What is a traumatic experience? According to Google: traumatic events can be defined as experiences that put either a person or someone close to them at risk of serious harm or death. These can include: natural disasters, violence, accidents, or abuse.
The tricky thing about a traumatic experience is that its gravity is truly based on perception. One individual can be deeply traumatized by a boating accident, while the exact same accident could have much lesser effect on other people. It is kind of like the sense of smell. For example, to some people patchouli is a beautiful scent; to others, they physically gag at the funky, spicy aroma.
Awareness of what trauma can mean to individual victims is an empathetic skill which can help all managers, neighbors, and board members prepare for trauma and be better skilled at the recovery process.
We are going to take a deeper look at the two more likely traumatic experiences that could affect a community.
• Natural Disasters. The most common natural disasters to affect community associations
22 July | August 2021
are floods, fires, or weather.
These types of trauma are the
most likely ones to be avoided. While tropical storms, or wildfires, or flash floods, or tornadoes, or earthquakes, can “come out of nowhere” the key is to your preparedness plans. Those of you who know me or have read previous articles I’ve penned know that I am a huge advocate for EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS. So I will say it again: have a plan for each potential deadly natural disaster scenario in place, and communicate it. Many boards of directors have opted to have a separate Emergency Preparedness Committee. You may have members in your community trained and skilled for such disasters and would be able to offer valuable insight into the most effective plans for your community.
FEMA.gov is a great place for references on where to start and what to include.
• Violence. Violence is perhaps one of the scariest traumatic experiences that a person can experience in their lifetime. In a gated community or secured HOA building, there is a feeling of safety and security. For the
most part, this is true. However, violence can be brought into your community from homeowners and residents. More importantly, violence can often occur inside your safe compound by a member. The number one key to avoiding a violent, traumatic experience is through situational awareness. You, your board, your members, everyone needs to be exposed to some form of education on being aware of your surroundings. The phrase, “See Something, Say Something” is commonly understood for public safety, but the same holds true for community safety. If something looks off, people need to know who to call and where to report it. Keep in mind that domestic violence within a home or unit can turn into a mass casualty event in a very instant. As a manager, along with your public safety committee or officers, you must report and document any and all complaints to help identify potentially volatile
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