Providing emergency relief to Suwannee County

Hurricane Idalia made landfall in north central Florida on Aug. 30 causing significant damage in Suwannee County. Officials there had to manage the disaster, respond to community needs, access the impacted areas and plan for recovery efforts. Through Emergency Management, they called out to neighboring areas for support.

Jose Lopez, assistant director at the Information Technology Department (ITD), answered the initial call. He learned Suwannee County was looking for help to develop a Geographic Information System (GIS) from scratch. And they wanted someone there in only six hours.

"I reached out to Division Director Jose Rodriguez and his GIS team. The mission was strictly volunteer, and immediately, we had a team ready to respond," Lopez said.

ITD's Geospatial Technologies Division team members who participated in the event were Orlando Gonzalez Pollo, Leighton Shervington, Michael Betancourt and Jorge Quintella Fernandez. The first team member arrived within two hours of mission activation. As luck would have it, he was completing the required training nearby. He set up a trailer on loan from Jacksonville to help with relief efforts. 

"In a matter of days, our GIS team had the system up and running and was training the Suwannee team," Lopez added. "They are all superstars!"

"The mission had the full support of so many here as well with getting approvals, paperwork processed and being available to the team. IT Software Developer, Ivonne Rodriguez, for example, provided virtual assistance to the GIS team. Her contributions were instrumental in maintaining seamless operations. Everyone's collaboration was amazing and essential to our success."

The GIS team was able to create interactive maps and visualizations to support decision-making, communicate vital information to residents and first responders, and conduct geospatial analyses to support recovery efforts. The user-friendly web applications and dashboards now enable residents to access real-time information about the disaster situation and available resources. 

"It was an incredible experience to be able to assist Suwannee County and be a part of this mission with the ITD GIS team," added IT Software Developer Michael Betancourt. "We were there and working with volunteers from all over the state to solve problems and develop the tools the community needed immediately. I was glad to participate and bring back knowledge to share and apply here, as well."

"Our response to Suwannee County demonstrates the valuable role of geospatial technology in disaster management. By integrating GIS into response and recovery strategies, they were able to improve critical decision-making, optimize resource allocation and improve public safety," Lopez concluded.

Learn more about ITD's GIS Division.