At least 1,500 homes were destroyed in the 2007 California wildfires, and more than 500,000 acres of land burned from Santa Barbara County to the U.S.-Mexico border. Maps of damaged structures, flood plains, and soil burn severity are among those USACE prepared to help FEMA aid those displaced by the catastrophe.

As students begin a new semester at Louisiana State Univerity, the school plots a new course to keep the college community safe during hurricanes, with the assistance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers uses Bentley Systems ProjectWise to evaluate hurricane protection and flood damage reduction systems in New Orleans.

Utilities must be constantly prepared to respond quickly when a storm or other disastrous event causes widespread power outages.

Using Mobile Mapping to Manage Wildfires A 30-year veteran of land management discusses his experience using electronic maps and their GIS data in the field to fight wildfires. Feb 1, 2006 By: Tom Patterson

The application of geospatial technologies to wildfire management is not a new phenomenon. As a 30-year veteran of public service land management, I've taken an active role in using the latest mobile GIS technology during and after firestorms. Most recently, I've put to use an important technological development that's one the best tools for fire management since the shovel: the handheld computer.

Hurricane Debris Modeling Using GIS to model and forecast debris resulting from such natural disasters as Hurricane Katrina can help communities recover more quickly. Oct 1, 2005 By: Diana Umpierre

On August 25, 2005, with barely two days' notice, Hurricane Katrina made its first assault on the United States, hitting South Florida as a Category One hurricane. Less than four days later, with 140 mile-per-hour (230 kilometer-per-hour) sustained winds, torrential rains, and a storm surge of 15 to 30 feet (5 to 9 meters), Hurricane Katrina pummeled the Gulf Coast as a strong Category Four hurricane.

When it comes to perfect storms, Hurricane Katrina was an impeccable worst-case scenario. The strength, size, and track of the storm and the location of the affected areas made this natural disaster one of the most challenging with which to contend from an emergency management and response perspective.

Helping the Gulf Coast Oct 1, 2005 By: Scottie Barnes

As always, the geospatial community has stepped up to support a region in need. Specifically, my hat goes off to the folks in URISA's GISCorps.