CUSEC is pleased to announce a recent grant from the Delta Regional Authority, a federal-state partnership created by Congress to help create jobs, build communities, and improve lives through strategic investments in economic development in 252 counties and parishes across eight states.
Through this grant and investment in the region, CUSEC and our Member States will create the first regional Geographical Information System (GIS) in the CUSEC region, as part of our mission to reduce earthquake-related deaths, injuries, property damage and economic losses. GIS is an information system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of spatial or geographical data. With the use of this GIS system, emergency management officials will have the ability to share information and achieve situational awareness across the entire region.
This system will speed States’ ability for disaster response and recovery efforts as well as improving overall disaster preparedness from an emergency management perspective. “One of our highest priorities in this region is to ensure that our communities, businesses, and families are ready to bounce back economically from a natural disaster,” said Chris Masingill, Federal Co-Chairman of the DRA. “The disaster preparedness and mitigation capabilities that CUSEC and this regional GIS is bringing to Delta states will make our communities more resilient and more competitive for future economic growth.
The regional GIS initiative follows a successful test and implementation of several GIS advancements during the CAPSTONE-14 exercise in 2014. Current GIS improvements are slated to continue through 2016 and 2017. For more information on the Delta Regional Authority, please visit their website at www.dra.gov.
