Ten shopping centers were affected by power outages, and some tree branches had to be removed from properties, but overall there was no major damage for Levin Management Corp., says Robert Carson, executive VP. “We have 68 properties totaling 7.5 million square feet, so we were very lucky,” Carson says. “We feel fortunate that almost everything is back to normal.”

That doesn’t mean that smaller businesses weren’t affected. “One not for profit client that helps families in distress lost its location, and our team was copying me on the emails,” says Robert Martie, executive VP of the New Jersey region of Colliers International in Parsippany. “They were asking ‘Can I get something quick?” I said to tell them to come here. Some other clients also are looking for temporary space or want to accelerate a move.”

On the other side of the table, landlords will begin moving quickly to fill vacant spaces with the displaced. “They are looking at it somewhat opportunistically, even bending rules with some short-term leases,” Martie says. Ultimately, for most the storm could have been a lot worse – but a lot had to do with successfully implemented crisis management programs.

Neighborhood centers don’t have individual property managers, but management does visit each project every six to eight weeks. On Wednesday, the managers began visiting the properties checking for debris and drainage, literally walking the roofs, and checking in with tenants.

Colliers began its preparation on Wednesday, when it became clear the storm would affect the state. Supplies, including sand, sandbags, and industrial size absorbent towels, were ordered, and the next day, personnel was assigned to stay in the buildings during the storm.

“Our landlords were happy we put people in the buildings,” says Joseph Alesso, a Colliers senior property manager. “From Saturday at 10 am, we had one person for two buildings, and they stayed through Sunday at 4 pm.” The portfolio suffered some broken windows and minor leaks, all of which were quickly repaired.

Cushman & Wakefield engaged its emergency management plan four days before the storm, says Eileen Carey, senior portfolio manager of C&W's New Jersey’s Asset Services Group. Each emergency response hub, consisting of project managers and engineers, took on an exact series of steps, including ensuring that loose objects were removed from rooftops and buildings, checking doors and windows, examining emergency generators and topping off fuel tanks.

“Our focus was on not only the effects of the storm, but on the effects of prolonged outages,” Carey says. Additional pumps were readied to dry interior spaces. Through C&W's Buymax program, the groups also contacted vendors and contractors to ensure that supplies would be available promptly for repairs.

Communication was constant, with teams at the property level reporting in to the regional hubs, which conveyed the information to the director of crisis management. The company’s experience in managing properties affected by Hurricane Katrina proved invaluable, she adds.

Ultimately, C&W's properties in the state did not sustain major damage. One building suffer some roof damage, and water entered noncritical areas of the building. Office buildings were opened on Monday morning. Ironically, though C&W's own offices were opened, road closures made getting to work on Monday nearly impossible, Carey says. “We worked remotely, with some employees working from Starbucks,” which had power and Internet access, she says.

JLL ensured that wetvacs and sand was available and in the proper locations for quick use after the storm, Aronson says, “and we asked tenants to move objects away from the windows and to close blinds. We asked the to make sure all electronics were unplugged and to take their laptops home.”

Other preparations at JLL included making sure that all elevators were stopped no lower than the third floor, allowing for a quick cleanup if water entered the shaft. That did happen in one building, which was quickly pumped and opened by noon on Monday.

Communications that could have been interrupted by power outages were maintained by cell phones. Industrial tenants were able to report on the status of their buildings after the storm. By late Sunday afternoon, Aronson knew the status of most of JLL’s properties, and by early Monday, all properties had checked in.

“Our system worked like a charm,” she says. “We could not have been more prepared. We had a lot of notice and we used it.”