5 Things Building Owners should be doing right now!

Ricardo Moncada

Chief Consultant at RMS Building Envelope Consultants, LLC. Roofing and Waterproofing Consulting Services

15 de julio de 2019.

1. HAVE AN ADULT RELATIONSHIP WITH REALITY

YES, I know! One more thing to deal with!

I know this year has been hard for most of us and really hard to many of us as we are still dealing with a worldwide pandemic, social unrest, the economic downturn and on top of all, we are anticipation a very active Hurricane Season 2020! We are not even in the middle of June and we already have had three named storms. #hurricaneseason cannot be postponed and cannot be rescheduled. We have to face reality and do it in an adult manner. We have to be prepare for the worst and be ready in case our building is affected, if we are affected, if our staff is affected and if our community is affected.

2. ELIMINATE BLIND SPOTS

We don't know what we don't know! That is a blind spot! however, knowing that we all have blind spots is not an excuse to bury our heads in the ground and pretend things will be taken care miraculously.

We have the option of hiring an expert to help us uncover those things that we don't know. When it comes to the condition of our buildings and whether something needs attention or not, hiring a consultant to assess the building exterior condition is the smart things to do. The roofs, the walls and the windows.

In many cases, even if the roof stays in place after a hurricane, substantial water intrusion happens through the walls and the windows. Having a document that includes photographs of the entire building condition before a storm, will come handy in case you have to make an insurance claim.

An assessment performed by a consultant, will also tell you if there are things that need to be addressed immediately to minimize your building exposure when the storm rolls in.

3. ANTICIPATE POWERFULLY

One thing we have the power to control is being ready! Besides discovering your blind spots, being really ready means that you have a plan to get back to business as usual as fast as possible.

What would that look like? Imagine the worst case scenario; the roofs sustained severe damage, water got into the building and flooded most of the upper flood, power is out, there is interior damage and needs to be addressed promptly before mold takes over finishes, furniture and equipment.

Communications are difficult due to damage to the network, cell phones and the internet are not working as they should. By the way, the scenario I just described, has been the real scenario in many buildings during the hurricanes that have come through the eastern United States, the Gulf Coast and the Caribbean in the last 30 years. The worst time to try to register vendors and contractors, negotiate prices, arrange for service, review and sign contracts, cut purchase orders, locate important documents, is during the aftermath of a hurricane.

You have the power to anticipate what you will need before, during and after the storm, so everything and everybody is ready to respond as soon as its safe to return to the building. Anticipating will get you back in business as soon as possible. A consultant can help you orchestrate this effort. Be ready, there is no excuse! ur building exposure when the storm rolls in.

4. COMMUNICATE THOROUGHLY AND CLEARLY

Once the negotiations of prices, contracts, services. purchase orders, security procedures, logistics, etc. are completed, everyone involved should be reading from the same playbook and have the same objective: Mitigate damage and get you back on your feet as soon as possible.

As clear as water.

Utilize today technology so that everyone knows everyone and their back up.

The entire team should know the Chain of Command, the Chain of Communication and what is the sequence of the recovery efforts from beginning to end.

Who communicates with whom and when should that communication take place. What communication is acceptable at the different stages of the recovery effort.

What documents are necessary to produce during recovery, etc. Having a well coordinated recovery effort will make an enormous difference in the time and the costs of restoring your operations.

5. KEEP CALM

If you have accepted that hurricanes end up going wherever they go, you have taken care of your building needs, you have made every arrangement to get back to business as soon as possible, and you and your family have enough provisions to weather the storm, keep calm, you are ready!

We typically have enough lead time, before weather conditions turn sideways, to double check with everyone involved in the recovery process right before the storm.

Don't panic, stay safe, ride the storm and be ready to lead.

Great leaders are in control during uncertain times.

Be that leader to your family and your team. Just be ready!

About the Author:

Ricardo Moncada is the Chief Consultant at

RMSBuilding Envelope Consultants LLC.

With over 30 years of experience, 21 of those years in the South Florida area, helping building owners navigate the complex world of roofing and waterproofing and advocating for their best interests.

For more information about the specific steps for hurricane preparedness, contact Ricardo Moncada directly or visit our website by clicking on our logo.

RMS ROOFING & WATERPROOFING CONSULTANTS

5 Things Building Owners
should be doing right now!