Preliminary Damage Assessments

Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs) are specialized inspection records designed for rapid damage evaluation during and after disaster events. Forerunner supports two types of PDAs aligned with FEMA guidance: Individual Assistance PDAs for residential properties and Public Assistance PDAs for government and nonprofit facilities.

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Understanding PDA types

FEMA’s disaster assistance programs require different types of damage assessments depending on who owns the damaged property and what type of assistance is being sought.

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Individual Assistance PDA (IA PDA)

Individual Assistance PDAs are used to assess damage to residential properties and support requests for FEMA Individual Assistance programs. These assessments focus on rapid evaluation of housing damage for homeowners and renters.

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Purpose

• Document damage to residential structures
• Support Individual Assistance disaster declarations
• Identify displaced residents and immediate housing needs
• Create baseline data for detailed damage assessments
• Track property damage across affected areas

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Key fields

Assessment information:

• Assessment date
• Event name
• Primary, secondary, and tertiary damage types (flooding, earthquake, wind, wildfire, etc.)

Structure details:

• Structure accessibility (Yes/No/Unknown)
• Structure use (Residential/Commercial/Public/Unknown)
• Structure type (Conventional/Manufactured/Mobile home/Non-standard/Unknown)
• Residence type (Primary/Secondary)

Damage assessment:

• Damage degree (required) - None, Affected, Minor, Major, Destroyed, or Unknown
• Structure flooded (Yes/No/Unknown)
• Depth of flooding (inches)
• Description of damage

Ownership and insurance:

• Owner type (Owner/Renter/Unknown)
• Insurance status (Yes/No/Unknown)

Documentation:

• Photo uploads (up to 10 images)

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Damage degree categories

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Automatic property warnings

When you create an IA PDA, Forerunner automatically updates warning indicators on the property based on the damage degree:

1. System identifies the most recent PDA for each property
2. Updates property card warnings based on damage degree
3. Displays visual indicators on map (color coding)
4. Teams can filter and sort properties by damage severity

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Public Assistance PDA (PA PDA)

Public Assistance PDAs document damage to facilities owned by state, tribal, and local governments, as well as eligible private nonprofits. These assessments support FEMA Public Assistance program applications with detailed cost documentation.

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Purpose

• Document damage to public facilities and infrastructure
• Support Public Assistance disaster declarations
• Estimate repair and replacement costs
• Categorize work by FEMA work categories
• Track eligible costs and insurance offsets

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Form sections

PA PDAs are organized into eight detailed sections: 1. Inspection details

• Date of inspection
• Inspector name and agency

2. Applicant identification

• Legally responsible entity (full legal name of organization)
• Applicant type:
  • State/territorial government
  • Tribal government
  • Local government
  • Eligible private nonprofit (PNP)

3. Facility description

• Facility name or asset ID
• Year built
• Dimensions (square feet)
• Capacity
• Materials and construction type
• Make/model/type
• Narrative description of facility and pre-event function

4. Damage snapshot

• Event name
• Incident period (start and end dates)
• Date damaged
• Cause of damage
• Damage description narrative
• Categories of work required (FEMA work categories)

5. Cost estimate inputs

• Basis of estimate
• Preliminary repair/replacement cost
• Insurance and other offsets
• Estimated cost of assistance

6. Supporting documentation

• General attachments (up to 15 files) - cost worksheets, contractor bids, insurance documents, engineering reports
• Photo documentation (up to 15 images)

7. Local contact

• Contact name, title, phone, and email

8. Additional notes

• Notes field
• PA PDA summary (supports AI-assisted generation)

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FEMA work categories

PA PDAs classify required work using FEMA’s standard categories: Emergency Work: Permanent Work:

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Creating PDAs in the field

PDAs are typically created during field assessments using the mobile app:

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Mobile capabilities

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Offline support

• Download property data before heading to the field
• All PDA forms work offline
• Photos stored locally until sync
• Automatic upload when online

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GPS integration

• Auto-populate property coordinates
• Navigate between properties
• Track assessment coverage
• Verify property locations

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Team coordination

• Assign assessment areas
• Track completion progress
• Avoid duplicate assessments
• Share real-time updates (when online)

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Viewing and managing PDAs

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Assessment tables

Access PDA records through the Inspections table:

