Lowndes County is adopting Crisis Track, a smartphone app that streamlines data collection and reporting to GEMA and FEMA. Thanks to recent GEMA grants, the system will be implemented and personnel trained before the peak hurricane season. Watch the video to hear from neighbors about why this is needed.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT

With hurricane season approaching this weekend, Lowndes County is stepping up efforts to support the community after major storms.

“I just have videos of the trees falling down and wondering what else is going to fall down.”

I’m Malia Thomas, your neighborhood reporter in Valdosta, and I’m speaking with neighbors about these hurricane response measures.

If you’ve been following my stories on hurricanes, then you’ll recognize Nancy Griffin.

After four months, I’m paying her and her neighborhood along White Water a visit for an update.

“We were blessed. Our neighbors were not so blessed.”

She remembers all the damage Idalia inflicted on her yard and her neighbor’s homes.

“I’m the one who takes care of my neighborhood and the one that goes and most grass and takes care of other people. I actually have video of the trees falling down and just wondering how many more was going to fall down.”

She tells me that she wouldn’t be sure if her and her neighbors would be okay if it weren’t for the county and other nonprofit’s response.

“They came to make sure we were okay and it was such a blessing.”

The county is making sure their response is even better.

Hurricane Idalia underscored the need for a more efficient method of post-storm damage assessments, following FEMA guidelines.

To address this, Lowndes County is introducing Crisis Track, a damage assessment software app.

“While experts do have us at a higher risk of hurricanes this season with the forecast, where those storms go is very unpredictable.”

Meghan Barwick, county information officer, tells me this app allows field users to quickly gather and send damage data to the Emergency Operations Center and simplifies the submission of reimbursement claims by collecting all necessary damage and cost data as the state has seen $12.8 million dollars in damage.

The county is hoping to get these off the ground by June 1st, the start of hurricane season. In Valdosta, I’m Malia Thomas, reporting for ABC27.