETHER TO each.Investigatetheoptionforshould meet in a designated place PREPARE FOR, RESPOND TO, AND RECOVER anemergencycommunicationsandbeginimplementingthe FROM DISASTER.contract with your communityscommunitydisasterplan. cable or internet service provider,Everyone must understand his sinceconventionaltelephonesor her responsibilities before disaster occurs. Designated lines may go out of service, making the phone tree inoperable.backuppersonnelforkeyteampositionsandcriticaltasks,and RecordsManagement: Backupkeydocuments,contracts,makesurebackups get appropriate training. records, databases, account numbers,andsimilarinformation.CloudstorageisthepreferredmethodforbusinessdocumentCommunity Emergency Response Team (CERT) storagebecauseitallowsaccessbymultipleusersonvariousConsiderorganizingacertifiedCommunityEmergency platforms.However, it may be useful for key managers to keepResponse Team(CERT) for residentsandstaffwhowill receive copies of essential documents on a portable USB drive and to storespecialtrainingasemergencyfirstrespondersfromFEMAand paper copies of important association documents at a secure offsiteotheragencies.CERTmembersareknowledgeableaboutfirst location. Make sure the disaster team knows how to access associa-aidandCPR,communityinfrastructureoperations,andemer- tion records, and backup key documents regularly.gencyprotocolssuchasthenationalIncidentCommand Human Resources: Contract with disaster mitigation servicesSystemandthelocalemergencyoperationscommandcenter.for help with cleanup and debris removal, office relocation, genera-CERTwillbethecommunitysfirstlineofresponseafter tor, and portable restroom rental. When a disaster occurs, someadisaster,especiallyifmunicipal and county EMS systems are management staff may be unavailable or additional personnel mayoverwhelmed. The American Red Cross also offers special training be needed.and certification for emergency responder volunteers. Contact your Health and Safety: Make plans for medical assistance, bothlocal ARC chapter for information. And, make use of your local gov- physical and mental, after a disaster strikes. Maintain contact infor-ernment and emergency operations center representatives for train- mation for local fire departments, EMTs, and hospi-tal emergencying and support.services. Include information on ensuring safety during the recoveryForinformationonCERTsandCERTtraining,visit period.https://www.fema.gov/community-emergency-response-teams Community Services: Collect contact information, and keepit updated, for critical community services, such as utilities, shelterBESTPRACTICE: Contactyourlocalemergencyopera- locations, road closures, etc. tionscentertolearn what resources are available in your commu- Training: Allgovernmententitiesarerequiredtofollownity. Some counties provide training, resources and grants for disas- IncidentCommandSystem(ICS)rules,thenationalsystemforter planning and mitigation. emergency response. Key community staff and volunteersshouldhavebasicICStraining. For more information, visit:Disaster Planning Considerations www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/ICSResource/index.htmThe disaster planning group should carefully consider the ProfessionalResources: Disastersaffectthecommunitysfollowing topics when developing a community disaster plan: financial,legal,security,andinsuranceneedsandprograms.GetLeadership TeamAssignments: Theplanshouldclearly advicefromappropriatecounselandprofessional advisors, anddefinetheresponsibilitiesofeachteammemberandspecify review the community disaster plan on a regular basis. alternates.Dependingonthescopeofdisasterthatis Continued on following page FSummer 2023 Suncoast Review - 9'