8a - tornado, jet crash, wind storm - a busy year in emergency response gis
TRANSCRIPT
Tornado, Jet Crash, Wind StormA busy year in Adams County
emergency response GIS
Tyler GrosshueschAdams County GIS
WLIA Annual Meeting – February 2012
This is not in Adams County
Photo: Heather Bleick, courtesy of AVO/USGS.Mount Redoubt, Cook Inlet, AKMarch 26, 2009
Map by Janet Schaefer, courtesy of AVO/ADGGS.
Volcano Threatens Oil Terminal -AK Oil & Gas Cartography Unit Preparedness = 0
Map: SkyTruth, Imagery: NASA
• VERY limited data• No training or
preparation• Therefore, poor
response and lousy maps• Oil & Gas was far down
the list of responding agencies, many others were better prepared
Adams County GIS
• Started work in August, 2009 – a few months after the volcano
• Emergency response is part of the job– Preparedness expected– No training provided– Wanted to learn
• Opportunity with DNR Fire IMT
DNR Fire Incident Management Team
• Volunteer opportunity to provide GIS support• Adams County receives:
– Excellent training– An opportunity to think about preparedness– An opportunity to work with other GIS professionals
• DNR receives:– A trained volunteer they can call on in an
emergency
DNR Fire Incident Management Team (cont’d)
• Situation Unit led by John Hintz (DNR)• Other GIS volunteers
– Justin Conner (Wood County)– Paul Schneider (City of Marshfield)– Jim Lutes (US Fish and Wildlife)
DNR Fire Incident Management Team (cont’d)
• Meet annually to review our roles, hardware, software– Standardized maps and data– Documented and tested hardware
• Portable network storage, wireless• Printer – 11x17 color, job storage
– Review procedures and priorities• Also have less frequent event simulations
Things I’ve learned from IMT participation
• Have laptop ready with:– Spatial data– Tax roll – as important as spatial data
• Simplify access to styled data– My way: layer file library– DNR way: pre-made maps
• Periodically think things through– What will be requested?– What will I need?
Good thing I learned something...
• Tornado – April 10th, 2011• Fighter jet crash – June 7th, 2011• Wind storm – September 2nd, 2011
• No deaths or severe injuries
Tornados in Adams Countyet al.
Initial Response – night of the tornado
• Clearing roads• Electrical safety• Determining location and extent of damage
– Normal confusion, communication problems– Might have been facilitated by GIS support
Activated DNR IMT
• Adams County requested support from the DNR, DNR activated the IMT
• IMT convened at the Incident Command Post the morning after the tornado
• My first time in an active IMT was for an Adams County incident– In a way, this is good – my participation had been
questioned
Morning After the Tornado
• Picked up my laptop (data was ready to go)• Started mapping the tornado path and areas
of worst damage based on:– Description from Sheriff’s Captain– Listening to the morning briefing
• Verified the map after the briefing• Printed some wall maps at the office• After this, began to participate in DNR IMT
DNR Support
• Well trained, experienced people– New County EM Director– New County Sheriff– New County GIS Specialist
• IMT equipment trailer – lots of goodies• Recon flight
– More accurate mapping of the extent– Observed unreported damage– Photos taken from the air
Cottonville Tornado
Photo: Curtis Ambulance
Town of Preston shop
Photo: Curtis Ambulance
Chair, Town of Strongs Prairie
Photo: John Hintz, DNR
Hectic, then calm
• Morning, afternoon– Getting set up– Figuring out what was going on– Meeting immediate needs for information
• Evening, subsequent two days– Updates and refinements
• Restricted access map and list• Law enforcement assignments
– At ICP to fulfill other requests (hanging out)
At the EOC
Productive Outcomes
• County & DNR GIS response well regarded• DNR support especially appreciated• Good real-world experience for new county
staff• Working with EM, LE facilitated later work• Time to work with DNR staff
– Getting to know each other, equipment– Wrote backup script discussed at planning mtg.
Friends and Neighbors Helping
Photo: Curtis Ambulance
Photos: Curtis Ambulance
Karma, Schadenfreude
Photo: John Hintz, DNR
F-16 Crash
Photo: F-16.net, Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems
An F-16 crashed? Really?
• Early grapevine reports of a plane crash• Assumed it was a crop duster• Heard from news reports that it was an F-16• Training run from Truax field (Madison)• Mechanical failure• Pilot ejected safely• Jet crashed into an unoccupied house
Before
County WROC imagery – March 2012
After
DigitalGlobe / Bing imagery - August 2011
On-The-Ground Response
• New Chester Fire Department first on the scene (volunteer, rural)
• Military arrived about 2 hours later• New Chester Fire Captain remained Incident
Commander• New Chester Fire Department widely praised• Little known about the military activity• Concerns continue regarding chemical release
and groundwater contamination
GIS Response
• Nothing requested during work hours• After work, stay home with the kids• Prep and print, meet EM Director• No maps – needed a list of land owners in the
restricted area• Fulfilling data requests from WI Dept. Military
Affairs (Emergency Mgt., National Guard)
Aircraft Accident Investigation Board ReportLt. Col. David B. Faulk
Crater: 9ft. deep, 30 ft. diameter
There used to be a house here.
Wind Storm
Wind Storm
• Friday before Labor Day• Widespread damage
– Trees down– Electric lines down – many without power
• GIS requests were simple– Map the affected area based on hand drawn map– Updated the map 3 times within 2 hours as more
reports came in
Getting Ready for Next Time
• Continuing with DNR IMT• New laptop
– Emergency response requirements justify purchase
– Can handle ArcGIS 10, imagery storage• Scripted & scheduled updates to keep laptop
data fresh
