Pasco County residents can now take photos of Hurricane Irma damage on their property and upload them to the free “MyPasco” app.
Those photos will be plotted on a map to help with damage assessment.
The new feature was developed by an in-house technician, and was activated late Monday morning.
Kevin Guthrie, the director of the office of emergency management in Pasco, praised the feature at a Sunday night meeting of emergency management teams.
"If we can figure out how to let our residents do their own self damage assessment - take a picture of it and send it to us - it saves the county money, saves taxpayer money. It’s a good use of all that,” Guthrie said.
Damage assessment teams scoured the county all day Monday and will continue to throughout the week. So far, damage has been mostly downed power lines, fallen trees, damaged privacy fences, a few toppled car ports, and minor street flooding.
Guthrie says the app will help expedite the process.
“We’ll be able to get someone out there much quicker to verify the damage assessment,” Guthrie said. “That’s something we’re very proud of, that our guys have been doing while the winds have been battering and the rain’s been coming down. They’ve been working diligently to get that done."
Report damage to homes, properties and businesses by opening the MyPasco App and clicking the blue "Report Irma Damage" icon, or by completing a Damage Assessment Survey located online at www.pascocountyfl.net.
The survey will ask for your name, address, and any notes you have about the issue.
Residents can also tweet photos and street names to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office @PascoSheriff.
