October 11, 2016 in Disaster Recovery

Reminder of Procedures in the Event of a Declared Emergency or Disaster

Reminder of Procedures in the Event of a Declared Emergency or Disaster

With the impending hurricane Matthew hitting the Southeast coast, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has again reminded us of the procedures and tools that are available for the Owner and Residents’, which may be impacted by such disasters.

As Owners/Agents and Managers we need to ensure that we review Chapter 38, Multifamily Emergency/Disaster Guidance in Handbook 4350.1 Multifamily Asset Management and Project Servicing. After any disastrous event has affected your property or the residents of your property you must IMMEDIATELY report the physical damage. The key is to be proactive in the wake of these events by reporting to HUD as soon as the damage assessment has been completed.

In FEMA declared Emergencies or Disasters you will be using the Preliminary Disaster Assessment. For Non-FEMA declared events you will use the Basic Damage Assessment. These forms must be completed within 24 hours of the damage. To avoid any hold up in processing they should be legible and filled out in their entirety. The next step will be to email them to DamageAssessmentsFlorida@hud.gov.

*Although HUD is not a payee on an insurance draft for properties with an insured mortgage, you will need to notify HUD of the event and the damages sustained.

Owners/agents are responsible for:

  • Developing an emergency relocation plan to relocate residents prior to the storm especially at 202/811 Elderly or Disabled Properties and nursing homes;
  • Developing a pre-disaster checklist that is shared with tenants in case of a disaster;
  • Ensuring that the property and records are secured and that residents’ possessions and valuables are secured and protected to the greatest extent possible;
  • Contacting FEMA for on-going guidance and instruct residents to register with FEMA through 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), or www.fema.gov;
  • Applying for assistance with FEMA, Small Business Administration, Housing Finance Agency and others;
  • Contacting the local HUD office following a disaster;
  • Providing a status report for the residents and property condition;
  • Ensuring that residents provide EMERGENCY contact numbers;
  • Determining the extent of damage, security needs, resident property protection needs, etc.;
  • Contacting the property’s insurance provider to apply for property and business interruption claims;
  • Maintaining inventory of all residents, property, phone numbers, mailing address, and emails;
  • Determining which residents have been displaced due to unit damage or a failure of a major building system such as the electrical system, etc.; and
  • Tracking each displaced resident’s temporary location and maintain contact information for each displaced resident, particularly if the property will likely have units off-line for more than 30 days.

HUD has provided links to helpful documents and information regarding declared emergencies or disasters:

For assistance, please contact HUD at:

  • 678-732-2958
  • 678-732-2700
  • 678-732-2803

Other Important Contact Information: