County Uses Automated System for Preliminary Damage Assessments

Monroe County will utilize its damage inspection software application for several days following Hurricane Milton in the Florida Keys. The preliminary damage assessment process is performed by Monroe County inspectors who inspect structures and estimate damage following a natural disaster. The County then reports the inspection results to the State of Florida, which coordinates with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on the amount of damage and unmet needs of individuals, businesses, the public sector, and the community as a whole. This is vital information for the federal government to determine how much funding will be allocated to an area to assist a community and its residents. At this time, no significant damage has been seen in Monroe County.

In the past, Monroe County conducted these inspections using a time-consuming manual process and paper submittals. Following Hurricane Irma, the County implemented an automated inspection process, where inspectors record their inspection results through their cell phones with preloaded GIS maps that outline existing structures within each neighborhood. Pictures are then uploaded to ensure adequate records are kept. The system was also tested in airplane mode to mimic signal loss while in the field, allowing the first level of inspection after a storm to be uploaded in hours rather than inputted over days.

The system was last used during Tropical Storm Eta in the Upper Keys, where the County was able to review 7,666 homes in Key Largo within two days.

"This tool improves accuracy and, more importantly, it streamlines the time it takes for these inspections to be recorded and reported to the state and federal governments," said Christine Hurley, Monroe County Administrator.