Pre-disaster documentation best practices for state and local governments

The disaster recovery landscape is changing, and I anticipate that it will continue to shift. The federal government has stated that state and local governments should “play a more active and significant role in national resilience and preparedness.” While I don’t know for certain what the future holds, now is a great time for state and local governments to get prepared so they can swiftly recover after disasters.

Communities should take several steps now to ensure they are well-prepared to respond to disasters in the event that they receive fewer resources from the federal government. For example, developing a pre-disaster plan (or even having a contract in place) for debris removal is an effective way for state and local governments to speed recovery.

Another one of the most critical preparedness actions is to gather comprehensive data on community infrastructure and capacity. To receive FEMA Public Assistance (PA) funding after a disaster, it's not enough to merely tell FEMA how much damage occurred; an applicant must also be prepared to show the extent of damage. It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide all documentation as required by the PA program in a timely fashion to receive grant funding. When necessary to validate damage, the applicant may be required to provide:

• Pre-incident photographs of the impacted site or facility; and/or
• Documentation supporting the pre-disaster condition of the facility, such as facility maintenance records, inspection reports, and safety reports.

If your documentation of pre-disaster conditions falls short, you may be denied funding that your community critically needs for full recovery. Adequate pre-event documentation of a site’s pre-event status is critical. It informs FEMA of how much damage was caused by the disaster, and thus, the amount of funding the applicant should receive for repairs and rehabilitation.

Let’s dive deeper into some documentation best practices to ensure you’re collecting data effectively to support disaster recovery—and to make validated and accurate decisions for saving and sustaining lives.

1. Define inspection policies and procedures

Establish polices and standards that address inspection verification practices and document retention. Define who will perform the inspection (city inspector, code inspector, etc.), what needs to be inspected (bridges, sewers, water treatment facilities), the frequency in which each type of facility will be inspected (monthly, quarterly), how it should be inspected (on-site visual or remote inspection), the maintenance schedule threshold for each type of facility, and how data should be collected.

2. Train inspectors and establish roles in the inspection process

Inspectors should be trained on an ongoing basis to ensure their knowledge and skills stay up to date with current standards for the inspection process. It’s also important to determine who will be responsible for specific aspects of the inspection process to ensure that all sites are inspected in a comprehensive manner after the disaster.

3. Conduct routine site inspections

Routine site inspections are critical, particularly for areas that are especially vulnerable to damage. It’s wise to implement a schedule to conduct site inspections at predetermined dates, and at a minimum, conduct an inspection prior to the start of each hurricane or wildfire season.

4. Use photos and videography

Proper photographic and/or video documentation of a site’s pre-disaster condition should be routinely updated, as it’s one of the key components in proving the extent of damage that occurs after a disaster. Detailed photo evidence will help substantiate your claims and increase the likelihood that you will receive funding.

For communities that may lack the resources to regularly capture photos and videos of an area, a bit of creativity can help ensure enough photographic evidence is still captured. For example, a community can promote a yearly documentation initiative, where citizens are encouraged to capture photos of the community and send them to you. To increase participation, local officials may offer recognition or small incentives to citizens who send in photos and videos.

Another creative way to capture video of an area without expending many resources is to mount dash cams on city cars and record clips as government or utility staff conduct their usual drives. After designated time periods, this footage can be uploaded to a predetermined file storage location.

5. Leverage virtual site inspections

Drones are valuable to pre-disaster preparedness as they are relatively low cost and highly effective. They can provide reliable on-site data, capture large areas, and minimize re-visits for inspections. Using drones along with satellite imagery to capture the pre-event status of an area allows you to quickly collect critical data without sending out several inspectors to a site. After capturing aerial images and videos, software with tools such as place markers and rulers can be used to pinpoint specific areas. This is useful for identifying single points of interest, such as site locations, and for identifying coordinates that can easily be passed on to FEMA. Remote sensing and satellite technology are also powerful ways to assess moisture, temperature, topography, and related conditions to establish baselines.

6. Retain maintenance records

When making funding decisions, FEMA carefully assesses documentation to be sure a site was not in a deteriorated condition and was regularly maintained prior to the disaster. To receive FEMA PA funding, the applicant must demonstrate that damage was caused directly by the declared incident. FEMA does not provide PA funding for repair of damage caused by:

• Deterioration
• Deferred maintenance
• The applicant’s failure to take measures to protect a facility from further damage
• Negligence

Thus, the applicant must fulfill their responsibility of maintaining facilities prior to disasters. For example, in the case of damaged street, FEMA may ask for maintenance records that prove that the street was regularly maintained and in good operational order prior to the disaster.

Facility maintenance documentation the applicant may provide to FEMA includes, but is not limited to:

• Written maintenance plans
• Maintenance records
• Inspection records

In the absence of maintenance records, FEMA may review material purchase invoices and activity logs.

7. Store files digitally

Avoid keeping only physical copies of documentation or storing documents locally on computer hard drives. It’s important to have another storage location in case documents become damaged or destroyed at the site after a disaster. Cloud storage is the preferred method for housing important documentation, as it can be accessed from practically any location after a disaster. Storing files in the cloud in an organized fashion also makes it significantly easier to upload required documents to FEMA when applying for aid.

8. Stay organized

It is critical to keep inspection roots, assignments, and documents organized so resources are used effectively and to make the application process go smoothly. Staying organized prevents duplication of efforts in the inspection process and makes it easier to pull together documentation for submission to FEMA.

Create a system that enables inspectors to easily be assigned for an inspection. This system should also include an ability for the inspector to update inspection records and keep track of locations for which they are responsible. The system should also be developed with detailed labeling so the appropriate personnel can easily access the documents needed when applying for funding.

For state and local government leaders in charge of disaster recovery, these data collection best practices will help you get ready for what's ahead—and how to manage with less federal assets and assistance.