Flood-relief efforts get high-tech help

LONGMONT – Muddy waters more than two feet deep inundated Colorado Materials Inc. during September’s devastating flooding, but the company was able to keep operating thanks to today’s technology.

As the water rose, Colorado Materials staffers called Loveland-based CorKat Data Solutions, which was able to create a “virtual” cloud server, backing up the landscape company’s data remotely within an hour.

As the disaster unfolded, sophisticated national relief agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, local first responders, phone companies and technology firms stepped in quickly, using an array of new gadgetry to help cities and towns confront the disaster.

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“It was a great relief knowing that all that data was safe because we couldn’t get back in here for three days,” Colorado Materials president Chris Kerr said. “We didn’t know if it was under water or what the situation was.”

Social media and reverse 911 gave valuable updates on evacuations for residents. Geographic Information Systems’ mapping technology guided officials in the field and helped them create online content related to road closures. Telecommunications companies AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) deployed special trucks that restored cell-phone connectivity in Estes Park.

Most important, technology has given government officials the ability to more quickly assess damage and connect residents with aid. Disaster-aid teams traveled by helicopter to mountainous locations of Larimer County with iPads to remotely register flood victims for assistance.

About 60 staff members from FEMA worked to register residents from the field using iPads during the peak of the disaster, said Christina Long, Larimer County division supervisor for the federal agency.

More than 30 federal staffers still are registering people. The federal agency has received requests for aid from 800 people, 200 of whom they registered using iPads.

“We were really able to help folks… get on their way to recovery in terms of financial assistance,” Long said.

Long, a FEMA reservist, has traveled nationwide responding to disasters including Hurricane Sandy.

“In the past, when we didn’t have this technology, it was time-consuming, she said. “It took longer to get help to folks.”

The federal agency also brought a device that transmitted wireless Internet for residents and emergency responders in isolated places near Estes Park such as Big Elk Meadows.

First used during the High Park Fire last year, Global Positioning System software on iPads helped Larimer County officials record flood damage to roads. As they flew over in helicopters, they observed and recorded the damage caused by raging rivers and creeks. They collected data on their iPads during the day, then the data was entered into spreadsheets at county offices at night. Officials came up with an $89 million estimate to repair roads and bridges.

“Certainly there are more elaborate ways of doing data collection, but this was something that could be customized and tailored to our specific needs relatively easily,´ said County Engineer Mark Peterson.

“It was very easy for our crews to use out in the field,´ said Brian Fraaken, senior civil engineer. “We were able to complete most of the county assessment within one work week, with the exception of a couple areas we could not get into.”

The Larimer County Assessor’s Office also used iPads equipped with property data and images so officials could assess damage to homes and collect updates for property assessment, said Mark Pfaffinger, chief information officer for the county.

In Longmont, Colorado Materials’ servers avoided the wrath of the overflowing St. Vrain River, Kerr said. But if flooding had destroyed its servers, the company would have lost valuable financial information, including its accounts payable and receivable, without CorKat’s backup services.

“Not having that information backed up would have been a tremendous loss for us” Kerr said.