Merit Tracks Time and Logistics for Faster FEMA Reimbursements

Hurricane Ian Rapid Response

Overview

Boots on the ground before landfall

The Merit team setup badging at check-in sites and issued merits (verified digital credentials), to secure zone access, track time for responders and volunteers, manage required reporting, and provide increased resource visibility. Check-in sites were located at multiple locations within the disaster including base camps, nursing centers, and shelters

In addition to tracking people, Merit worked with agencies to develop a 3 button system on tablets for the National Guard to track distribution of water, MREs and vehicles. And as part of asset management, Merit created a system to monitor fuel status for generators.

Seamless resource tracking and accountability

Five days before Hurricane Ian made landfall, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) requested Merit deploy teams and technology to support the agency’s anticipated response. The next day, Merit employees and volunteers traveled to Florida, with more waiting on standby. Within 48 hours, the Merit Tech Incident Management Team (IMT) was issuing badges and merits to hundreds of responders

Lauren D. Bonica, Director of Emergency Services, speaking from the Tallahassee Emergency Operations Center, listed some of the many services where verified digital credential teams were used.

Securing access for Florida State Emergency Operations Center
Budgeting for nurse staffing
Reception for shelters
Check-in and time tracking for National Guard and first responders
Distribution logging of meals, water, vehicles, and MREs
Registration and timestamps for state response and recovery partners
Asset location and status tracking
EOC technical support for totaling initial declaration costs

Solution

Faster reporting and FEMA reimbursements

Merit simplified and streamlined the reporting processes with digitized forms and integrated, automated workflows. The single platform enabled individuals, supervisors, and staff to submit, review, and approve FEMA forms. The technology worked to eliminate the historically extensive paper process, in turn speeding up the reimbursement process. Even more, the platform's verified audit trail traced back to timestamps at check-in sites.

"Emergency managers are makingcritical real-time decisions and justifying early budget requests from FEMA using our dashboard data."

- Tomer Kagan,
Merit CEO & FOUNDER

Results

Real-time decision making

Merit team staff actively supported and empowered the EOC onsite, sending merits on new missions as contracts developed, configuring forms and dashboards, and running reports for communications and forecasting of logistics needs.

"Merit's simple badging and tracking program for volunteers, IMTs ,politicians, and service animals unified the community and supported a safer response to the disaster."

- Jonathan Jandorf,
Merit Program Manager

CASE STUDY