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Accela Expands Natural Disaster Recovery Solution to Help Communities Prepare for Historic Natural Disasters

Accela’s Rapid Damage Assessment, now available to hundreds of US cities and counties, expedites recovery efforts following floods, fires, tornados, hurricanes and more

San Ramon, Calif. (June 1, 2023) – Accela®, the trusted provider at the heart of government operations, today announced the expansion of its cloud-based solution to help communities respond to and prepare for the growing threat of natural disasters. The updated Rapid Damage Assessment (RDA) can now be used in the event of hurricanes, fires, floods, tornados and more. With new geospatial and mobile capabilities, the pre-configured solution is instantly available to hundreds of existing government customers and quickly available to new customers as part of Accela’s Civic Platform.

Communities are facing historic flooding from record West Coast snowmelt, worsening fire seasons, and natural disasters exacerbated by climate change, putting residents’ lives, livelihoods, businesses and infrastructure at risk. Many disaster response and inspection efforts rely on manual processes, delaying relief and funding. As agencies work to increase their communities’ resiliency, they need quick, affordable and easy-to-implement technology to expedite relief and help them prepare.

“Our communities are facing historic storms and impacts from snow melts and hurricanes. Accela’s new, easy-to-use tools help agencies prepare and respond to get communities back on their feet,” said Accela Vice President of Product Management Amber D’Ottavio. “With bulk inspection records, offline mobile options, relief permitting compliance and more, this enhanced solution leverages our years of best practices to help communities prepare, respond and rebuild more quickly and cost-effectively.”

Accela expanded its disaster preparedness and response solution in response to customers’ demand for more accessible, digital tools. The solution now helps communities prepare by ensuring safety codes are being enforced across structures, hazardous materials, fire safety and more. The solution also bolsters communities’ recovery by empowering residents to report damage, streamlining the permit application and review process, automating inspection and clean-up assignments, and centralizing data and reporting. With new online and offline mobile options, photos, videos and other assessment data can easily be captured without being impacted by any service disruptions.

“When Hurricane Ian struck last fall, digital damage assessment tools had a huge impact in helping us recover,” said Ben Bailey, Community Development Director of Charlotte County, Florida. “We were able to quickly see where the worst impacts were and direct relief to those most in need. As a community that will continue to face the threat of hurricanes, Accela allows us to prepare and support our recovery efforts, making it possible for residents to return to their homes and businesses faster.”

Now integrated with Esri’s ArcGIS Survey123, the expanded solution streamlines inspections required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Reasonable Expected Market Area (REMA). The two-way integration sends survey results and geospatial data to Accela Civic Platform for location-based planning and automated inspections, allowing communities to prioritize the areas most in need and to track overall progress of recovery efforts within the GIS dashboard.

“Leveraging geographic information and data makes it faster and easier for safety inspections to be completed – ultimately giving communities critical insight into what areas are most impacted and how to best focus recovery efforts,” said Chris Thomas, Director of State and Local Government Markets at Esri. “Accela’s expansion, coupled with our geospatial insight, allows agencies to focus their preparation and rebuilding efforts to best utilize funds, staffing and volunteers.”

For more information on Accela’s solutions, please visit https://www.accela.com/solutions/. If you are a customer jurisdiction in need of a windshield survey inspection required by FEMA, or property and infrastructure inspection assistance, please contact us at DisasterRelief@accela.com.

About Esri

Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, helps customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969 in Redlands, California, USA, Esri software is deployed in hundreds of thousands of organizations globally, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofit institutions, and universities. Esri has regional offices, international distributors, and partners providing local support in over 100 countries on six continents. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial technology and analytics, Esri engineers the most innovative solutions that leverage a geographic approach to solving some of the world’s most complex problems by placing them in the crucial context of location. Visit us at esri.com.

About Accela

Accela is the trusted provider of cloud solutions at the heart of government operations. The company works with governments across the globe to accelerate their digital transformation, deliver vital services, and build stronger communities. More than 300 million residents worldwide benefit from Accela’s government software solutions. The company offers agile, purpose-built solutions and the power of a platform that provides users with a consumer-like experience, shares data across departments, and ensures world-class security.

With Accela, government agencies experience rapid and effective digital transformation. Accela’s government software meets agencies wherever they are on their modernization journey, while also helping them prepare for whatever comes next. The company is a three-consecutive year Microsoft US Partner Award winner for its innovative SaaS solutions to help governments respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Accela was honored as a recipient of Inc.’s Best in Business for SaaS and selected by Fast Company for its World Changing Ideas Award. Accela is headquartered in San Ramon, California, with offices around the world. For more information, visit www.accela.com.