Civic News

Baltimore County summons Stormfighter to keep from getting buried during snowstorms

Buried in citizen calls, that is. The web tool is a response to last year's wait times.

Snow. (Photo used under Creative Commons 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons user BenFranske)

The polar vortex is on its way, meaning Maryland is checking @JustinWeather to see if snowfall may be possible.
For local governments, this usually means making sure the plows are ready and the salt supply is stocked. But Baltimore County has also been busy preparing a new web tool.
The County’s IT department created a new feature called Stormfighter. It takes out the need to call the County DPW to report an issue such as an unplowed street. Instead, it offers a web form for reporting.
See it
The tool uses a GIS mapping app to provide County workers with location data for each report.
The forms are the same used by County workers who take calls.
The County decided it was time for Stormfighter after calls during last year’s blizzard jammed phone lines. In a statement, County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said the web is “the best way to communicate with us in case of a major storm.”

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