What does being snowed in mean for CGIS and MEMA?

February 10, 2010
Jeremy

Jeremy

At the time of this writing (Tuesday afternoon), many Marylanders are still digging out of last weekend’s blizzard, which dumped at least two feet of snow in most locations.  Maryland is in its fourth day of a State of Emergency with a new snowstorm approaching the region with the possibility of dumping an additional foot or more of snow.  In my Baltimore City neighborhood, the impending snowstorm has residents scrambling back to the grocery store, clearing their flat roofs, and in some cases working with their neighbors to shovel out their block that has yet to be cleared from the last snowstorm.  Once the next storm begins, I along with many other Marylanders will likely hunker down indoors to wait out the storm.

Canton residents removing snow

However, it’s important to remember that there are many people who must work during extreme weather events.  Among others, these include:

  • Snow removal personnel
  • Utility workers
  • Emergency responders
  • Emergency management professionals

Towson University’s Center for GIS (CGIS) has supported the Maryland Emergency Management Agency’s (MEMA) State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) during times of disaster.  In the fall of 2003, CGIS employees provided 24/7 support to the MEMA’s SEOC during Tropical Storm Isabel by fielding ad-hoc map requests and conducting spatial analysis tasks, including providing reasonable estimates of the areas that would be flooded by the storm using storm surge height predictions made by the National Weather Service.  One of the outcomes of this experience was a white paper developed by Dr. Jay Morgan who was then Director of CGIS which outlined lessons learned regarding the use of GIS by the MEMA’s SEOC before and during a disaster.

CGIS continues to support the MEMA’s SEOC during disasters.  Throughout this last blizzard two CGIS employees, Joe Gibson and Matt Miller, provided on-site support to the MEMA’s SEOC by mostly fielding ad-hoc map requests.  With the continuation of Maryland’s State of Emergency and the threat of another major snowstorm, Joe and Matt may be asked to support the MEMA’s SEOC for the second time in a span of one week.

Visit NOAA’s interactive map if you’re interested in local snowfall totals from last week’s storm in Maryland and Northern Virginia.


Leave a Comment » | Community Outreach, Homeland Security, Mapping | Permalink
Posted by Jeremy Monn

CGIS and FEMA’s Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program

February 4, 2010
Jeremy

Jeremy

The recent earthquake in Haiti not only acts as reminder of the vulnerability of communities to disasters caused by natural (earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, etc.) or man-made (nuclear power plant accidents, toxic material releases, etc.) events but it also reminds us that some disasters are so catastrophic that the demand for emergency response exceeds the local jurisdiction’s supply of emergency response equipment and personnel.

So, what are emergency managers to do when they are overwhelmed by a catastrophic disaster within their jurisdiction? An obvious option is to ask for assistance from surrounding jurisdictions by requesting emergency resources (e.g. search and rescue teams, ambulances, EMTs, etc.).  However, in order for these requests to be processed quickly and efficiently, emergency managers within each jurisdiction need to be:

(1)    using a common language when discussing the availability of emergency resources and

(2)    leveraging resource management systems that can “talk” to other jurisdictions’ resource management systems (i.e. are interoperable).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) acknowledges this and developed the NIMS 120, which is a list of authoritative definitions for 120 emergency resources that are likely to be shared by jurisdictions during a disaster.  However, there are state-specific emergency resources that jurisdictions share during a disaster that are not explicitly defined by FEMA.  This gap in common definitions has the potential to disrupt or delay the interstate sharing of resources not listed in the NIMS 120.

Through the Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP), Towson University’s Center for GIS (CGIS) is working with the University of Maryland’s Center for Health and Homeland Security (CHHS) to fill this gap for the six jurisdictions (Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia) making up the national capital region.  CGIS is developing survey instruments that:

(1)    will identify the non-NIMS 120 emergency resources that each jurisdiction has available for emergency response and

(2)    assess the existing resource management systems of each jurisdiction. 

CGIS will compile the survey results and provide CHHS a list of options and recommendations for definitions for the non-NIMS 120 emergency resources identified by the surveyed jurisdictions.  CGIS will also provide CHHS options and recommendations for enhancing / improving the interoperability of resource management systems across the region.

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Posted by Jeremy Monn

Get into step with the Maryland National Guard Forums

January 4, 2010

Sharyn

I’m planning to attend the Maryland National Guard Forum on Veterans Reintegration on January 12, 2010. I thought it would be interesting to hear first hand from Cheryl Mannon, from Towson University’s Academic Affairs division, about her experience planning the event and what attendees can expect. Here’s what she had to say:

Q: The Maryland National Guard is sponsoring a series of forums at Towson University. The first one is coming up on January 12 and the focus is on higher education and business. What can attendees expect?

