Dimensions - Winter 2018 - 8

vision: innovation

Following 2017's major hurricanes, Dewberry's
geospatial specialists helped FEMA expedite debris
modeling and identify building and infrastructure damage
throughout impacted areas, like the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Geospatial Technology Speeds
FEMA Response to Hurricanes
Geospatial services, including modeling, imagery

the storms' impact from heavy rains and storm surges. The

analysis, and data interpretation, have proven to be

preliminary inundation grids assisted FEMA with initial

a critical tool in support of the Federal Emergency

situational awareness and determining flood depths and

Management Agency's (FEMA) post-hurricane response

damage extent. Key benefits have included the delivery of

efforts in 2017, enabling the agency to expedite debris

expedited rental assistance to property owners, in some

modeling and identify building and infrastructure

cases eliminating the need for damage assessments based

damage throughout impacted areas. Under the firm's U.S.

on site visits-a significant time-saving measure that also

Department of Homeland Security Remote Sensing for

reduces risk to field personnel.

Incidents contract, Dewberry's geospatial specialists have
performed fast-tracked imagery and data analyses in the

Working Around the Clock

aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana;

The analyses included classifications of individual

Hurricane Irma in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands,

building damage levels, extent of infrastructure damage,

Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina; and Hurricane

location of isolated communities, and extent and location

Maria in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

of debris accumulation from flooding events. Working

Identifying Storm Impact

in shifts around the clock, the team analyzed aerial
imagery provided by the Civil Air Patrol and National

In advance of each of the predicted storms, Dewberry

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National

collected topographic information for areas expected

Geodetic Survey as well as aerial and satellite Synthetic

to fall within the hurricane's reach. Using Esri's ArcGIS

Aperture Radar, airborne lidar, digital elevation models,

software, the firm's coastal and riverine engineers and

field reports, stream gauge data, news reports, social

geospatial specialists then created preliminary flood

media posts, and other damage observations. Initial

depth grids as the storms progressed, using peak crest

reports were provided to FEMA within 48 hours of

gauge data to depict inundation levels and the extent of

landfall for each storm.

8 Dimensions

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http://www.dewberry.com/news/blog/post/blog/2017/09/21/how-geospatial-damage-assessments-assist-communities-following-a-severe-weather-event
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dimensions - Winter 2018
