Pearl River County’s Office of Emergency Services now has an online portal for reporting storm damage.

It can be found at https://www.crisistrack.com/public/pearlriverMS/request.html.

The site allows residents to post information about their damage and upload photos.

Damage to a residential or commercial/industrial structure can be reported as well as damage to public facilities.

Shawn Wise with the Pearl River County Emergency Management Office said the purpose of the self reporting webpage is to help gather information in a more timely and effective manner so it can be submitted to the state for federal funding when a disaster strikes.

Wise said the website has been live for some time now, but Hurricane Zeta’s landfall in Pearl River County provided an opportune time to put it to use.

Previously damage to homes or other structures was gathered via the 911 calls that came into the county dispatch center. After that, EOC staff had to corroborate those reports by physically going to each location and taking pictures. The website will help cut down on some of that leg work.

“Previously we had to drive around and look for that damage and document it with pictures. This tool helps us put everything in one place,” Wise said.

Data collected via the website can also be used to map the areas of the county that received damage.