{"id":569542,"date":"2023-02-16T06:05:15","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T14:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=569542"},"modified":"2023-06-20T09:49:31","modified_gmt":"2023-06-20T16:49:31","slug":"louisiana-emergency-management-innovation","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/louisiana-emergency-management-innovation","title":{"rendered":"Emergency Management Gets Boost from GIS Innovations: Louisiana"},"author":671,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"tags":[231,238371,165752,483842],"industry":[],"esri-blog-category":[478642],"esri_blog_department":[478242],"class_list":["post-569542","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-damage-assessment","tag-emergency-management","tag-hurricane","tag-louisiana","esri-blog-category-disaster-response","esri_blog_department-public-safety"],"acf":{"video_source":"","video_start":"","video_stop":"","short_description":"Louisiana uses GIS to better prepare for emergencies and coordinate actions across agencies.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"Disaster response in Louisiana is coordinated by the Governor\u2019s Office of Homeland Security &amp; Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) with new innovative tools that bolster collaboration.\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Key Takeaways<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Flood-prone Louisiana has become a model for its real-time data sharing for disaster management.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The Louisiana Emergency Operation Center\u2019s two-person GIS team led efforts to ease information sharing and foster collaboration among emergency responders.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>GIS-based tools allow the public to report disaster-related home damages, accelerating recovery funding.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There was a feeling of foreboding in Louisiana on August 29, 2021. Hurricane Ida, with powerful category 4 winds, was bearing down on the coast exactly 16 years after Hurricane Katrina had submerged much of New Orleans. Ida was closely followed by Hurricane Nicholas, which drenched already saturated ground. Together, these hurricanes caused more than a billion dollars in damage.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since 1980, the cumulative cost of damages in Louisiana has exceeded $270 billion, second only to Texas and ahead of Florida\u2014the top three disaster-prone states. Fortunately, Ida was far less deadly than Katrina for numerous reasons including an upgraded flood protection system and 16 years of innovations to address lessons learned. This time, the state also had a central online hub for emergency responders and local leaders to share critical information during severe weather events as they happen.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/virtualla.la.gov\/\">Virtual Louisiana<\/a>, rebuilt with geographic information system (GIS) technology by the Louisiana Governor\u2019s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), contains comprehensive disaster data and information. The site includes real-time weather forecasts, information on evacuation routes and shelter locations, and a way for residents to report damages to their homes.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Behind the scenes, Virtual Louisiana creates a conduit for state, federal, and local collaborators\u2014including 64 separate parishes. All responders can stay informed, share details securely, and collaborate on actions during emergencies. A suite of location intelligence tools helps the state accelerate disaster assessments to attain federal recovery funds. Responders collect data that is compiled and displayed on GIS dashboards to automate damage assessments.<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[569602,569592,569582,569572]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GOHSEP has become a model for other metropolitan and state agencies because of its approach to sharing data related to extreme weather events.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOther states have asked, \u2018What\u2019s the secret sauce?,\u2019\u201d said Austin Dixon, WebEOC administrator at GOHSEP.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The not-so-secret recipe for reviving Virtual Louisiana has been years in the making. In 2020, the site was relaunched using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/arcgis\/products\/arcgis-hub\/overview\">ArcGIS Hub<\/a> to organize people, data, and tools for emergency management. Since then, the site proven valuable for response to the COVID-19 pandemic and four hurricanes (Laura, Sally, Delta, and Zeta).<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h3 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Bringing GIS into Focus <\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In any given year, Louisiana endures a variety of extreme weather, including hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, tropical cyclones, and freezing rain.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In August 2016, what is now called the Great Flood occurred, a result of a slow-moving storm system that stayed put for several days. The flooding became the worst US natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Baton Rouge and much of southern Louisiana were underwater, causing at least 13 deaths.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThat really opened everyone\u2019s eyes,\u201d said Andy Venuto, IT statewide applications senior developer with Louisiana\u2019s Office of Technology Services. Venuto manually mapped flood damage during that 2016 event. He had only recently begun providing part-time GIS support to GOHSEP, and the agency hadn\u2019t had a dedicated GIS analyst or internal GIS workflow for several years.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2016 flood made it clear to both Venuto and Dixon that with the right mapping tools, the state could be more responsive to disasters. It could also become better connected to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the state\u2019s parishes for more coordinated emergency response. That meant moving away from the agency\u2019s reliance on paper maps and server-based desktop computers.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The two envisioned Virtual Louisiana as a way for the team to share disaster information securely and efficiently with first responders and the public, without needing a full-time GIS staff.<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[569612,569632,569622,569642]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Many Emergencies, One Hub<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grounded in the direction set by Dixon and Venuto, Virtual Louisiana has become a critical destination during disasters. And the two have taken every opportunity to make it better.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, GOHSEP staff tracked positive cases, supplies of masks, and available hospital beds. Virtual Louisiana displayed a statewide status on dashboards for all to see. The agency also contended with two major hurricanes, with damages that caused Election Day plagued by power outages.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These compounding calamities provided an opportunity for Virtual Louisiana to demonstrate its critical value. Dixon recalled updating 13 dashboards at one point, because there were so many adverse situations to track at once.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe want to automate as much as possible,\u201d Dixon said.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fast-forward to 2023 and Virtual Louisiana has many automated tasks, including crowdsourced home damage information that speeds up the collection of details necessary for a federal disaster declaration and funding.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new tool allows reviewers to complete hundreds of damage assessments in an hour and instantly share findings with FEMA.