Hurricane Harvey Best Available Data
At the request of FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Interior (DOI) stood-up a dedicated Open Data Site (HIFLD for Harvey) to aggregate the most relevant and best available data in a single place – to support Hurricane Harvey response and recovery across all levels of government and whole community partners. HIFLD for Harvey is publicly available at the link below:
Data Available Now
Over 130 data sets are accessible now in HIFLD for Harvey providing the best available data for Harvey-specific information requirements. More data is being added around the clock. This site is being curated to ensure it’s the most relevant and best available data for Harvey operations.
USNG Map Books for Affected Counties
HIFLD for Harvey contains 1:25K USNG Map Books for the affected counties. Map books for each county are being added to the site as produced, with 15 county map books available now. This is a critical resource for first responders and others supporting response and recovery operations. USNG Map Books are being produced in partnership with Delta State
How You Can Contribute to HIFLD for Harvey
- Spread the Word! – Use #HIFLD4Harvey in social media posts. Share the website out with your friends and colleagues in anticipating GIS needs, mutual aid requests, and any related response/recovery efforts.
- Got Data for Harvey? – If you have data that is directly relevant to Harvey that you consider best available, send an email with the link to the data to HIFLD@hq.dhs.gov.
- Unmet Mission Critical Data Needs? – If you have identified a mission critical information requirement that is not currently supported by data available in HIFLD for Harvey, please let us know what the need is by sending an email to HIFLD@hq.dhs.gov.
US National Grid Tools for Citizens
Web App for FINDING YOUR LOCATION on the US National Grid:
https://usngapp.org/
Disasters like Hurricane Harvey often damage/destroy street signs and other traditional indicators of address or location. The USNG app provides you with location information that can be communicated by phone, text, and social media to first responders and other emergency personnel who may be able to provide help. Click on the link above and SAVE the link as a “favorite” to your browser. Once added, save this “favorite” to the HOME SCREEN of your mobile device.
How to save a link as “favorite” to the home screen of your mobile device in different browsers:
Safari:
- Open up Safari and load a website.
- At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see an icon depicting an arrow that looks like it’s moving away from a square.
- If you tap that button successfully, you’ll have a few options.
- Choose a name for the home screen icon.
Chrome:
- Tap the menu button and select “Add to home screen”.
- Enter a name for the shortcut and add it to your home screen.
- The icon will appear on your home screen like any other app shortcut or widget, so you can drag it around and place it wherever you like.
For more details on downloading the USNG app, click here.
US National Grid Tools For Responders:
Introductory Materials
Introduction to USNG for Public Safety: FEMA Video
How to Read the USNG
NAPSG USNG Resources
Data for creating USNG maps of Texas:
Geospatial Data for FEMA Region VI, including Texas: http://usngcenter.org/fema-region-6/
Reliable Information Sources
- HIFLD for Harvey: Single place where data and information is being aggregated from the most best available sources and made open and publicly available for all to use. https://respond-harvey-geoplatform.opendata.arcgis.com/
- FEMA Hurricane Journal: Provides relevant spacial decision-making support for FEMA leadership and a view into federal information available to the general public. https://fema.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=97f53eb1c8724609ac6a0b1ae861f9b5
- Texas Water Dashboard: The Texas Water Dashboard presents USGS real-time stream, lake and reservoir, precipitation and groundwater data for more than 750 USGS real-time observation stations in Texas. https://txpub.usgs.gov/txwaterdashboard/
- Water On the Go Mobile App: “The public can access current conditions and critical flood information throughout Texas by using the USGS “Water On-the-Go” mobile app. The mobile-friendly website/app will allow users to quickly locate USGS gauges in Texas that measure streamflow, stream height, rainfall or lake levels so that users can get up-to-date information on water conditions near where they are located.”
- USGS: The USGS Hurricane Harvey Page has up-to-date information on conditions along the Texas coast as well as resources for victims.
- USGS Flood Event View: FEV (an interactive map) provides viewable and downloadable flood event data. http://stn.wim.usgs.gov/fev/#HarveyAug2017
Hurricane Harvey Crowdsourcing Photo App
How you can help? Sleuth the web for photos from social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) that indicate flood impact in Texas and Louisiana and have a location identified (street address, neighborhood, town, etc.) and add them to the map.
This application has been integrated with FEMA’s Hurricane Journal and is already helping provide a “picture” of the flooding and damage in the impacted area. Nonetheless, we know there are more affected communities out there that are not reflected in these photos.
HURRICANE HARVEY MAP: https://napsg.maps.arcgis.com/apps/StoryMapCrowdsource/index.html?appid=b6ef838e4d26489e8f62102639dc3d91
