A destroyed boardwalk and cars tossed in a heap were among the extensive damage suffered from Sandy at Dayton Beach Park. (Photo by Ivan Mrakovcic)
In 2013 Hurricane Sandy ravaged the New York City area, and the storm taught us important lessons about disaster recovery—and disaster preparation. I'd like to share some of my experiences working with several hard-hit buildings in the immediate aftermath of Sandy.
After the storm struck, RAND received a flurry of calls from frantic property owners and managers whose building systems were down and needed to be restored as quickly as possible. We were able to get some buildings up and running more quickly than others, but not necessarily because they had less damage. The key difference, I learned, was the approach boards and management took to getting things done.
Submerged Systems
The first building I attended to the day after the hurricane was 30 Main Street, an 11-story, 87-unit condominium in Brooklyn, which suffered moderate to severe damage to several of its building systems. Worst off was the electrical system, which was completely submerged and has to be replaced. The domestic water and sewage drainage pump motors and controls were also underwater and need replacement.
The storm water caused a sewage main from the neighboring building to rupture and leak into our client's building. In addition, the flooding destroyed the cellar-level apartments, windows, and partitions; damaged the elevator equipment; and caused widespread lead contamination.
The only system to escape major damage was the heating plant, which was located on the roof. But without electric, there was no heat.
Tough Love
When I arrived on site, board members were already discussing a game plan for recovery, and they were willing to spare no expense. We put together a hand-written action list on the fly, made plans for possible contingencies, determined next steps, and assigned roles to carry them out. We mobilized maintenance staff, contractors, vendors, suppliers—anyone and anything needed to get things moving and keep the momentum going.
If a contractor could not or did not do what we needed when we needed it, we found another one who could. Naysayers were kept on a short leash, and anyone who dragged his feet or impeded progress was shown the door. It was a "tough love—we're all in this together" approach that kept everyone on point and motivated.
I was at the building for three consecutive days, 15 hours a day, until the heat, hot water, and some electric were restored. I'm still working with the condominium, and they have a lot of repair work ahead of them, including replacing the electrical and domestic water systems. But the board and management's decisiveness, focus, and teamwork saved the day, and their can-do attitude bodes well for a full recovery.
The next property I visited about a week after the hurricane was Dayton Beach Park No. 1, a five-building, 1,150-unit cooperative in Far Rockaway, which suffered major damage. The boiler plants in all of the buildings need to be rebuilt, and the domestic water and sewage drainage pump motors and controls have to be replaced. There was widespread damage to the exterior of the building and the ground-floor spaces, which became contaminated with mold.
Waiting on LIPA
Luckily the main electrical system was spared, but the Long Island Power Authority did not restore service to the building for the better part of two weeks after the storm, so none of the other systems could operate. While waiting for electricity to come back on, we did as much work to the heating plant as possible, including replacing pump motors and control switches; installing temporary service conductors for the boiler controls, switchgear, and wiring; cleaning boilers inside and out; and repairing pipes.
FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers came on site to coordinate the installation of giant 1-megawatt emergency generators, which would have cost about $100,000 a month. Fortunately, power was restored to the building about 14 days after the storm before the generators were mobilized to the site.
I spent a total of five days at the site. Though the cooperative faced tight financial constraints and did not have all of the resources it needed, the board and management made good use of what they did have. Like the board at 30 Main Street, which I assisted the week before, the Dayton Beach Park board sized up their situation quickly, decided what they need to do, sprang into action, and kept the momentum going. They, too, have a long road ahead of them, but they are making strides in their recovery.
Action Plan for Next Time
Based on my post-Sandy experiences with these two buildings (and a third property not faring nearly as well because of ongoing board and management conflict), I recommend owners consult with their management, maintenance staff, engineering and architectural consultants, contractors, insurance carriers, and others involved in the building's operations to prepare an action plan before the next emergency. While any plan must take into account the specifics of the particular property, here are a few suggestions:
- Identify the most vulnerable systems and upgrade and protect them to be more robust, resilient, and safe. This may mean, for example, moving mechanical equipment out of the basement, waterproofing boiler rooms, and installing an emergency generator.
- Take elevators out of service by bringing the cars to the top floor to protect the traveling cables and other elevator components. Schedule a time when elevators cars will be brought to the top floor and deactivated
- Establish an action list for building maintenance personnel and building management to execute hours before an oncoming storm. For example, some buildings are considering having a temporary waterproof barrier that can be stored on site and assembled by building personnel when needed. (Although such a barrier is a good preventive measure, it should not be relied on for waterproof integrity. If an order is given to evacuate—evacuate.)
- Keep a list of contractor phone numbers and email addresses handy.
- Have plenty of flashlights, batteries, flood boots, foul weather gear, tools, back-up chargers, etc.
Sandy taught us lessons we won't soon forget. Let's learn from those lessons before we're tested again—as we most certainly will be.
