Hurricane Prep for HOAs and Condo Associations: a Board-Ready Checklist

Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Coastal properties face storm surge; inland properties still get the wind, the rain bands, the flooded retention ponds and the oaks that come down across a parking lot. For a board, the real risk is not the storm itself. It is making spending decisions in a hurry, with no photos of what the property looked like before, and a vendor list that nobody has called since last year.

This checklist is organized the way a board actually works: what to decide before the season, what to do when a storm is forecast, and what to do after it passes.

Before June 1: decisions the board makes once

• Confirm emergency spending authority. Check your governing documents and agree, in the minutes, who can approve emergency work and up to what amount when the board can't meet. Waiting for a quorum while a roof is open costs more than the tarp.
• Put an emergency response agreement in place. Pre-agree scope, rates and priority with a vendor who answers 24/7. After a storm, every crew in the region is booked; associations with an agreement get called back first.
• Update the vendor and contact list. One page: emergency vendor, utility outage lines, insurance agent, association attorney, management company after-hours number. Print it. Phones die.
• Review insurance with your agent. Know your windstorm deductible, what counts as covered damage, and what documentation the carrier will ask for. Ask now, not in October.
• Plan resident communication in English and Spanish. Draft the pre-storm notice (secure balconies, move vehicles from low areas, pool closure) and the post-storm update template before you need them.

Pre-season walk-through: what to look at

Walk the common areas with your maintenance vendor in May. The goal is to remove the things that turn into projectiles or blockages, and to photograph everything else.

• Trees and large limbs over roofs, walkways, parking and power lines. Schedule trimming before the season, not during it.
• Roof edges, flashing, soffits and gutters on clubhouses, pool buildings and other common structures.
• Storm drains, inlets, swales and retention pond outfalls. Clear debris and sediment so water has somewhere to go.
• Loose items: signage, trash can corrals, pool furniture storage, construction materials, decorative features.
• Shutters, board-up materials and hardware for common buildings: is it all there, labeled and accessible?
• Exterior lighting and generator (if you have one): tested, fueled, service record current.

When a storm is forecast: the 72 to 48-hour list

1. 1Send the resident notice with clear, specific requests and dates.
2. 2Close and secure the pool: furniture stored or tied down, umbrellas removed, gates locked.
3. 3Remove or secure loose items across the property: signs, trash cans, benches, planters.
4. 4Clear drains and inlets one more time; check that pond outfalls are open.
5. 5Install shutters or board up common-building openings as planned.
6. 6Turn off irrigation so saturated ground doesn't get more water.
7. 7Photograph the property again, quickly, from the same angles as the May walk.
8. 8Confirm your emergency vendor's contact person and when they will be available after the storm.

After the storm: safety, triage, documentation

• Safety first. Assume every downed line is live. Report it to the utility and keep people away. Nobody climbs a roof until it is safe.
• Triage. Stop further damage first: tarp open roofs, board broken windows, clear access for emergency vehicles. Cosmetic work waits.
• Document before you clean, where it's safe. Photos of damage, debris and water lines before crews move anything. Then after photos of the same spots.
• Follow county debris rules. Florida counties publish debris separation guidance after major storms (vegetation, construction debris, appliances). Separated piles get picked up; mixed piles often don't.
• Keep every receipt and work order together. Your insurer and your owners will both ask. One vendor with one invoice and attached photos makes this far easier.
• Update residents. What happened, what is being done, what they should avoid, when amenities reopen.

The board-ready version

If you bring one page to the next board meeting, make it this: who can approve emergency spending and up to what amount, which vendor responds 24/7 and under what agreement, where the pre-season photos live, and how residents will be told what to do. Everything else on this list follows from those four answers.

NexCore's CoreResponse program covers hurricane prep, emergency tarping, board-up, flood cleanup, and tree and debris removal, with before and after photos on every visit. If your association wants to walk the property before the season, call (407) 924-5992 or request a proposal.