A:    The first day is designed for post-secondary educators (community colleges, universities and trade schools) and will inform them about the unique challenges that returning veterans face on our campuses.  We have speakers who  have developed programs, MD National Guard experts in educational benefits and student and administrator panels to discuss their experiences on campus.   Educators will work in teams to develop ideas for action plans to  take back and implement on their own campuses.

Q: Who are the featured speakers for the forum on January 12?

A:  We’re very happy to have Dr. John Schupp, from Cleveland State University, who has started a unique veterans program on his campus and Buzz Williams, a Towson alum and author of “Spare Parts:  A Marine Reservist’s Journey from Campus to Combat in 38 Days”, a memoir of his experience as a student being deployed during the Gulf War.  We have reintegration  and benefits experts from the MD National Guard, several behavioral health professionals discussing challenges to the individual and to families and a chaplain to talk about community support for our student vets.

Guest panelists from local schools include representatives from Anne Arundel Community College, Community College of Baltimore County, University of Maryland, University College, Towson University and Montgomery Community College.    Each of the panelists have worked on veterans programming at their institutions and will share their successes and challenges.  Finally, there will be a veteran student panel to talk about their experiences on campus with ideas on improving our support systems.

Q: How did Towson University get selected to host the event?

A:  One of our adjunct professors in the Psychology Department, Dr. Christine  Harnett , works with the MD National Guard on reintegration issues and recommended us to the director of reintegration programs, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Gafney.

Q: What other events are planned as part of this forum series?

A: On January 13, the second day of the series will focus on employing and integrating veterans in the workforce.  There are many government programs available to employers who hire vets and many employers who promote hiring and training of veterans.   We’d like to begin a network for veterans across  the state of educators and employers.

A third conference may be held in June on campus and will focus on medical and behavioral health professionals in the community.

Q: What is the cost to attend the forums and how does someone register? Can anyone attend the forum?

A:    The Maryland National Guard has sponsored this event with the stipulation that it be free to all participants.    Registration is online at www.towson.edu/nationalguardexpo .  The event is open to all registrants (space available) although it is tailored specifically to post-secondary educators.

Leave a Comment » | Community Outreach, Education, Events, Homeland Security, News, TU Faculty & Staff | Permalink
Posted by Sharyn Kuczka

Welcome to Baltimore–Supporting the families associated with BRAC

October 8, 2009
Jeremy

Jeremy

A few months ago I knew I was going to move, I just didn’t know where.  I knew I wanted to have an easier commute to work but I also wanted to reduce my reliance on my car for regular trips to destinations like the bookstore, coffee shop, park, restaurants, and grocers.  After a month of searching I found a place in Baltimore City’s Canton neighborhood that fit my requirements.  Now I frequent Patterson Perk for coffee and reading, Patterson Park for jogging, a long list of restaurants for dining, and Safeway for groceries all by walking to them.  Even the commute to work has improved since I no longer have to fight against Beltway traffic.  The only major drawback is trying to find a parking spot late at night.  Apparently the later you arrive home, the longer you hunt for a parking spot but I can live with that.

Photo credit - New York Times

Photo credit - New York Times

All of these experiences made me think of the thousands of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) employees associated with Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) that are in the process of relocating to Maryland.

  • Where are they going to locate in Maryland?
  • Will some of them be moving to Canton for the same reasons I did?
  • Does it make sense for them to move to Baltimore City?

There is no doubt that Baltimore City officials and organizations are trying to attract future APG employees, as indicated in a September 16th article in the Baltimore Sun “City gives Army workers a neighborhoods tour.”

We all know that choosing your neighborhood is about more than restaurants and shops, it’s also about proximity to schools, universities, and services you and your family need! Towson University has made an effort to assist BRAC residents in their moving process by providing valuable information regarding educational and training programs and veteran services.  Additionally, RESI Applied Economics completed the Educational Needs Assessment for the Department of Business and Economic Development associated with BRAC.

To see entire map, click here.

To see entire map, click here.

Towson University has also provided BRAC residents with information regarding commuting times to APG from surrounding locations.  A little over a year ago, Towson University’s Center for GIS created two drive time analysis maps for the APG-CSSC Regional BRAC Office using ESRI’s Network Analyst extension.  The maps illustrate drive times from Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Harford County to surrounding areas a different time scales: one map illustrates drive times at a 5-minute interval while the other illustrates drive times at a 15-minute interval.  These maps, along with other information, are available for future APG employees relocating to Maryland during the realignment process.

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Posted by Jeremy Monn