ESRI Provides GIS Support for Hurricane Katrina Response

ESRI (CA, USA) is providing GIS software and services support to organisations responding to Hurricane Katrina. Similar to ESRI’s efforts in responding to other emergencies including last year’s hurricane season, government agencies and private entities can contact ESRI for on-site technical support, temporary key codes, and other assistance. This support is available to any organisation, regardless of its GIS platform.

Agencies in need of GIS assistance should visit the ESRI website. This website also contains useful information such as hurricane advisories and related information, hurricane maps and images, and maps for journalists. ESRI business partners or corporate alliances that would like to offer software, hardware, services, or imagery should contact Brenda Martinez (e-mail: b_martinez@esri.com) to coordinate these efforts.

As part of ESRI’s commitment to disaster preparation, response, and recovery, ESRI is supporting local, state, and federal agencies and private organisations responding to Hurricane Katrina, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and other affected areas. ESRI has provided software, mapping and analysis services, technical expertise, field GIS, Web services, and more. Applications include assigning equipment, organising and deploying personnel, evacuation planning, identifying emergency shelters, hurricane modelling and tracking, damage assessment, and infrastructure restoration.