November 2011
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Weathering the Weather and a Shout-Out From City Hall

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn kicked off the BOMA/NY Annual Conference, which took place on the rain-soaked afternoon of October 19th, with a light touch, applauding the Association’s ability to summon the weather on call. But she kept up the kudos with a thank you to BOMA/NY for "always being there" and "connecting with us at a high level" whenever the City was considering legislation and offering both information and expertise in a non-biased way.

In her plain-speaking style, she drove right to the heart of the matter and advised the conference attendees that the management infrastructure of the City’s snow response has been changed after the poor response this past winter, to borough-based plans, which are being drafted in advance and will be published on line. She added that the pre-planning that was done in advance of Irene was an example of how the new approach served the public better, adding that in such an emergency, "the best part was taking the plan off the shelf and being able to implement it right away."

"We can’t always develop these types of plans ourselves," Ms. Quinn continued, and that is why "we need people like yourselves" to help, citing the greening initiatives last year as a prime example of BOMA/NY and the City partnering in expertise. The potential mayoral candidate also spoke of the future, the City’s plans, and her hopes for making New York a national beacon for growing jobs, particularly in the areas of bio- and medical technology.

Conference Take-Aways

Despite the advances in forecasting, weather may still be unpredictable, but your actions don’t have to be. Plan and prepare well in advance—it will be your best defense in weather-related emergencies." That was the prime advice given by our distinguished panel of experts, and here are the highlights of their discussion, as moderated by Jack Osborn of John E. Osborn, PC.

Weather Expert Mike Smith - AccuWeather The bad news: out of the five biggest threats to the New York area over the next 75 years—threats like a Category 3 hurricane making landfall, a major tornado, lightning-induced power failure, earthquake and a tsunami propelled by a volcanic explosion from off-shore Africa—one of them will definitely happen.

The good news: there will definitely be warnings issued in advance for buildings to enact their emergency plans. But he also advised that the industry must remain fully aware of the billions of dollars in damages weather can inflict, and prepare for cotingencies to the highest level possible.

Gary Mancini, PE, LEED AP - Thornton Thomasetti Focus on the building envelope; it’s the most vulnerable building component, particularly against raging winds. Check in advance how the roof meets the parapet walls, how the curtainwall is anchored and take the necessary precautions.

Michael Alacha, PE - NYC DOB Planning, prevention and preparation are the key to any emergency preparation buildings undertake. Check on how your cooling towers are anchored, if your flashing is sealed properly, and remove gravel and contractor debris, particularly from the roof. And be sure to read and follow NYC DOB Weather Advisories--it is the responsibility of all managers to follow NYC DOB directives in the event of severe wind and/or weather. As we have during past weather emergencies, BOMA/NY will continue to forward these advisories to all members.

Hani Salama, PE, LEED AP - Monday Properties The EAP is a proven road map for staff responsibilities—make sure they are thoroughly versed in all protocols. Tenants may self-evacuate, but by communicating with them in advance, you can mitigate some problems by making sure they know exactly what actions they should take and what actions the building is taking. Stay in contact during emergencies and keep them up-to-date on the situation at the building.

Ciro Compagno - FM Global Don’t clean up ASAP, you’ll need a comprehensive and proper assessment of the actual damage for your insurance company. Building managers should make sure that they are thoroughly versed in their policy coverage terms.

Co-moderator John Brandstetter of HEC Solutions recommended that buildings also advise their insurance company of their needs well in advance to see if the policy can be customized. He also recommended all building managers have their clean-up experts on-board and briefed so that when clean-up does commence, there is no learning curve and no time lost.