Power is Out – How do you stay warm?

If you are lucky, you have a backup generator, warm fireplace, candles and hand-cranked flashlights that can charge your cell phone. If not, what do you do? FEMA suggests the following: Be ready with these power outage preparedness tips from The Ready Campaign: Build or restock your emergency preparedness kit. Include a flashlight, batteries, water,…

Ocean City Fire Marshal Ryan Whittington visits Delmarva Condominium Managers Association

In the middle of the cold snap, the Ocean City Fire Marshal visited the members of the Delmarva Condo Managers Association. We enjoyed an excellent chicken and dumplings luncheon supplied by the great people at The Princess Royale, while Mr. Whittington asked us to help spread the word on what we all can do to…

2018 Maryland Legislative Issues affecting Community Associations

As the Maryland lawmakers return to work they will revisit the following issues that were debated in prior years: 1. Manager Licensing – Virginia does have manager licensing. Licensing sounds appropriate for the growing industry, but the cost to run the program has been too high for the state to consider. Managers should consider continuing…

National Flood Insurance Program authorized through January 19th

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was authorized for a five year period that ended on September 30th. Since then there has been three short-term extensions. Currently the program expires on January 19th. Check out the news article from Insurance Business Magazine that reviews the importance of a long term authorization of the National Flood…

Holiday Parties: Limiting Social Host Liquor Liability

A bartender is legally liable for serving alcohol to a patron who becomes intoxicated and then injures a third party. Does a business face a similar exposure when it hosts a social event where alcohol is served, such as an open house or employee picnic? According to the Insurance Information Institute, liquor liability exposure is…

Building Resilient Communities

The recent storms' devastating effects on Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands spotlights the importance of proper community planning, building codes and infrastructure. FEMA administrator Brock Long recently gave a prepared statement to the United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. “I cannot overstate the importance of focusing on investing in…