2023 Big Sky GeoCon - Common Ground | Building Connections with GIS

In September of 2022, Hurricane Ian threatened Florida and the east coast of the US. The Category 4 hurricane was aimed directly at Florida’s Gulf Coast and many of Pickett and Associate’s utility clients were expecting damage to their transmission line infrastructure. In preparation for the storm, Pickett’s utility clients contracted Pickett to conduct post-storm damage assessments. With Pickett’s headquarters and IT infrastructure located in Tampa, FL, preparing for a field-based disaster response program became a challenge, as the hurricane looked to be heading straight for Tampa. At the end of the day on September 28th, Pickett’s IT department shut down the IT infrastructure, which was home to Pickett’s Enterprise GIS. Pickett and Associates’ Montana GIS Group took the lead and prepared to support utility clients in their damage assessments once the storm cleared using GIS based tools for field assessments and reporting. This presentation will discuss the challenges experienced, the lessons learned while supporting Pickett’s clients after Hurricane Ian cleared central Florida, as field crews began damage assessments, and what our plans are to simplify this process for future storm response programs.