Challenge
When a natural disaster occurs, it’s vital that facilities like police and fire stations, hospitals, and utility buildings are located out of harm’s way. Several Louisiana parishes needed to identify which critical facilities were located within flood zones so they could properly plan for and respond to hazards.
Solution
State planners used Coastal County Snapshots, a flood exposure tool on the Digital Coast, to identify the structures within the parishes’ flood zones, and determined that many of the facilities designed to provide shelter and emergency services were actually at risk themselves. Through this discovery, the team created updated maps, which provide a more accurate look at the critical infrastructure in the area and are helping parish officials better plan for and respond to hazard events.
