New storm damage reporting portal in Cole County could streamline recovery efforts

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Cole County/Jefferson City Office of Emergency Management is working on a new storm damage portal to streamline the recovery process.

OEM Deputy Director Mackinley Kennedy said the portal isn't open to the public yet, but once it is, residents will be able to upload photos of damage like flooding, damaged trees, debris, blocked roadway and others. The form also asks users to identify the cause of damage, some options include rain, snow or tornado, among others.

"They can submit those photos to us, and then it's all rolled into a big repository where we can, as the Office of Emergency Management, we can comb through that information and hopefully provide a more efficient response," Kennedy said.

The idea is for users to assess any damage to their property following the weather event, when it's safe to do so.

OEM soft-launched an update to the county's GIS map that allows staff to attach photos to road conditions.

"We do feel like it is important to be transparent with the public and the community," Kennedy said. "So if they're curious about where damage is occurring or what it looks like, they can do that safely from anywhere that they have internet access."

Kennedy said the map was updated Monday, following heavy rainfall and flooding Sunday night.

It's unclear when Cole County residents will be able to access the full portal.

"I'll tell you that it is a priority for us, and it's an active project. So we're working diligently to get that ready to roll out to the community, but as of right now, I don't have a definitive time to tell you that we're going to roll it out," Kennedy said.

Kennedy also said the portal won't replace 911 when there is an immediate emergency.