1. Navigate to Records > Inspections
2. Filter by record type to show IA PDAs or PA PDAs
3. Use filters to find specific assessments:
   • By date range
   • By damage degree (IA PDA)
   • By work category (PA PDA)
   • By inspector
   • By location

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Map view

View assessments geographically:

1. Open the map
2. Enable property layer with damage warnings
3. Use color coding to identify damage severity
4. Click properties to view assessment details

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Property pages

See all assessments for a single property:

1. Open property details
2. Navigate to Records section
3. View chronological list of all PDAs
4. Compare assessments over time

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Exporting PDA data

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FEMA Individual Assistance reporting

Export IA PDAs for federal assistance requests:

1. Navigate to Records > Inspections
2. Filter to IA PDAs within the disaster period
3. Click Export data
4. Select format (typically CSV)
5. Include required fields:
   • Property owner information
   • Damage degree
   • Insurance status
   • Displacement information

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FEMA Public Assistance reporting

Export PA PDAs with detailed cost documentation:

1. Filter to PA PDAs for the disaster period
2. Export with facility and cost information
3. Include:
   • Applicant identification
   • Facility descriptions
   • Work categories
   • Cost estimates and offsets

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Export formats

• CSV - Spreadsheet format for data analysis
• Shapefile - GIS format with spatial data
• GeoPackage - Modern GIS format for analysis

Learn more about Exporting Records.

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Integration with other workflows

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SI/SD Tracking

For flood events, IA PDAs can trigger substantial damage tracking:

1. IA PDA identifies property with significant damage
2. Create Substantial Damage Estimate (SDE) for detailed cost analysis
3. SDE calculates damage as percentage of building value
4. Generate SI/SD determination if 50% threshold exceeded

Learn more about SI/SD Tracking.

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Task management

Generate follow-up tasks from assessments:

• Schedule detailed inspections for damaged properties
• Create compliance verification tasks
• Assign debris removal coordination
• Track temporary housing support

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Grant tracking

Link PA PDAs to grant applications:

• Reference damage documentation in FEMA grants
• Track Public Assistance eligibility
• Document Hazard Mitigation Assistance impacts

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Configuring PDA record types

If the Record Builder is enabled for your account, you can customize PDA forms yourself—adding fields, adjusting labels, and configuring permissions. See Customizing Records for details. Your Customer Success Manager can help with specialized PDA module configuration:

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Standard configurations

IA PDA:

• Property information (auto-populated)
• Damage degree with property warning integration
• Structure and ownership fields
• Photo upload

PA PDA:

• Eight-section form structure
• FEMA work category selection
• Cost estimation fields
• Supporting document uploads
• AI-assisted summary generation

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Custom configurations

Your CSM can help with:

• Additional damage categories
• Custom assessment fields
• Integration with state reporting systems
• Automated notifications
• Conditional logic based on damage type

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Best practices

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Field operations

Prepare before deployment:

• Ensure all team members have app access and training
• Test offline functionality before events
• Establish clear assessment protocols
• Define damage criteria consistently (especially for IA PDA damage degrees)

During assessment:

• Complete one assessment per property/facility visit
• Capture photos showing multiple angles
• Document immediate hazards
• For PA PDAs, gather cost estimate information from facility managers

After field work:

• Sync data as soon as possible
• Review for completeness and accuracy
• Flag properties/facilities needing follow-up
• Generate summary reports for leadership

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Data quality

Standardize assessments:

• Train all inspectors on damage degree definitions (IA PDA)
• Use consistent FEMA work category classifications (PA PDA)
• Require photos for major and destroyed classifications
• Conduct spot-check quality reviews

Maintain records:

• Don’t delete assessments—create new ones to update status
• Track recovery progress over time
• Document changing conditions
• Link related assessments

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Reporting

Generate timely reports:

• Export daily assessment summaries
• Share maps showing damage distribution
• Submit required state/federal reports promptly
• Track cost estimates for PA PDAs

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Related topics

• Substantial Damage Estimates - Calculate damage costs for 50% threshold
• SI/SD Tracking - SI/SD determinations and compliance
• Creating Records - Step-by-step creation guide
• Accessing Records - View and manage records
• Exporting Records - Export assessment data