Hurricane and Severe-Weather Readiness for Community Associations

The Atlantic hurricane season runs June through November, with peak activity August through October. A community association in a hurricane-exposed market that begins planning in August is already behind. This is the working pre-season checklist plus the post-storm protocol that holds up under a FEMA review.

Pre-season — by April 30

• Continuity plan reviewed. Who is the on-call director? Where is the off-site backup of the unit roster, owner contact list, vendor contracts, and insurance policies? Cloud is fine; "in the manager's office" is not.
• Communication tree updated. Phone, SMS, email, and physical bulletin board. Test it before season — broken phone numbers and bounced emails are the most common post-storm failure.
• Master vendor contracts in place. Pre-storm MSAs with debris removal, tarping, dry-out, restoration, and tree services. Trying to find a vendor 48 hours after landfall produces price gouging and unvetted contractors.
• Reserve "deductible" cash on hand. Master-policy windstorm deductibles in coastal Florida frequently run 2–5% of the building's insured value — six and seven figures of cash exposure. The reserves and/or a deductible-funding line of credit need to be sized for this.
• Owner education. Annual reminder: personal contents are owner responsibility; HO-6 walls-in coverage is essential; flood is separately purchased (NFIP).

Engineering basics — what the building can take

ASCE 7-22 Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures defines wind-load design categories. Florida Building Code applies risk categories and wind-speed maps that go up to 180 mph design wind speed in the highest-exposure zones. ICC 500-2020 governs storm-shelter design where applicable.

The board doesn't need to do the engineering — but it should know whether the buildings were designed and built to the FBC version in effect at construction, and what (if any) wind-mitigation retrofits (roof straps, opening protection) are documented for insurance discount purposes.

Master policy windstorm review

• Named-storm vs. all-other-wind deductible — frequently different; named-storm is higher.
• Replacement cost vs. actual cash value — pay for replacement cost.
• Ordinance-and-law coverage — pays the cost increment for code upgrades during reconstruction. Without it, post-storm rebuild is at original code, which is often non-conforming.
• Co-insurance penalty — under-insuring to total replacement value triggers a proportional payout reduction.
• Loss-assessment coverage — pays each unit owner's share of an HOA special assessment from the storm.

Watch and warning protocol

• 5 days out — board notified; vendor contacts confirmed; communication tree warm-up message.
• 72 hours out — board action: secure or remove loose common-area items (umbrellas, pool furniture, signage); pre-position generators if available; communicate.
• 48 hours out — pool covered or chemicals adjusted per pool-service vendor; doors and gates secured; final owner notice with shelter information.
• 24 hours out — final walk; document conditions photographically (this is the baseline for the FEMA / insurance claim).

Post-storm — first 72 hours

1. Life safety first. Do not enter damaged structures until the local AHJ has authorized.
2. Document everything. Photographs and video of every elevation, every common element, every visibly damaged area, with timestamps. This single step determines the insurance recovery.
3. Mitigate further damage. Tarping, board-up, water extraction. The duty to mitigate is in every policy.
4. Notify the carrier in writing. Same-day if possible; never beyond 72 hours.
5. Open the claim with FEMA if the area is a declared disaster (FEMA Public Assistance Program is generally for governments and certain private nonprofits; HOAs are typically not eligible for Public Assistance grants but residents may be eligible for Individual Assistance).

The two failure patterns

• Engaging an unvetted contractor. Storm chasers solicit door-to-door; many are uninsured, unlicensed, and leave the association with mechanic's-lien exposure when they're not paid by the carrier directly. Stick to pre-vetted vendors with valid licenses and current COIs.
• Signing an "assignment of benefits." Florida Stat. § 627.7152 governs AOB agreements in property insurance; an unwary signature has historically been the path to inflated and disputed claims. Counsel-review every AOB request before signing.

References

• FEMA P-499 Home Builder's Guide to Coastal Construction.
• ASCE 7-22, Minimum Design Loads; ICC 500-2020.
• Florida Building Code, current edition.
• Florida Statutes §§ 627.7152 (AOB), 718.111(11) (condo master policy windstorm), 720.3035.
• National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP); FEMA Individual Assistance program.
• Insurance Information Institute, A Consumer's Guide to Homeowners Insurance (current edition).

Not legal or engineering advice. Building-code and insurance specifics are state-specific.