Homeowners Association Prepares For Emergencies

Highlands County has an emergency preparedness plan to deal with any type of disaster, natural or man-made, for the entire county.

But each of the more than 40 homeowners associations in the county can have their own plan tailored to immediately help people in their own subdivision.

Rick Ingler, a member of the Buttonwood Bay homeowners association, delivered that message Monday at the Highlands County Homeowners Association's monthly meeting.

Buttonwood Bay has its own comprehensive emergency preparedness plan that spells out how residents can protect themselves, find help, and help each other for many types of emergencies, Ingler said.

"You don't prepare only for hurricanes," he told the crowd of about 75 people. "You also should prepare for tornadoes, and chemical spills, and also in case there is a missing person. Grandpa does wander off now and again."

Ingler distributed copies of the Buttonwood Bay plan to show how one community has set its own plans to help neighbors in an emergency. Other subdivisions can do a similar plan but would have to tailor it to their own community, he said.

About 30 volunteers at Buttonwood Bay, including retired law enforcement personnel, are ready to respond locally if needs be in case of a storm or other type of emergency, Ingler said.

Every resident gets a copy of the emergency plan, he said, and it is included in the welcome package given to all new residents.

Information in the plan includes a list of all storm shelters with directions to those locations, as well as listings of the shelters for pets during a severe storm and the hotels that accept pets, too.

"There are a lot of seniors who will stay (as a severe storm approaches) and die with their pets," Ingler said. People need to know where they can take not only themselves but also their pets to safety, he said.

Buttonwood Bay's plan also identifies the "special needs" residents of the community, so that volunteers can provide what they need in case of a severe storm or other emergency, Ingler said.

Volunteers for the Buttonwood Bay emergency plan took training from the Red Cross in how to assess and report damage from high winds. Immediate reporting to the right agencies will aid greatly in recovery from a severe storm, Ingler said.

Ingler, the vice chairman of the county homeowners association, said anybody interested in creating an emergency preparedness plan for their own community can contact him at 863-655-4844. He would provide advice on how his community was able to put together its emergency plan.