Disaster Resistant Communities Summit Comes To Charleston
Release Date: June 17, 2002
Release Number: R4-02-51
Atlanta, GA -- Emergency management officials and disaster mitigation specialists will gather in Charleston this week for the 2002 Southeastern Disaster Resistant Communities Summit to be held at the Westin Francis Marion Hotel. One of the topics being highlighted during this year's Summit is geographic information systems, or GIS, and how they are used in disaster response and hazard mitigation planning.
"Technology has quickly become one of the best live-saving, disaster-avoiding tools in our arsenal," said Charleston County Chairman Timothy E. Scott. "The ability to use geographic information systems to track and overlay map information enables emergency managers to see where there may be potential trouble spots."
Two of the presentations during the Summit will focus on how the New York Fire Department used GIS during their response on to the attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and the role GIS played during the debris removal operations there. Geographic information systems have become so important to emergency managers and mitigation specialists that this year's Summit will be preceded by three and a half days of specialized GIS classes.
The Summit's more than 200 participants are coming from states as far west as New Mexico and as far north as Pennsylvania. The Summit will conclude at noon Saturday, when 16 awards will be presented to businesses, organizations and individuals for their work in safeguarding communities by making them more resistant to natural disasters.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 27-Aug-2003 11:51:18