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h3 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Anticipate and Automate<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moving from manual paper mapping to shared real-time maps and analysis of damages has been a major accomplishment for this small GIS team.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Venuto and Dixon now live by and share this piece of advice: \u201canticipate and automate.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Louisiana faces some of the most extreme weather events in the world\u2014with tornadoes materializing as late as December and hurricanes posing a threat throughout the year, often laying waste to neighborhoods in low-lying areas. But now Virtual Louisiana helps everyone in the state better prepare for these events, collaborate on responses, communicate damages, and document recovery efforts.<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn more about how GIS supports all types of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/state-local-government\/solutions\/emergency-management\">emergency and disaster management operations<\/a>.<\/p>"}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Virtual Louisiana Innovates Emergency Operations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In Louisiana, where natural hazards are commonplace, Virtual Louisiana helps local, state, and federal teams collaborate during emergencies.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/louisiana-emergency-management-innovation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Emergency Management Gets Boost from GIS Innovations: Louisiana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In Louisiana, where natural hazards are commonplace, Virtual Louisiana helps local, state, and federal teams collaborate during emergencies.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/louisiana-emergency-management-innovation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Esri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-20T16:49:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2023\/01\/LA-EOC-395758_n_826.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Esri\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/louisiana-emergency-management-innovation\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/louisiana-emergency-management-innovation\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Virtual Louisiana Innovates Emergency Operations\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2023-02-16T14:05:15+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2023-06-20T16:49:31+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"In Louisiana, where natural hazards are commonplace, Virtual Louisiana helps local, state, and federal teams collaborate during emergencies.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/louisiana-emergency-management-innovation#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/louisiana-emergency-management-innovation\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/louisiana-emergency-management-innovation#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Emergency Management Gets Boost from GIS Innovations: Louisiana\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Esri\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Esri Newsroom\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/8ad23580b2658589de4ea5107d75cb52\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Matt Ball\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Author-photo-2024-768x768.jpg\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Author-photo-2024-768x768.jpg\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Matt Ball\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"description\": \"Matt Ball is the editor of the Esri Blog and writes about applications of geospatial technology for all its departments. With nearly 30 years of reporting on GIS technology, he has chased future-forward user stories and watched as wild ideas, innovative tools, and enterprise-wide geographic approaches have become common practice. Prior to Esri, he edited GeoWorld magazine, organized the GeoTec Event, founded V1 Media, and launched Sensors &amp; Systems and Informed Infrastructure magazines. He\u2019s thrilled to be closer to GIS users, and at a company that pushes what\u2019s possible.\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/author\/mball\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Virtual Louisiana Innovates Emergency Operations","description":"In Louisiana, where natural hazards are commonplace, Virtual Louisiana helps local, state, and federal teams collaborate during emergencies.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/louisiana-emergency-management-innovation","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Emergency Management Gets Boost from GIS Innovations: Louisiana","og_description":"In Louisiana, where natural hazards are commonplace, Virtual Louisiana helps local, state, and federal teams collaborate during emergencies.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/louisiana-emergency-management-innovation","og_site_name":"Esri","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/","article_modified_time":"2023-06-20T16:49:31+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2023\/01\/LA-EOC-395758_n_826.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Esri","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/louisiana-emergency-management-innovation","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/louisiana-emergency-management-innovation","name":"Virtual Louisiana Innovates Emergency Operations","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-02-16T14:05:15+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-20T16:49:31+00:00","description":"In Louisiana, where natural hazards are commonplace, Virtual Louisiana helps local, state, and federal teams collaborate during emergencies.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/louisiana-emergency-management-innovation#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/louisiana-emergency-management-innovation"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/louisiana-emergency-management-innovation#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Emergency Management Gets Boost from GIS Innovations: Louisiana"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/","name":"Esri","description":"Esri Newsroom","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/8ad23580b2658589de4ea5107d75cb52","name":"Matt Ball","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Author-photo-2024-768x768.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Author-photo-2024-768x768.jpg","caption":"Matt Ball"},"description":"Matt Ball is the editor of the Esri Blog and writes about applications of geospatial technology for all its departments. With nearly 30 years of reporting on GIS technology, he has chased future-forward user stories and watched as wild ideas, innovative tools, and enterprise-wide geographic approaches have become common practice. Prior to Esri, he edited GeoWorld magazine, organized the GeoTec Event, founded V1 Media, and launched Sensors &amp; Systems and Informed Infrastructure magazines. He\u2019s thrilled to be closer to GIS users, and at a company that pushes what\u2019s possible.","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/author\/mball"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/569542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/569542\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=569542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=569542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=569542"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=569542"},{"taxonomy":"esri-blog-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/esri-blog-category?post=569542"},{"taxonomy":"esri_blog_department","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/esri_blog_department?post=569542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}