Immediately following the blackout on Aug. 14, CB Richard Ellis conducted a survey to get "quick down and dirty" responses from the tenants in the buildings the firm manages. "We got positives and negatives with the intention of putting in any immediate patches we needed to in case there were any more blackouts," says Gregg Popkin, head of asset services for CBRE.

The firm also conducted a long-term survey, or an analysis on its preparedness, he says. "We looked at anything systematic and we will develop case studies to learn from," Popkin adds.

Most of the negative responses to its buildings' preparedness had to do with operational aspects. There were concerns that the batteries in the emergency lighting did not last long enough, the phone systems were not working and contractors did not respond quickly enough, he explains. For example, Popkin points out that there were some delivery issues with fuel—which was needed to power generators in the those buildings that had them.