Providing a safe and comfortable place that people can call home is a responsibility that we take seriously. Separate from the day-to-day wear and tear that all homes experience, there are forces like natural disasters that can compromise properties and threaten the safety and well-being of our residents and the associates who support them.
We’ve navigated several crises created by natural disasters during our time as a leading single-family rental home company. And each time we’ve learned lessons to better protect and respond to residents and associates. Most recently, Hurricane Ian made landfall on the west coast of Florida—impacting several Invitation Homes markets across the state. We took swift action to prepare for the storm in advance and will continue our efforts until all resident and associate needs are handled.
Pre-Crisis Planning
Over the last few years, Invitation Homes has developed a comprehensive playbook to address potential crises. This document serves as a centralized resource that can be accessed across the business, and regular review by each department is encouraged. The playbook includes detailed information to safeguard residents, associates, and properties.
In the event of a crisis like Hurricane Ian, the playbook is put into effect as early as possible. Different departments open clear channels for proactive communication in an all-hands-on-deck approach. This includes early outreach to residents, associates, and third-party affiliates to ensure that they have all the necessary information to prepare. Beyond preparation communications to residents and associates, importantly we ensure that our maintenance teams and third-party vendors plan and organize ahead of time so that they can be ready to respond to resident needs as quickly as possible. This involves checking supplies and equipment, ensuring vendors are on standby, and adjusting non-emergency work orders.
During the Event
As an event like Hurricane Ian ensues, constant communication remains a top priority. During these events, it’s critical that all affected stakeholders understand the trajectory and potential impact to mitigate any immediate damage and help prepare an adequate response. Updates are provided regularly on the status of the event from trusted resources like the National Hurricane Center. Invitation Homes also urges those affected to follow local guidance from municipal and state governments, including evacuation orders.
Post-Crisis Response
All the components prepared ahead of time are put into motion coming out of a crisis; however, our first and foremost priority is confirming the safety of residents and associates.
Invitation Homes sent a survey to residents with questions on safety, current location (if they stayed in their home or not), and the status of the home. The storm made landfall on Wednesday, and by Friday there were residents in roughly 200 homes our team in Tampa had not heard from. Over the weekend, local associates visited those homes, knocking door to door, to ensure that residents were taken care of. By Monday, residents in the 200 homes that had not been accounted for had dropped to 11. Ultimately, we were able to get in touch with all residents.
To stay in contact with local associates, daily calls were established. Some of the first questions asked on these calls included things like, “who doesn’t have power, do people have enough supplies, and how can we help?” The same spirit that brought Invitation Homes’ workforce together to help protect residents ahead of the storm led associates to share water, generators, and other resources with each other when in need.
While confirming the safety of residents and associates, Invitation Homes mobilized to address an influx of maintenance requests resulting from Ian. Our team came together to work collaboratively to determine which requests took priority and to relocate residents in homes that may have become temporarily uninhabitable due to the hurricane. A variety of resources were also provided to residents, including information on FEMA support and an “Emergency Response Statement” intake form from Invitation Homes to help accommodate different financial situations following the hurricane. We also encouraged our associates and residents nationwide to contribute to the American Red Cross to help those in need and have committed to matching those donations up to a total of $20,000.
Lessons Learned
Preparing for and responding to Hurricane Ian has been a test of Invitation Homes’ ability to navigate a crisis. Throughout this process, and as we continue to recover, several lessons have stood out to our team:
Open communication and close collaboration prove essential when preparing for a disaster, to the extent that preparation is possible.
The use of technology and a diverse set of platforms for communication, and the resulting data, are critical to responding effectively.
Unified efforts across the organization ensure success.
Invitation Homes will continue to refine and improve our crisis response as we grow as a company, with the health and safety of residents and associates always remaining our top priority.
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