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Mapping Hurricane Laura's Path and Risks

A series of maps showing the risk of the storm, and overlaid on COVID-19 risks.

A major hurricane, Laura--which is now a Catagory 4 storm is approaching the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas. One of the benefits we have today is computer mapping which enables a digital representation of different layers of risk.

Much has been said about having a hurricane season during a pandemic--which is what we are in the midst of today. See the information below that comes from Esri which is the dominant GIS software company being used by governments across the United States. It highlights geospatially how the two disasters, the hurricane and the pandemic overlap. 

"As Hurricane Laura prepares to make landfall on the Gulf Coast, Esri has curated a suite of authoritative maps, apps, and data from federal agencies like FEMA, the US Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA, and more to help media and the public understand the impacts on vulnerable populations, including those dealing with COVID-19.

The Hurricane Incident Journal from FEMA shows Laura’s projected path overlaid with CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index and COVID-19 case rates from Johns Hopkins University to illustrate which vulnerable populations are most at-risk from the storm’s impacts. The app estimates the number of unemployed workers, households in poverty, and households relying on food stamps/SNAP benefits that will be impacted by either the storm’s surge or wind field.

The USACE Flood Inundation Mapping app from the US Army Corps of Engineers models storm surge and projected river and stream flooding from Hurricane Laura against live stream gauges and levee information to visualize the impacts of coastal and inland inundation from the storm.

You can find additional maps and apps, as well as authoritative data to build your own visualizations on Esri’s Disaster Response Program Hurricane Hub site. "

Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.
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