Mayor Teresa Jacobs and Chief Information Officer Rafael Mena have been invited to Washington D.C, tomorrow, May 30, to meet with President Barack Obama and Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco.
Orange County Government was selected as one of only three organizations to demonstrate innovations in emergency response. During the closed meeting of the President’s Annual Briefing for Hurricane Preparation, Orange County will be the only county in the nation presenting. The State of Virginia and the Department of Energy will also participate in the “Innovations Presentations” to top officials from FEMA, Homeland Security and the White House.
Mena’s presentation will focus on the County’s effort to connect to the community through technology—specifically through two recently launched interactive smartphone applications. Highlighting the County’s emergency response innovations, the presentation will showcase OCFL Alert, a smart phone app that gives you critical information during times of emergency. Additionally, OCFL 311, which allows users to photograph, pinpoint and report problems from potholes to hazardous sidewalk cracks directly from their smartphone to Orange County’s 311 Service Center, will be presented.
“Public safety is always our top priority. Through the use of technology, residents have continuous connections with the County,” Mayor Jacobs said.
Mena is excited to share the County’s success and lessons learned from these initiatives and added, “We look forward to sharing our ideas on how we serve and protect our citizens through technology.”
The free apps are available for download and can be used on both iPhone and Android devices.