Speedy Recovery
Flooding causes more deaths and damage than any other weather-related phenomena, and three-quarters of all federally
declared disasters are due, at least in part, to flooding. In responding to flooding on the Tippecanoe River in northern Indiana,
the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) had to quickly assess the potential damages in an area spanning two counties.
What areas were likely the hardest hit by the flood?
To get the answers they needed, IDHS turned to a coordinating partner who was able to gather information from a series
of agencies and companies:
- GIS service providers for the effected counties obtained permission from local emergency managers to release E911 address and parcel information
- Indiana Department of Local Government and Finance contributed assessment data
- The US Geological Survey provided both field measurements and water gauge data to reflect peak flooding
- Free risk assessment software developed by FEMA included building information like replacement costs and square footage
By analyzing this information, IDHS obtained estimates for flooded structures (more than 1,000), the extent of the flooding, and recovery costs.
Results
The GIS analyses, reports and maps were used to identify the areas hardest hit by the flooding. Field crews could concentrate their efforts
on inventorying specific structures and neighborhoods, saving valuable time. This meant documentation of the disaster went to FEMA
faster, the area was declared an official flood zone sooner, and residents received federal aid earlier.
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