Following Hurricane Helene, Polk County knew it needed to coordinate an effective response and recovery effort that addressed both the immediate and long-term needs of its residents. As the biggest disaster event it experienced, the team needed an innovative solution to easily capture damage requests and coordinate debris pick up, specifically: 

1. Damage Assessments for Tax Purposes: With only two appraisers available and over 18,000 parcels to assess, conducting damage evaluations in time for annual tax updates posed a significant burden.

“We had limited resources,” explained Melissa O'Loughlin, Tax Administrator. “The ability to get out and look at every one of these parcels to find out the level of damage was going to be extraordinary on just two people.”

2. Debris Cleanup Coordination: For the first time, the County needed external contractors to handle extensive debris cleanup. Without a centralized system, the process would have required County staff to physically inspect every road and coordinate manually with contractors.

“In the past, debris cleanup was handled by DOT,” said Bobby Arledge, Emergency Management Director. “This time, we had to manage it ourselves, which meant finding a new way to track and prioritize cleanup efforts.”

3. Private Roads and Bridge Repairs: The County needed a way to document and manage damage reports for private infrastructure, further complicating an already strained process.

Already a partner, Polimorphic worked closely with Polk County officials to deploy several customized online forms and workflow management processes tailored to the specific post-disaster needs. Within days after the storm, the County was up and running with the new forms and processes. 

Streamlined Damage Reporting: Residents were provided with an online form to report property damage, including the ability to upload photos. This sped up data collection and reduced the need for in-person visits from County staff.

“Having the online form allowed us to designate in-house staff to process submissions, saving our appraisers valuable time in the field,” said O'Loughlin.

Efficient Debris Pickup Management: Residents could report debris locations via the same system. Submitted addresses were automatically populated into a Google Sheet and shared in real-time with contractors, removing the manual burden of collecting requests from residents and communicating them to external contractors.

“This form kept us from driving every road daily,” Arledge explained. “We could track hotspots and prioritize cleanup more effectively.”

Supportive Collaboration: Polimorphic’s team worked hand-in-hand with Polk County to troubleshoot and optimize the system.

“Within 30 minutes, we had the form ready to go live,” O'Loughlin recalled. “The collaboration and quick response were incredible.”

‍

Results

Polk County’s fast implementation of disaster response solution exemplifies the power of technology to transform resident services. 

“The flexibility of Polimorphic’s platform has been invaluable,” said County Manager Marche Pittman. “They’ve always been willing to think outside the box to meet our needs. Their support has been instrumental in helping us serve our community.”

The impact of Polk County’s work was immediate and measurable.

Significant Time Savings

Over 521 debris reports were processed within 11 weeks, saving hundreds of hours of staff time.

“Without the form, we would still be out in the field, behind on appeals and tax updates,” said O'Loughlin.

Improved Accuracy

Damage reports were centralized and standardized, ensuring accurate records for tax updates and appeals.

“We’ve been able to keep our records up-to-date, meeting critical deadlines,” added O'Loughlin.

Enhanced Resident Experience

Even before implementing disaster response processes, 10 departments in Polk County utilized Polimorphic for daily use, including Administration, IT, Community Development, Parks and Rec, and Communication. With the addition of these new processes, residents now have a familiar tool when working with the County, while staff has all constituent relationship data centralized into one platform.

In addition, out-of-town property owners appreciated the ability to report damage online.

“Residents loved being able to upload photos and track the status of their submissions,” said O'Loughlin.

Reduced Staff Burden

The form eliminated the need for hundreds of phone calls and in-person visits.

“This has cut down on so much foot traffic and phone calls,” O'Loughlin emphasized.

Effective Collaboration with Contractors:

Real-time data sharing allowed contractors to efficiently prioritize cleanup.

“The Army Corps of Engineers appreciated having a live view of where debris was located,” noted Arledge.

‍

What’s next?

By leveraging a flexible and responsive system, the County not only met the immediate demands of hurricane recovery but also set a precedent for future emergency management.

Thanks to the ease of use and flexibility of Polimorphic, the County plans to expand use to other areas. This proves how Polk County continues to build resilience and efficiency into its operations, ensuring they remain prepared for whatever challenges lie ahead.