https://goo.gl/RE5QAM None will deny that not a day or week seems to go by without some major news story about a natural disaster somewhere in the world. These news and social media accounts are more than a passing interest to most, particularly to USA residents due to recent disasters in North America from coast-to-coast. Whatever the calamity, humanity is disrupted and displaced.  These topics, while not very uplifting to contemplate, have actually resulted in new definitions for these times, like: DISASTROPHE is a recently coined term to blend "disaster" with "catastrophe" in the lexicon of disaster recovery.  What follows are a series of posts on the topic during the timeframe of two serious wildfires in California.  So serious are these fires that they have well-distracted Californians from the usual calamity on their minds, earthquakes. DISASTER RECOVERY for common interest developments (aka homeowner associations or HOAs), indeed recover...

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...

#SocialCurrentSee ®▶ #Serval * ( @ALTALOMAN archive via @Storify ▶ Survival in case land and cell comm is down! ▶ https://t.co/KqKj5Q4Q2c — Mike Foxworth (@ALTALOMAN) May 16, 2016 STORIFY From our oasis of a retirement community, a common interest development (aka HOA or homeowners association) in the Inland Empire of Southern California ( Trilogy Glen Ivy ), the topic of disaster recovery following an earthquake is the subject of debate and study by a committee made up of condominium homeowners living in the area. If you have never been to  Trilogy , you would not know that the community of 1317 homes includes what is known as a Special Benefit Area (SBA), the Cobblestone Canyon subdivision of 170 condos that are uniquely built as two-unit pods (see inset photo).  That is the homes have upper and lower units, only two homeowners per dwelling. Word is that this community, finished about ten years ago by Shea Homes , is one of only about six such co...