Most homeowners have little cognizance of the topic of disaster recovery, perhaps disaster preparedness, but not necessarily recovery. When the topic does come to mind, attention often turns to Federal, state, and local agencies who may provide assistance.  But what if that assistance doesn't come?  What if your community failed to receive outside assistance because Federal agencies don't recognize your community exits Surprisingly, that is a real threat to homeowner associations (HOAs) because the Federal Emergency Management Agency treats HOAs as private enterprises, not housing sub-divisions within the larger community that surrounds these locations. Will that make a difference if disaster strikes and your HOA community needs assistance?  Look at the links in my Facebook post (above) for details. CANSWERIST

Chances are the hashtag # FEMA is not an internet search you would normally conduct or follow, unless you have a disaster recovery matter to cover. And, in a related matter,  January 17, 1994  seems like a distant searchable date, but the day is memorable around the world and in particular for California as the occurrence of the devastating Northridge Earthquake .  For homeowners around the TRILOGY of neighborhoods in the Temescal Valley, the Northridge Quake may be a distant memory, but it is a harbinger of events that may follow.  Many authorities, including seismologists, are predicting that California is overdue for another Northridge-type quake.  Question is: When and where will this happen across our 163,696 square miles (423,970 km)? These questions are given some immediacy because, last week, on our Federal Capitol Hill, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) introduced the Disaster Assistance Support for Communities and Homeowners Act of 201...

A great number of members at ​ NEXTDOOR  (a popular community message board) reside in common interest developments, aka HOAs, or homeowner associations. We know the governing documents and rules that define HOAs are largely determined by state law. Occasionally, Federal laws will be introduced that affect HOA members, too. ALTACITIES looks at three pending bills in Congress that will, if passed, affect California HOAs. ▶House Resolution (“H.R.”) 2996  and Senate Bill (“S.B.”) 2109  would amend the Stafford Act , the law under which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) operates. FEMA has in recent years taken the position that HOAs are not covered by the  Stafford Act   because FEMA considers them “business associations” and therefore are not eligible for emergency assistance. This caused great consternation in 2012 during Hurricane Sandy , which pounded the East Coast, particularly New Jersey. Based on their interpretation of the  Staf...