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ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING SERVICES: - Structural - MEP - Interior Design BUILDING ENVELOPE / RESTORATION / FACADE INSPECTION SAFETY PROGRAMS CONSTRUCTION DEFECT TESTING / INVESTIGATION ENERGY CONSULTING FORENSIC TESTING / LITIGATION SUPPORT NYC SPECIAL INSPECTIONS 5 YEAR CAPITAL PLANNING 350 7th Avenue, Suite 2000 New York, NY 10001 (646) 292 - 3515 info@falconengineering.com www.falconengineering.com ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS AND ENERGY CONSULTANTS 26 COOPERATORNEWS — OCTOBER 2021 COOPERATORNEWS.COM Providing Practical Legal Advice and Representation to Cooperative and Condominium Associations for More Than Forty Years • General Counsel • Residential and Commercial Real Estate and Leasing • Real Estate and Commercial Litigation • Mortgage Financing • Commercial, Corporate and Business Law • Comme • Mitchell-Lama Housing • Transfer Agent Services • Construction Law and Gas Conversions Jack Lepper: jlepper@kll-law.com Ronald Gold: rgold@kll-law.com Adam Finkelstein: afinkelstein@kll-law.com Fran Lawless: flawless@kll-law.com Fran L Cover Yourself According to a report titled “Commu- nity Development Block Grant Disaster dent of Structural Technologies, Inc., an Recovery Action Plan” published by the engineering firm based in Bloomingdale, New Jersey Department of Community Illinois. He recommends the following Affairs a year after Sandy decimated actions to protect ground-level and semi- communities on both banks of the Hud- son River, about 40,466 homeowners’ pri- mary residences sustained either “severe” or “major” damage, based on HUD stan- dards. John Valkos, property manager the property, make sure it isn’t clogged at DSV Property Management in High- lands, New Jersey, remembers first-hand and optimally. With good drainage we the chaos and confusion following Sandy. can manage most stormwater. Second, “Most of our properties are along the wa- ter,” he says, adding that his wife Cynthia, the structure. Make sure it’s sloped away who is the owner of DSV Property Man- agement, examined how these complexes Typically, it’s simple to check. Use a lev- were insured. “We found one complex el to see the grade. In garden apartment that wasn’t properly insured according basement structures, water often comes to their own bylaws,” he says. “They were in through a window or window well. insured cents on the dollar, and were not Check the window wells, too. We have to able to finish their rebuild. “Another association we were brought the bottom and that water is diverted into had quotes three times over the away from the window well and doesn’t amount they should have been charged,” fill it.” Valkos recalls. “After rebidding the proj- ect, there was enough money saved from the insurance to put aside for un- foreseen Sandy repairs. An ex- ample of these repairs is we had to rebuild a sand dune, which is the first line of protection for a building. We filed emergency permits be- cause we were getting back into the next and overflowed entire foundations. If the hurricane season. So it wasn’t only re- building the buildings, it was also rebuild- ing protection for the community. That’s Mahan, is that we don’t have absorptive how we were educated on the situation,” materials around most buildings. Instead, he continues. “The management compa- nies who were managing these properties finds relief.” either didn’t have the resources or had no experience dealing with disasters.” From his perspective as a property stopping climate change to mitigating— manager, Valkos advises boards to take a and possibly slowing—the effects already few important proactive steps before the being felt by so many. “Now it’s urgent,” next inevitable ‘100-year’ storm hits the says Beauchamp. “What we should have tristate area: “Be sure to have the proper learned is that the effects of climate insurance, and cover your residents,” he change are coming sooner rather than says. “Read your bylaws when it comes later. This previously unknown flooding to insurance. You’re going to look for the \[in New York\] occurred twice in just two best policy and agent, but it is important weeks. People lost everything. We need to to have your complex covered for what’s address the problem.” needed. Make sure that the management company has the right contractor for the job at hand. Finally, it is important that you have a management company that is capable of handling emergencies when they inevitably happen.” Mitigation Options Along with administrative and per- sonal readiness, there’s also the matter of what can be done physically to make at-risk communities more resistant to incoming water. Phillip Mahan is presi- subterranean units from the physical dangers of flooding: “First, flooding starts on the outside— so if there is an outside drain system on with leaves and is functioning properly check the actual grade level surrounding from the building to divert the water. make sure window wells are drained from Mahan advises that there are also cen- sor systems that can detect water buildup and flooding. They are used in sump pump systems and set off an alarm to warn of water in the area. “The re- ality of torrential storm events in Chicago has been most prominent in garden-level units, where streets flooded and water rose up water table is above the floor line,” he says, “just get out.” Another issue, explains “we have concrete. Water will rise until it The pros agree that the clock has run out; we need to pivot from the notion of n A J Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for CooperatorNews, and a published novelist. FLOOD RISK... continued from page 24 “People lost everything. We need to address the problem.” —Nicole Beauchamp See us at Booth 552 See us at Booth 407