The SDE Tool was developed in response to the challenges that many local and State officials face after major disasters when they try to conduct substantial damage assessments.

The SDE Tool can assist State and local officials as they perform on-site visual substantial damage assessments to estimate repair costs and building values for residential and non-residential structures. It also can support the enforcement of local flood damage prevention ordinances, as required for communities that participate in the NFIP.

The primary goal in developing the SDE Tool is to give those officials, with limited appraisal or construction backgrounds, a way to make reasonable estimates of the value of buildings and the damage to those buildings after any event.

The SDE Tool is also a resource for seasoned substantial damage assessors, as it provides an organized platform to prepare data and calculate damages in a consistent format. SDE Tool data can help demonstrate that the community is complying with NFIP regulations.