White County, GA: Tropical Storm Zeta

A Georgia County Uses Crisis Track to Respond to a Tropical Storm

Communities in the eastern United States are vulnerable to the potentially disastrous effects of tropical storms. During any kind of adverse weather event, the ability of a local authority’s emergency management (EM) team to act quickly and decisively is critical to the health and stability of the community itself.

Following Tropical Storm Zeta in the fall of 2020, Juvare’s Crisis Track allowed White County, Georgia, to document preliminary damage assessments and debris management activities, which made it easier to understand what debris locations had to be visited and what actions had to be taken. Within days of the storm, White County was able to send the preliminary damage assessment data to GEMA and FEMA. This work helped designate the County for a PA declaration and accelerated the output of FEMA forms for the PA grants management processes. Zeta was the first instance when the County used one system from the start of an incident through the incident’s conclusion.