Abstract

Using GIS to Develop Climate Projections for Emergency Services Planning
Track: Disaster Management and Emergency Response
Authors: Tonya Graham

Climate scientists tell us we can expect more severe floods, forest fires, droughts, and severe storms as well as sea level rise over the next several decades. From an emergency services perspective, we risk overwhelming our systems unless we plan adequately for these changes at all levels.

Through the ClimateWise program offered to communities by the Geos Institute, emergency services providers can learn what the best scientific analysis of the future suggests might happen to environmental conditions at the local level. Armed with such projections, emergency service providers are able to develop strategies for adapting to the changes likely to confront them.

This presentation will identify some of the regional projections that have been developed by ClimateWise using GIS software and share strategies that have been developed by emergency services professionals to deal with these expected impacts.