The Disaster

Once a disaster occurs, there will be an emergency response. Depending on the jurisdiction and scope of the disaster, this could involve other county, state, or federal officials. The county’s immediate response to the disaster is outside the scope of the process of applying to be a declared disaster area. Supplemental tips and information that may be helpful are provided in our "Immediate Response Tips" packet.

The process of reassessing damaged property for property tax relief and the application to the Executive Council is separate from anything done through FEMA or other relief from the state. However, in the immediate wake of the disaster, it may be unsafe to immediately start reassessing damaged property. The assessor’s office should prioritize planning and preparing for the reassessment immediately.

The assessor’s office should coordinate with whatever emergency management coordination is available to determine when it is safe to begin the reassessment. This can take time depending on the type and scope of disaster. All assessors and appraisers must be ready to begin the reassessment as soon as it is safe to do so. Property owners will be attempting to rebuild and move forward; however, it is the job of the assessor to capture the full extent of the damage.

Depending on the magnitude of damage, assistance from other assessors may be necessary. Jurisdictions may reach out to neighboring cities or counties to find qualified assessors to assist with the work. This may require certain arrangements between units of government (for instance, insurance on county vehicles when outside the county and salary compensation).