Rita's Near Miss and an Important Precaution for Next Time

Thankfully, Hurricane Rita's swath of destruction narrowly missed those of us who chose to stay in the Bayou City this past weekend. For our brethren to the East, both in Texas and Louisiana, our thoughts and prayers go out to you and yours wishing for a speedy recovery and a return to normalcy -- as much as can be expected given the recent atmospheric events of late-August until now.

But Rita's threat brings up a great point about preparedness that Community Associations can take heed of. After all, we still have two more months of hurricane season in front of us, and a lifetime of such possible catastrophe awaiting us in years to come as denizens of the Gulf Coast. The potential damage caused by natural disasters can be mitigated or eliminated altogether by creating a Utility Shutoff Location Map, or USLM.

So what is a USLM and how do you go about implementing one for your community? Knowing how to shut off water, gas, and electricity to your community can help prevent serious damage in an emergency. To prevent your community's damaged utilities from increasing disaster damage, create a "map" showing exactly where to find the utility shutoff valves and tools necessary to operate them. Also create a Utility Shutoff Locations Chart (the "USLC") that describes exactly how to find and operate the shutoffs. (See a SAMPLE here.)

A USLM should show two primary things: (1) the locations of all utility shutoffs, and the (2) tools you'll need to operate them. Tool locations become important because many shutoff valves require special wrenches that aren't found in an ordinary toolbox. Local fire departments and emergency management services will usually have these same tools in their arsenal, but you can save time and reduce damage if you can shut off the utilities yourself while the fire department, plumber, or electrician is on the way.

The USLM can be made from a drawing or architect's diagram of the community layout by simply marking the location of each utility shutoff and shutoff tool. Use different colors to distinguish the various utilities.

The Utility Shutoff Locations Chart (or "USLC") should describe where to find the shutoffs that are indicated on the map. You'll need a chart because shutoffs are often located in out-of-the-way places, such as behind boilers and in stairwells. A map alone may lack sufficient information or detail for someone to quickly find the shutoff valve or switch. Like the SAMPLE shows, your chart should highlight: description, utility, shutoff location, and shutoff instructions.

As a final note, keep several copies of the utility shutoff location map and chart in more than one location, including the main office, maintenance shop, and even offsite at a board member's or property manager's residence. During a natural disaster, these documents can save precious minutes and keep damage from potentiallly escalating beyond what is already a bad situation into a worse one.