Damage Assessment Application

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

To be able to quickly identify areas of devastation following a disaster, Broward county implemented its Damage assessment program which gives residents an opportunity to report damage to their homes and/or surrounding areas. Originally, a web-based system was developed, which provided an interface for users with access to the internet to enter information on flooding, wind, or any other damage resulting from a disaster. However, since a large number of residents carry cellular phones but may not have access to a computer following a disaster, the County recently developed a mobile Damage Assessment application. This is an additional system developed is that residents can now also report via their mobile devices. With the implementation of the Damage Assessment applications, the county has positioned itself to be better able to gauge areas that have been most impacted by a disaster, and to deploy emergency response teams accordingly.