While the rest of us are busy washing our hands, the folks in Nashville, TN and surrounding areas are recovering from damage caused by several tornadoes that touched down on March 2nd and 3rd – while also monitoring COVID-19. Seventy thousand residents lost power, 300 injuries were reported and 25 lives were lost. We can’t stop these events from happening, but when we respond with the right tools, we can help the Nashville Strong recovery take place faster.
Among the first organizations to arrive to help document and communicate the damage were StEER (Structural Extreme Events Reconnaissance) volunteers armed with Fulcrum. Soon after, New Covenant Social Justice volunteers started a door-to-door campaign using Fulcrum to access damage and survey the needs of residents.
New Covenant has a long-term plan to use the data collected to ensure the needs of the residents are met for months to come. When their director, Dr. Teresa Smallwood, called us, New Covenant’s volunteer teams were going door-to-door with a paper survey. Those surveys had to be brought back to the office and transcribed into their database.
Not any more.
Nashville Strong with Fulcrum
With Fulcrum, they now have those same questions in an app on their cell phone that helps them collect and share the information in real time. It also gives New Covenant the ability to see their volunteers’ location, so they don’t duplicate efforts.
This enhances the speed and accuracy of their field data collection. It also improves communication between volunteer teams and organizations providing essential services. These services include shelter, medical care, food, and other resources, keeping Nashville strong.
When lives are at risk, sharing information quickly is crucial, regardless of phone service quality. Fulcrum enables disaster-response organizations to communicate in real-time or near real-time, even without WiFi.
Are you with a volunteer team that collects data on public health emergencies like COVID-19? Or do you assess damage and needs after natural disasters? Please reach out to us.
Fulcrum is a low-code/no-code platform. It helps organizations cut costs, access critical data in real-time, and enhance decision-making. With Fulcrum, create custom apps easily. Turn your paper documents into digital forms. Your field teams can quickly fill these out on mobile devices. Our software is free for humanitarian and disaster-relief organizations via Fulcrum Community.