DAMAGE REPORTING BY INDIVIDUALS

If there's ever a significant natural or technological emergency in your community and your property suffers damage, you should let your municipal officials know about it. You can do that by calling your municipal building as soon as possible or by using the link located in the left hand margin called "Individual Damage Reporting". Do not call 911 to report damage to your property unless the incident has caused death, injury or a dangerous situation requiring an emergency police, fire or ambulance response. Damage reporting provides valuable information for emergency planning. It also mobilizes resources to assist in the response and recovery phase of an emergency. However, individual families and businesses should have adequate insurance to protect assets. Financial grants and loans only become available in disasters which have devastated many, many families and businesses.

DAMAGE REPORTING BY MUNICIPALITIES

If a disaster strikes a community and damage is so extensive that it exceeds the municipalities ability to handle alone, the elected officials should declare a disaster emergency and mobilize their local Emergency Management Agency to assess the damage throughout their municipality. The only way the next level of government is going to know there's a problem is if you tell them. The way to do that is through damage reporting. Damage reporting is a process which begins with the initial report. This report should be submitted as soon as possible (hours not days) after the disaster occurs. It will alert and if necessary mobilize resources to assist the local response effort. Remember, if you activate your local emergency operations center (EOC) make sure you inform County EMA. As damage reports come into your EOC, forward the information to County EMA via telephone reports or by filing a damage report via the link named "Municipal Damage Reporting" in the left hand margin. Damage reporting provides valuable information for emergency planning and also mobilizes resources to assist in the response and recovery phase of an emergency. However municipalities should have adequate insurance to protect assets because financial grants only become available in disasters which have caused many, many millions of dollars in damage.