NIAGARA COUNTY, N.Y. (WIVB) — Niagara County has launched its new emergency preparedness smartphone app a week early as residents clean up from days of severe weather.

The app is called “Prepare Niagara,” Niagara County Emergency Service Director Jonathan Schultz said it’s designed to offer county residents and visitors a new way to quickly get information. The app also allows users to submit damage reports, view power outages, create a plan for emergencies and more.

Schultz said the new service was rolled out one week early after areas of Niagara County were pounded with heavy rain and flooding.

“As this week’s flooding has shown, it is imperative for us to be able to reach out to the community quickly in the event of any type of emergency situation,” Schultz said. “The Prepare Niagara app allows us to do that plus provides several other features that can aid in emergency planning and post-event response.”

Schultz added that they hope people will submit their damage reports from the July 20 storms through the service, noting it’s a quick process. He says it’s key to helping Niagara County meet the requirements of a state of emergency declaration.

The smartphone application was developed by myEMAapp.com, a division of OCV, LLC.

To download the app, click here.