Putnam County’s Emergency Management requesting citizens fill out an online damage report to help with recovery efforts from Tuesday night’s strong winds.
EMA Director Brandon Smith said the report records names, where residents live, the kind of damage seen in their area, and pictures of the damage. Smith said the report will allow his agency to connect local volunteer groups with people who need aid.
“Straight line wind events like this one are really challenging because there’s not a path,” Smith said. “There’s not a specific area for us to go look for damages. They’re sporadic and sometimes they’re just all over the place. And so this allows us to have citizens report that information in, we get it in much faster.”
Smith said the information will also help Emergency Management staff and meteorologists learn more about how different weather events impact the county. Smith said the survey is accessible on the Putnam EMA Facebook page or the agency’s app.
“Every event has a different impact whether it’s a winter storm, it’s a thunder storm event, or a wind event like this one was,” Smith said. “All of those have different impacts on people and so (for) some residents, a tree leaning up against the side of their gutter and a few shingles might not be a big deal but to other folks that can be devastating.”
Smith said people should report any damage whatsoever, including issues with trees, brush, structures, and vehicles. Smith said the form is always available online but he would love to have any damage reports within seventy-two hours after a storm.
“That really gives us the best opportunity to get the resources out to people who need them,” Smith said.
Smith said his team collected a similar report after a seventy-mile-per-hour wind event from a couple years ago. Smith said being able to compare historical data to ongoing or upcoming events helps the county to better prepare and warn people about the dangers of a specific situation.
“Our county’s growing significantly and one of the challenges that we’ve faced over the years is new folks who moved in and then just the vast size of the county and the number of homes that are in it,” Smith said. “So it’s really difficult for us to be in all of the areas that have impacts.”
Smith said his agency has used this form several times in the past but is now making an effort to use it after any event that could cause property damage.
