Gary Porter of Facilities Advisors outlines how legacy resorts can assess drainage risk, protect critical systems, and link flood resilience to reserve planning
LAS VEGAS, NV, UNITED STATES, September 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Facilities Advisors has released guidance urging timeshare homeowners association (HOA) boards and property managers to treat flash flooding as an infrastructure and reserve planning issue rather than a concern limited to coastal properties or hurricane season.
Written by reserve professional Gary Porter, FMP, RS, RRC, CPA, the guidance outlines how legacy resorts can evaluate drainage risk, protect critical building systems, and connect flood resilience to long-term reserve funding.
Severe weather planning at timeshare resorts has traditionally centered on hurricanes, wind damage, roof systems, and insurance coverage. According to Porter, flash flooding deserves equal attention. A powerful storm can overwhelm drainage systems within minutes, pushing water into parking areas, mechanical rooms, elevators, ground-floor units, and other critical infrastructure.
“HOA boards and property managers can no longer ask simply whether a property sits inside a designated flood zone,” said Porter. “The sharper question is how well the resort can withstand a sudden concentration of water.”
Flood Risk Is Also an Infrastructure Issue
Flash flooding can occur far from coastlines and major rivers. Heavy rainfall, undersized stormwater systems, clogged drains, aging infrastructure, extensive paved surfaces, and nearby construction can create conditions that did not exist when a resort was designed. Legacy timeshare properties face that risk most acutely, since infrastructure built decades ago now contends with heavier weather and neighboring development.
Additional roofs, roads, and parking lots increase the volume of runoff reaching a resort, while its original drainage system may have deteriorated or lack the needed capacity. “An uneventful history should not be mistaken for evidence that a property is adequately protected against future conditions,” Porter said.
Start With the Property, Not the Forecast
The guidance recommends a practical assessment of roof drainage, gutters, downspouts, storm drains, retention areas, parking lots, slopes, landscaping, building entrances, mechanical areas, and the lowest points of the site. The objective is to identify where water collects, where it can enter buildings, and which assets become exposed once drainage systems are overwhelmed.
Institutional memory is equally valuable. Long-tenured employees often recall where water pools during heavy storms, and maintenance files can reveal repeated drainage problems or water intrusion that, viewed together, point to a larger infrastructure weakness. Porter recommends that those observations be captured in the resort’s long-term facilities planning.
Connect Flood Planning to Reserve Planning
When an assessment identifies deteriorating drainage components, inadequate grading, aging waterproofing, failing pavement, or vulnerable mechanical equipment, the association should determine whether corrective work fits within routine maintenance, an upcoming capital project, or the reserve funding plan.
“Waiting until a major storm exposes a weakness turns a manageable capital improvement into an emergency expenditure,” said Porter. “A reserve study should never sit apart from maintenance planning, inspections, capital projects, insurance considerations, and the physical condition of the property.”
Protect the Systems That Keep the Resort Operating
Water reaching electrical equipment, elevators, communications systems, or pumps can halt operations across an entire resort. The guidance advises boards and managers to identify critical equipment in vulnerable locations and consider measures such as improved drainage, corrected grading, barriers, relocated equipment, or strengthened waterproofing, with qualified professionals evaluating any engineering or structural issues.
Emergency plans should also define who holds decision-making authority, where emergency equipment is stored, which contractors to call, and how owners and guests will be informed if portions of the property must close or evacuate.
Documentation Matters Before and After a Storm
Associations should maintain current photographs and descriptions of major building systems, equipment, and site conditions, and keep inspection reports, maintenance histories, warranties, contracts, reserve study data, and insurance policies in one accessible place. After a flooding event, photographs, repair records, professional assessments, and cost data help establish what occurred and support insurance discussions and future capital planning. A post-event review of where water entered and which systems failed turns an emergency response into practical guidance for the next storm.
Preparedness Is Part of Stewardship
Porter notes that flash flooding illustrates a broader challenge for legacy timeshare resorts, where buildings, regulations, insurance markets, and operating costs keep changing. The strongest response, he says, is an ongoing process that links inspection, documentation, preventive maintenance, reserve planning, capital improvement, and informed board oversight.
“No board can prevent the next intense rainstorm, though every board can ensure the association understands its vulnerabilities before the water begins to rise,” said Porter. “That preparation is responsible stewardship of the resort’s physical and financial assets.”
About Gary Porter
Gary Porter is a reserve professional with expertise in maintenance, finance, and valuation. He holds the Community Associations Institute’s experience-based Reserve Specialist (RS) credential and the knowledge-based Registered Reserve Consultant (RRC) credential issued by the Budgeting Professionals Credentialing Board. He is also a CPA and has served as an expert witness on valuation matters more than 50 times, including court-appointed engagements.
He previously worked as a public adjuster handling earthquake claims. Porter is the author of seven books and more than 400 articles on the financial aspects of reserve studies. He has been published or quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, The Practical Accountant, Common Ground, The Ledger Quarterly, Timesharing Today, Hawaii Building Trades, and The Florida Community Association Journal.
Gary Porter
Facilities Advisors
+1 877-307-6700
gporter@FacilitiesAdvisors.com
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