Storms are a way of life no matter where you live. August and September are traditional tropical storm and hurricane months here along the Texas Gulf Coast. Today, we prepare for yet another storm forming in the Gulf of Mexico. Tropical Storm Harvey, the ninth named storm of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season is dancing his way across the Gulf. Where will he land? Despite sophisticated computer models and fancy meteorological forecasting, it’s really anyone’s guess.
Here in Texas, much of our history is defined by tropical storms and hurricanes. We have weathered some doozies through the years. Alicia, Rita, Katrina, and Ike ring a bell in the recent past. All seemingly innocent names that gained notoriety as Mother Nature expressed her fury up and down the Texas Gulf Coast.
Larry Hill, Advisory Board Member of Better World Properties, LLC was President of the Houston Apartment Association (HAA) in 2005, the year Katrina roared though New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina was one of the five deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history. In New Orleans, the levees were designed for Category 3, but Katrina peaked at a Category 5 hurricane, with winds up to 175 mph. The subsequent flooding from the breech of the levees was devastating, literally washing people out of their homes. An estimated 80% of New Orleans was under water, up to 20 ft deep in places.2
With only a moment’s notice, Houston reached out to provide aid and over 37,000 apartments for Hurricane Katrina evacuees mostly from New Orleans. Larry Hill helped to provide hundreds of those units under the City of Houston/FEMA voucher system. It was a shining example of the strength and heart of the Houston apartment industry.
The Better World Family of Companies is proud to remain active members and leaders in the Houston Apartment Association, the Texas Apartment Association (TAA) and the National Apartment Association (NAA).
What’s an Apartment Dweller Supposed to Do?
“At Better World Properties, we know that preparedness is key”, said Terri Clifton, President of Better World Properties, LLC. “All year long, we highly encourage our residents to secure renter’s insurance to cover their belongings. We also ask them to please clear balconies prior to storms and move their cars to higher ground (just not on the grass please). We try to keep residents informed prior to storms and encourage them to be prepared for a loss of power and refrigeration.”
“On the management side, maintenance staff will lower the water level of swimming pools when necessary and secure pool furniture. Having storm drains clear is important to handle potential overflow. We look after our apartment properties as if they were our own,” Clifton shared.
Here in Texas, storms are normal part of life. We’ve learned that we cannot control the weather, but we can be prepared. We’ve been through storms before and we know that being prepared and having the right team on board makes a big difference on outcomes.
Are your apartment properties storm ready? Do you have the right members on your management team with the experience to weather the storm?
Better World Properties LLC provides complete Apartment Life Cycle Solutions to apartment owners and investors including licensed property management, apartment process and performance consulting, multifamily deal generation, closing and apartment financing.
To learn more about the Better World Family of Companies services, click here .
Want to learn more? Give us a call. We love to talk about apartments.
713-559-6975
Reference:
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina
2 https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-hurricane-katrina